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 Wendy Chamberlin, former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, at a news conference in Islamabad eight days after the September terrorist attacks. Photo by Agence France-Presse/Saeed Khan |
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A Difficult Choice for a Diplomat — and a Mother 
Wendy Chamberlin is one of three ambassadors featured in a one-hour program that appeared on PBS on Sept. 7, 8 and 9. Robin Goldman (J85), a freelancer with the National Geographic Society, produced the documentary, simply called "Ambassador." She also filmed Geoffrey Martineau (WCAS89) when he was posted in Guatemala. When Wendy Chamberlin (SESP70) arrived in Islamabad on Aug. 13, 2001, as the new U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, she knew she had some challenges ahead of her. "There were a number of prickly points in our relations," she recalls. "We disagreed over their recognition of the Taliban as the regime in Afghanistan, and there was the problem in Kashmir and the nuclear issue, and we had sanctions against Pakistan and were not providing military or economic assistance." The situation changed dramatically in many ways after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. For safety’s sake, dependents of Foreign Service officers, including Chamberlin’s two teen-age daughters, had to be sent back to the United States. A memorial service for the victims of the tragic events was held inside the U.S. Embassy compound, with important Pakistani leaders attending. A Muslim cleric from a prominent mosque recited a prayer from the Koran. "It was very moving," says Chamberlin, who discussed the misinterpretations of the tenets of his religion with him after the service. "Islam is a very peaceful religion that condemns killing of any sort. In the Koran they say that if you take one life, you’ve taken the life of all," she explains. "They’re also against suicide, so the notion that terrorism and Islam could be linked is not true. Much is misunderstood when people talk about Islamic terrorism. These are just plain terrorists who are misusing Islam." As for U.S.-Pakistani relations, the attacks of Sept. 11 had some surprising results. "The terrible tragedy in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington reversed our relations with Pakistan," explains Chamberlin. "I led a very strong team that played an important role in bringing Pakistan along in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and, with judicious use of the media and foreign aid, we were able to keep the Pakistan government strong and its people supportive of Operation Enduring Freedom." Nevertheless, everyday activities in Pakistan were threatened by the danger of terrorist attacks. In February Chamberlin’s daughters finally returned to Islamabad, but then in March an American woman who worked for the U.S. Embassy and her 17-year-old daughter were killed in a suicide bombing in a church. The call for dependents to leave the country came again. It was a turning point for Chamberlin. She flew back to the States with her girls and returned to Islamabad alone. "I’m a single parent, and I had to do some serious soul-searching as to what my values were in life," she says. "I realized that there are many first-rate Foreign Service officers who can be excellent ambassadors to Pakistan, but there is only one person who can be my daughters’ mother." So Chamberlin left her post as ambassador and rejoined her daughters in the Washington, D.C., area at the end of May. It was a time when tensions between Pakistan and India, both nuclear powers, were escalating over the control of Kashmir. In the face of such world problems, does Chamberlin still remain optimistic? "Oh, yes," she replies with enthusiam. The answer is hardly surprising because Chamberlin has always faced difficulties head on. During the Vietnam War she went to Laos to teach from 1971 to 1973. "I felt compelled to do that because I wanted to contribute in some way, and I wanted to find out more about the situation," she says. Chamberlin joined the Foreign Service in 1975 and has worked in the areas of drug trafficking and counterterrorism. When she was posted in Zaire, now Congo, she dealt with human rights issues and remembers one experience well. "I had flown with missionaries up to the farthest corner of the country, where Sudan, Uganda and Zaire meet," she recalls. "There were some massive intertribal killings going on, and I got there just as tens of thousands of refugees from Uganda poured into Zaire. I was able to report this, and the State Department was able to provide about $6 million in emergency assistance to help feed and shelter those refugees." Because there weren’t any planes available for the return trip, Chamberlin came back sitting on empty bottles on a beer truck. "We went through the Ituri Forest, and it took me a week and a half," she says. "It was very hair-raising." In Pakistan Chamberlin helped to shape a project that is particularly important to her as a former teacher: a USAID educational assistance program that focuses on women. In fact, education still remains a top priority as she continues her career in the Foreign Service. "I would like to seek a position in economic development and international education," she says, "which I think are the antidotes to terrorism." Return to Cover Story Return to Northwestern University home |