The Fletcher School

Ambassador Barbara Bodine, MALD 1971, USA

For former U.S. Ambassador Barbara Bodine (MALD 1971), it could be said that at times her success has created a conundrum — something she had to come to grips with shortly before enrolling in The Fletcher School.

By the end of her undergraduate studies, Bodine was intent on joining the State Department and decided to take a stab at the Foreign Service exam, a test many applicants fail on their first try. To Bodine’s surprise, she passed both the written and oral portions, making her eligible for immediate service.

While this is usually a joyous occasion for aspiring diplomats, Bodine faced a bit of a problem: She had already been accepted to Fletcher.

“Is there a way that I can still go to Fletcher?” Bodine recalled asking the State Department. Requesting special treatment is never easy, but Bodine’s wish was granted and she was allowed to pursue her master’s degree. "They saw the value to them as well as to me in coming here,” she said.

It’s a decision neither one regrets. Bodine went on to work as a career Foreign Service Officer for more than 30 years, during which time she focused on security, counterterrorism, and democratization on the Arabian Peninsula and in other parts of Southwest Asia, including Kuwait and Iraq. From 1997 to 2001, she served as Ambassador to Yemen.

Bodine, currently a visiting scholar at the Center for International Studies at MIT, said she decided to postpone her State Department career in favor of Fletcher because, "I knew I needed a broad perspective.”

As a student at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Bodine said she had a narrow undergraduate academic scope, focusing on Chinese studies. At Fletcher, she was able to expand her knowledge base by incorporating a multidisciplinary approach and making international law her primary field of study. Her thesis was entitled, "Historical Roots of Mao’s Theories of Peoples’ Wars.”

“I’ve always been intrigued by unconventional or asymmetrical warfare,” said Bodine, noting that most Cold War-era academics were instead analyzing nuclear threats. "Looking at insurgencies wasn’t terribly chic in those days.”

Bodine credits her Fletcher experience as being the catalyst for that kind of forward thinking.

“My time at Fletcher was really the turning point,” she said, adding that nonacademic factors also contributed to the learning process. "What we learned in the classroom was good and important, but interaction with the other students was as valuable as class time.”

Bodine said her Fletcher classmates are "probably the best friends I ever had.” And in her line of work, she said it’s been easy to keep in touch with them, in addition to meeting other alumni in places like the State Department, the Department of Defense and on Capitol Hill.

“They are everywhere,” Bodine said. "It’s sort of like belonging to a secret society.”