Former US diplomat criticises Saakashvili’s new leadership role

A former American diplomat has criticised Mikheil Saakashvili’s new leadership role at a top American University, saying he is a poor leader and his appointment is "a disservice to students”.

Former American Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State John Kornblum blasted the Fletcher School dean for appointing Georgia’s ex-President as a Senior Statesman.

The appointment of Saakashvili by the University’s new dean, Admiral James Stavridis, was "an example of bad judgement”. Kornblum said Saakashvili’s appointment was a disservice to the students and he believed Saakashvili "can in no way serve as an example for future diplomats and business executives.”

"I served as a foreign policy adviser to Saakashvili’s opponent in the October 2012 election for Prime Minister. The 2012 election resulted in a resounding vote to transfer power to the Georgian Dream Party, even though President Saakashvili and his party spared no effort to use the tools of the Government to attempt to block the campaign of challenger Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Kornblum wrote in a letter to the editor of the Fletcher School newsletter.

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University is the oldest school in the United States dedicated solely to graduate students in international affairs.

Kornblum said he was on hand during the final weeks of the 2012 election and can personally attest to the "ruthless oppression of freedom and violence against Georgian Dream campaign workers.”

"The fact that over 60 percent of the Georgian population was able to vote against Saakashvili is not only a testament to Ivanishvili’s courage, but also to the support of Western governments who made it clear to Saakashvili that he would never be allowed to steal an election again,” the former American diplomat said.

He believed the new dean of the Fletcher School was part of a group of American senior military officials who supported Saakashvili "whatever his crimes” because of his pro-NATO credentials.

Kornblum believed the school’s dean would defend the one-year appointment of Saakashvili.

On the bright side, Kornblum believed the Fletcher School students could gain a positive result if Saakashvili was honest in his discussions about his time as Georgia’s leader.

"Read about recent Georgian history, learn about Saakasvili’s treatment of prisoners, his ruthless suppression of demonstrators in May 2011 and learn about the corruption and personal enrichment that infected his entire regime. Above all, force him to tell the truth,” Kornblum expressed to the students who are set to attend Saakashvili’s three or four sessions at the school.

"By doing so you can help ensure that this bizarre appointment will at least have served as an example of how freedom can, and will, win out over post-Soviet dictators such as Saakashvili,” Kornblum wrote.

But not everyone is against Saakashvili’s appointment as a Senior Statesman, which was announced at the end of last year.

Fletcher School dean Admiral James Stavridis said the position of Senior Statesman was a new idea, intended to provide students with access to international leaders and practitioners in a variety of fields.

Stavridis is a retired American Navy Admiral who served as the 15^th Commander, US European Command (USEUCOM) and NATO’s 16^th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

"Throughout his presidency, [Saakashvili] was able to improve the [Georgian] economy drastically, reduce corruption in the state and connect it with the west, the United States and with NATO,” Stavridis said.

"He is a practitioner of diplomacy in a very challenging position in a small nation and has done a very good job leading his nation in its early days since finding independence.”

Stavridis, who visited Georgia and met with Saakashvili several times in the past, believed that one of Saakashvili’s most important contributions to Georgia was leading the Rose Revolution.

Meanwhile Kornblum was a well-respected American leader who dedicated 30 years to serving America, in Europe and at the State Department in Washington. He was a member of the State Department’s Policy Planning team under Henry Kissinger, Director of the State Department’s Office of Central European Affairs, United States Minister and Deputy Commandant in Berlin.

He was also the Deputy Ambassador to NATO, Ambassador and head of the US Mission to the OSCE in Vienna and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs and Special Envoy to the Balkans. Also, from 1997 to 2001 Kornblum served as the Ambassador to Germany. Since 2001 he has established himself as an investment banker and international business consultant.