Date: 2010-12-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. on Monday. I was extremely saddened to hear about the death of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. He was a great leader and a dedicated representative of peace and democracy throughout the world. I extend my deepest condolences to Ambassador Holbrookes family. his wife Kati Marton. his brother. Andrew. and his children. David. Anthony. Christopher and Elizabeth. Ambassador Holbrooke has had a tremendous career with the United States State Department. which began with a response to President Kennedys call to service for government work in the early 1960s. Ambassador Holbrooke was undoubtedly a public servant ever since his graduation from Brown University in 1962. when he joined the Foreign Service and was sent to Vietnam. At the young age of 24. Richard Holbrooke. an expert on Vietnam issues. was appointed to a team of Vietnam experts. the Phoenix Program. under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ambassador Holbrooke has always been a champion of peace and democracy. and this began at a young age with a profound dedication to the United States international diplomacy efforts. Since beginning his career in foreign policy at such a young age. Ambassador Holbrooke was always at the forefront of international political issues. whether it was as a public servant at the 1968 Paris Peace Talks. Director of the Peace Corps in Morocco. or as a the editor of Foreign Policy magazine. Ambassador Holbrooke will always be an archetype of United States diplomacy. and his resume only serves to demonstrate how he has been consequential to diplomacy in some of our generations most tumultuous events. Ambassador Holbrooke never relented in his efforts to expand his efforts to pursue U.S. interests of diplomacy and democracy internationally. In 1977. under President Carter. Richard Holbrooke was Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. As the youngest person to have been appointed to that position. Ambassador Holbrooke oversaw the normalization of relations with China in 1978. and the warming of the cold war during his tenure. His diplomatic achievements do not culminate with the establishment of diplomatic relations with Chinainstead they continued. and arguably exceeded anyones expectations. When President Clinton took office in 1993. Mr. Holbrooke returned to work for the United States Government with the State Department. His first appointment was as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. where he participated in the founding of the American Academy in Berlin as a cultural exchange center. In 1994. he returned to Washington after being appointed by President Clinton to be the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs. where he was the lead negotiator in the Balkan Wars. He was strategic in establishing a lasting peace at the Dayton talks that undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. The 1995 Dayton peace accords ended the war in Bosniabut it required an agreement by the three warring factions. the Serbs. the Croats. and the Bosnian Muslims. Holbrookes role in this is lasting. he ended the 3year war. and helped develop the framework for dividing Bosnia into two entities. one of the Bosnian Serbs and another of the Croatians and Muslims. Ambassador Holbrooke is a hero of U.S. diplomacy. and undoubtedly had tremendous importance in facilitating peace. in whatever form. in Bosnia. After playing a key role in the Dayton Peace Talks. President Bill Clinton named Mr. Holbrooke as the representative of the United States to the United Nations. Holbrookes time as the United Nations Ambassador was highlighted in his addressing the problems of global HIV/AIDS. He advocated to United Nation peacekeepers that it was their responsibility to help prevent HIV/AIDS and invited Vice President Al Gore to speak before the Security Council to highlight the growing epidemic. Ambassador Holbrooke warned that the medical section of the peacekeeping department has been understaffed and suggested that all peacekeepers include the cost of AIDS tests in the budget of future missions. Mr. Holbrooke has been a strong advocate for HIV/AIDS issues having worked with the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) during his time as United Nations Ambassador to the United States. During his tenure. Ambassador Holbrooke invited members of the CBC to visit the U.N. Ambassador Holbrooke demonstrated his drive to securing international health and peace. in his lifetime of dedication to diplomatic efforts. His work never ceased. and it continued with President Obama. Under the Obama administration. Ambassador Holbrooke was appointed Special Envoy to Pakistan and to Afghanistana region that contains the United States greatest national security concerns. Just as his responsibility unfolded in the Balkans. his responsibility in Pakistan and Afghanistan posed a major challenge that would not have an easy solution. As we all know. the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan are multidimensional and are problems that could not be solved overnight. Ambassador Holbrooke knew this. yet he commendably took on the role. and worked courageously and diplomatically in a densely complicated region. Ambassador Holbrooke was the intermediary between Afghanistan. Pakistan and the United States. Ambassador Holbrooke was fighting. diplomatically. to stabilize the often unpredictable and always fluctuating region. The fight continues to be multifaceted. and Ambassador Holbrooke dealt with fragile economies. containing corruption within governments and elections. destabilizing the Taliban resurgency. a rampant narcotics trade. the presence of Al Qaeda. and maintaining peace and security. all while promoting United States diplomatic efforts. Representing the United States. Ambassador Holbrooke worked to promote economic development in Pakistan through the Kerry Lugar Berman Bill. and worked with the Afghani government and administration to reduce U.S. combat troops and to forge a lasting peace in the region. He is an example to us all. his life was foreign policy. his dedication was to the United States. and his motivation was diplomacy. Ambassador Holbrooke will always be regarded as a true American diplomat. one who strived for international peace throughout his entire career. of nearly 50 years. as a public servant. We lost a great American peacemaker this week. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke gave his life to the cause of peace. His work over the years speaks for itself. but most importantly. the call that he accepted on behalf of Americans to serve in Afghanistan and Pakistan will resonate for decades. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke was my friend and will never be forgotten.