Two diplomats under the U.S. Department of State visited Mississippi State University Friday and Saturday to speak to students and the general public.
Diplomats Earle and Barbara Scarlett explained their experiences in working for the United States and the United Nations in international diplomacy. They provided detailed accounts of their work with the international press, engaging in diplomatic talks with various political leaders, and dealing with cultural differences while in other countries.
Barbara Scarlett provided the audience with her summary of what it was like for her to be a diplomat.
“When a diplomat meets a butcher, he talks about meat,” Barbara Scarlett said. “When a diplomat meets a baker, he talks about bread. When a diplomat tries to get them to come together, he talks about sandwiches.”
Earle Scarlett described diplomacy as being impartial work.
“When you are overseas, you follow the instructions of your government. This is regardless of whether instructions come from Democrats, Republicans or someone you don’t agree with. You serve all parties,” he explained.
The Scarletts said their experiences in fulfilling U.S. administrative actions and attempting to negotiate for peaceful solutions with political leaders of several countries proved difficult.
Barbara Scarlett said she worked with people who would eat, work and talk with each other during the day and kill each other at night, only to continue doing the same things the following day.
“One thing about diplomacy: You can try to bring people together, but you can’t make them hold hands together,” said Barbara Scarlett.
Earle Scarlett also said working with political leaders challenged him.
While working under the United Nations in Yugoslavia, Earle Scarlett had to cooperate briefly with Slobodan Milosevic, the former president of Yugoslavia now indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague. He described Milosevic as being a person with two projected images: being a man responsible for several war crimes and international violations and also as person who visited the United States as a teenager, loved hot dogs and spoke English well.”
Earle Scarlett said while he served the United States in Bosnia and Yugoslavia, he was forbidden to have any contact with Milosevic.
“Politics can greatly affect diplomacy,” Barbara Scarlett said. “Everything you do is on display for your country.”
Barbara Scarlett, now retired, served with the United States Information Agency (USIA) and the Department of State from 1976-2001.
Her assignments included service in Washington, D.C., on strategic policy planning and cultural administration for the advancement of U.S. foreign policy objectives abroad. She has also served alongside her husband in six geographic areas of the world-including the Philippines, Cameroon, Brazil, Bosnia, Yugoslavia and Ireland-as a press/information officer.
Earle Scarlett serves as the senior advisor for International Affairs to the Air University Commander. A foreign service officer since 1976, he has served in several locations including the Philippines during the 1984 overthrow of President Marcos.
In the State Department he served as a foreign service examiner and as a desk officer for China during the Tiananmen Square incident.
The presentation offered students insight concerning world affairs and a career in the foreign service, Rickey Travis, a political science professor, said.
“I also think it inspires students to be more global in thinking about their future career plans,” Travis said.
The political science department sponsored the lecture.