Bringing the Global Stage to the Fletcher Classroom

Although his father was a career diplomat, Ambassador Christopher Hill felt a youthful resistance to following in his footsteps. It was only after graduating from Bowdoin College and serving in the Peace Corps in Cameroon that Hill discovered his own interest in foreign service. 

“I decided to take the Foreign Service Officer Test, and I never looked back,” Hill said. 

That decision led to an expansive career. Hill took part in the Dayton Peace Accords, served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and was a five-time ambassador, working with countries such as Iraq, South Korea, Poland, the Republic of Macedonia and Serbia.

This fall, Hill will bring his decades of experience to the Fletcher community as a new member of the faculty.  

A Future-Oriented Approach 

When asked about his interest in diplomacy, Hill emphasizes a forward-looking approach. For him, the work is not about cataloging problems, but about solving them. 

“It’s a career where you think in terms of what comes tomorrow,” he said. “You have a problem, and the first thing you have to do is get people to look ahead. But to do so, you have to give them a plausible route forward.” 

For Hill, diplomacy is most effective when it instills confidence that progress is possible, no matter how difficult. 

“If people can sign on to a sense of optimism that a problem can be solved, or at least managed in a way that won’t make it worse, then your solution will develop traction,” he said. 

Negotiations in North Korea – A Lesson in Collaboration 

According to Hill, the way forward in diplomacy often requires creative and persistent collaboration.

One of Hill’s most challenging assignments was to negotiate the de-escalation of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. At the time, the country was producing spent fuel that, once reprocessed, could be converted into plutonium. 

“You have to put together friends and allies,” Hill said. “Diplomacy is all about working with others.” 

As he assessed options in the region, Hill saw that working with China became a key factor in negotiating with North Korea.  

“With China, we didn’t only discuss what we were dealing with in North Korea – we also talked broadly about our relationship with each other,” Hill explained. “I’d often tell my Chinese counterpart that if we worked together, we could move mountains. And we did. North Korea finally agreed to stop production.”

That cooperation led to further breakthroughs, with North Korea destroying key production equipment.

Teaching Leadership Through Listening 

Looking ahead, Hill is excited to join Fletcher’s rigorous, international community and help students forge their own careers in diplomacy. 

“There’s no question that this is a different time for those considering a foreign service career,” Hill said. “But this kind of work is a marathon. One should not assume this is the state of affairs forevermore.” 

This fall, Hill will draw from his diplomatic expertise in his course on the role of smaller states in global affairs. He hopes to instill in students a quiet, respectful approach to leadership – one grounded in listening. 

“If you aren’t listening, 50% of the time you aren’t learning anything,” Hill said. “It’s important to understand that people think differently than other foreign service officers. And I intend to spend a lot of time listening and understanding where people come from.” 

Read more about Hill’s career in his memoir, Outpost, and learn more about Fletcher’s Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy degree program.