Three time White House appointee, 28 trips working in Afghanistan and Pakistan and over 3.000 lives of Cuban refugees saved in the 1990s. What is Thomas Van Hare doing at Lund University?
“Lund is a great University for the career field I’m in, and it is a great honor to be here. Someday, I plan on teaching in International Relations, so this is why I am studying now. There’s a point in your career when with all you have seen and experienced in your life, it’s time to pass those things on to the next generation.”
You have worked for the Reagan Administration and under both Bushes, are you now free to study because the Democrats took over the White House?
“Yes, whether or not you get a job in politics depends on who is in the White House. Even then, to get one of those positions, it is extremely competitive. I was very lucky to have done it three times.”
Why lucky?
“Coming to Washington, DC, in 1983, I ended up in opposition research, studying the candidate running against Reagan, knowing their plans. At that time we created a revolution in how it was done, using computers for the first time, and we defeated the Democrats. There were eleven people in that unit and all of us got invited into the Administration. It still took another year before I got to join the second term under Reagan.”
So was it good connections that got you in?
“It’s mostly hard work. One of my earliest lessons was who you know might get you a job, but what you do keeps you in it and gets you the next job. And there’s no room for error in international politics. You need to develop a reputation to keep your position – I’m known as a straight shooter, reliable, trusted – that’s why they call me back. Also my expertise is pretty special. When I started working Afghan projects in 1986, the US was only barely involved. In those days there were only five of us working in the ‘non-shooting’ part – medical, humanitarian assistance and state building, even shipping mules if you can imagine that. Now, there are thousands involved, but not many others have been on it for nearly 30 years.”
You experienced the fall of the Soviet Union, while working the Afghanistan program. What was that like?
“In the 80s, it was illegal for US citizens to enter Afghanistan, so we flew in and out of Pakistan. One interesting program was evacuating wounded Afghan guerillas, bringing them to Europe and the US for reconstructive surgery. We talked with them to get a better understanding on what is going on inside Afghanistan. When the flag went down on the Soviet Union, that was really something incredible – we watched it on TV at the office, some of us cheering. Not everyone though – the guy next to me said: “What do I do now? I’m a Soviet studies expert!”
How did the fall of the Soviet Union change the situation in Afghanistan?
“The Soviets had withdrawn earlier, but after 1989, their influence was nearly zero. Our office continued working on programs until 1992, but that changed when President Clinton came in 1993. The programs in stabilization, nation building, health clinics and developing a new democracy – all that went on auto-pilot. Suddenly it was not popular; the Soviets were gone, the Afghan War was over and the new White House felt we had no role in Afghanistan. Without engagement from the US and Europe, it created a power vacuum, which gave rise to the Taliban. At the end of that rainbow was 9/11 – and it wasn’t much of a rainbow since all the colors were black. Sadly, it was avoidable if we’d stayed engaged.”
If the White House would call and invite you again, say in half a year, would you leave your studies in Sweden and go?
“Absolutely. I’d just drop everything. That’s what it means to be in public service. You end up with this kind of dual life, an industry career and a governmental/political career, both incompatible and both unstable in a way. Of course, when someone rings you from the White House and says, ‘we need you’, you go. There are few higher callings than public service.”
After all your experience, are you learning anything new in Lund?
“Always! Lund is very theoretical and teaches a different framework of thinking than operationalized kinds of foreign policy engagements. When I came to Lund my theoretical background was limited to what I learned back at university in 1983. I had seen a lot of things over the years, but have I ever put them in theoretical context? Generally no, but when it comes to a moral and ethical contexts – absolutely. What does it really mean when you work in reconstruction, changing, improving the lives of the others, of people in distant countries? These are questions deeply grounded in moral and ethical thinking both in the university and the field – and that’s the real story of my life.”
See Thomas Van Hare’s upcoming lecture on March 27 through UPF/Lund on the topic of lessons learned in reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
