The man who went everywhere to bring hostages and prisoners home is now gone forever. American diplomat and negotiator Bill Richardson is dead at 75.
His demise leaves behind a master course in quiet and effective diplomacy. History will remember him as an indomitable force in America's diplomatic prowess. Richardson was not merely a diplomat; he was a maestro of quiet negotiations and statesmanship on the world stage.
For almost 40 years, when America needed a negotiator, it called on Bill Richardson. He repeatedly and successfully negotiated the release of international hostages and prisoners from rogue and dictatorial regimes.
It wasn't just wrongly-detained Americans whose release he negotiated: one of his early successes was the 1996 release of International Red Cross pilot John Early and his co-pilot, their flight's Australian nurse, and five rebel soldiers taken hostage in Sudan.
Two years earlier, as a five-term congressman from New Mexico on a Congressional trip to North Korea, he managed the successful negotiation that resulted in the release of an American helicopter pilot shot down when he trespassed into the secretive nation.
Thus began an extraordinary chapter in the annals of American diplomacy where Richardson's steady readiness to negotiate with anyone to secure the release of people held in far-off lands and conflicts became an enduring emblem of what could be expected from a true diplomacy.
For the families and the nations of those held, he became a symbol of hope. His legacy is sure to light the paths for future generations of diplomats worldwide.
Richardson was a diplomat before he had the official title, but in 1997, Bill Clinton made him the American Ambassador to the United Nations. His tenure was marked by a series of remarkable accomplishments that underscored his diplomatic prowess and a commitment to global peace and cooperation.
During several conflicts, he displayed crisis management skills that defused several international tensions and became a staunch advocate for human rights everywhere, focusing on issues such as forced labor and human trafficking.
Serving as a UN special envoy to North Korea, he was instrumental in opening channels of communication between Pyongyang and the international community.
His imprint at the UN is reflected in its enhanced role in conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy over confrontation. Through his 11 years at the UN, Richardson showed the world that effective diplomacy and dialogue could bridge seemingly impossible divides.
Leaving the UN, he went on to become governor of New Mexico, but his legacy will be defined by his ability to parachute into just about any crisis around the globe, to negotiate peaceful settlements, and to work on securing the release of people held in some of the world's most dangerous and unforgiving nations.
When there was trouble on any continent, Bill Richardson could be counted on to be at the center of negotiations, often delicate and dangerous, and just as often, successful.
In 2010, Richardson negotiated the release Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in Myanmar after 15 years of imprisonment. The Richardson Center, Bill Richardson's non-profit for promoting diplomacy, conflict resolution, and the protection of human rights, lists among his negotiated successes the releases of a young American man who swam across the Yalu River from China to North Korea; of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, captured by Hamas; of three Americans held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the release of Journalist Paul Salopek and two of his colleagues held by the government of Sudan; of Laura Ling, held by North Korea; of the remains of six U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War from North Korea; that of an American woman who was imprisoned in Bangladesh; of three jailed dissidents in Cuba; and of two American defense contractors arrested by Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
He continued this work even as late as last year, traveling to Moscow to discuss the release of detained US basketball star Britney Griner. "Respect the other side. Try to connect personally. Use sense of humor. Let the other side save face," said Richardson on how he approached negotitations in his his 2013 book, "How to Sweet-Talk a Shark: Strategies and Stories from a Master Negotiator."
A key aspect of Richardson's diplomacy was precisely the capacity to build trust and rapport with foreign leaders. Over the years, his personal connections and diplomacy-by-engagement approach helped foster dialogue and resolve disputes around the globe.
Richardson's diplomacy was a mix of pragmatism and adaptability. He recognised that diplomatic challenges varied widely, and his strategies evolved accordingly. When negotiating the release of American hostages in North Korea, his approach involved a delicate balance of diplomacy and firmness, emphasising the importance of maintaining open channels of communication.
In contrast, when dealing with hostage situations in Colombia with the violent FARC guerillas, he focused more on building trust and offering concessions to secure the captives' release. He was well adept to assessing political and cultural nuances in the regions where he troubleshooted. In the Middle East he focused on finding common ground; in Sudan, his strategy was behind-the-scenes diplomacy and discreet negotiations.
Upon his death, US President Biden praised Richardson's ability to assess each situation and his diplomatic acumen to tailor his approach accordingly.
It was that type of diplomacy that set Richardson apart and put him in key roles in efforts to combat global crises like the Kosovo conflict at the end of the 1990s when a war with Yugoslavia ensued as well as the ongoing North Korean nuclear issue.
"I believe that we have to engage our adversaries no matter how different our philosophies are," Richardson once said of his willingness to negotiate with dictators, revolutionaries, and human rights violators. He sparred with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to free an American journalist.
For his efforts Richardson was nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize. While the nominations did not result in the award, they acknowledge his significant work in carving a diplomatic channel into the heart of crises everywhere.
Biden called Richardson a "patriot and true original." He was indeed a diplomat of an unparalleled and unrelenting vision, a man with an original conviction who reshaped the landscape of global crisis diplomacy.
He leaves a large void for diplomats to fill.