Watch this piece from Voice of America's TV2Africa on the 2012 Common Ground Awards and recipients Chris Stevens and Ingoma Nshya (5:19)
AMBASSADOR J. CHRISTOPHER STEVENS
The late U.S. Ambassador to Libya and career Foreign Service Officer who spent his life steadfastly serving to bridge divides and cultivate understanding between the United States and the Middle East.
J. Christopher Stevens was well-known not only for his kindness and intelligence but his willingness to embrace the cultures surrounding him. As the U.S.Ambassador to Libya, he was often seen in the streets of Tripoli conversing with Libyans as his security detail stayed well back, allowing him to nurture a sense of accessibility among ordinary citizens during a tumultuous period in Libya’s history. Until his death in the attack on the Benghazi Consulate on September 11, 2012, he had spent his life bridging divides and cultivating understanding between the United States and the Middle East.
Born in Northern California in 1960, Chris graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1982. Afterwards, he joined the Peace Corps, spending two years in Morocco where he learned Arabic and French, languages that would serve him well in his tenure in Libya. He joined the Foreign Service in 1991, beginning a diplomatic career spanning two decades. He served in Jerusalem, Damascus, Cairo, and Riyadh before returning to Washington, where he held a multitude of positions in the State Department.
“Relationships between governments are important, but relationships between people are the real foundation of mutual understanding”
~J. CHRISTOPHER STEVENS
From 2007 to 2009, Chris was the Chief of Mission in Libya. In 2011, during the Libyan Revolution, he began serving as a Special Representative to the Libyan Transitional National Council, after arriving in Benghazi on a Greek cargo ship as battle raged. In May, 2012, Chris was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Libya, a position he held until his death.
Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns considered him one of “the very finest officers of his generation in the Foreign Service.” Ghaith al-Omari, a former adviser to the Palestinian Authority who met Chris while he was stationed in Jerusalem, described him as “a diplomat who had texture.”
Chris believed the best way to overcome prejudice was to interact directly with different cultures; to acknowledge differences and celebrate diversity. Efforts by Libyans to save his life and the demonstrations by Libyans denouncing the attack that took his life signified the impact of his diplomatic approach.
His willingness to transcend cultural barriers in order to better perform his duties as a representative of the United States has set a new standard for cultural diplomacy and peacebuilding. His family has produced an online memorial, rememberingchrisstevens.com, to promote the values of communication and understanding to which he dedicated his life.
Accepting the award on behalf of Ambassador Stevens is his sister, Anne Stevens, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
