NEWS & EVENTS

On Thursday, September 26, the Reischauer Center hosted a talk by Alfred Magleby, a longtime U.S. diplomat who served as Consulate General of Okinawa from 2012-2015.

Speaking to a diverse audience of students and scholars from both the U.S. and abroad, Magleby shared some the considerable insights he has gained over the course of his 30-year career in the Foreign Service, particularly his time spent on Okinawa. Reflecting on the sensitive issue of the U.S. military presence on the island, Magleby stressed the need for continued dialogues and relationship-building while outlining ways of making Okinawa’s U.S. military bases more accommodating of local communities.

Magleby also noted the importance of cooperation between diplomats and military leaders on the island, and warned against the dangers of “institutional bias” that can cause divisions and misunderstandings between the Pentagon and the State Department.

Throughout the discussion, Magleby emphasized the imperative for all diplomats to avoid hubris and overconfidence, discard essentialist narratives that restrict maneuverability, and to never lose their curiosity and quest for new knowledge and understanding.