Richard Armitage: An envoy who knew the reach of US power

Pragmatism, alliance-building and a commitment to American engagement with the world were his calling cards. He knew the reach of American power. And the value of restraint.

- Bhagyashree Garekar

WASHINGTON - Pragmatism, alliance-building and a commitment to American engagement with the world were his calling cards. He knew the reach of American power. And the value of restraint.

Mr Richard Armitage, an old-school US diplomat, is being remembered here and in Singapore for shaping Washington's approach to Asia in the decisive years of the early 2000s when the US first began grappling with China's meteoric rise.

A traditional Republican, Mr Armitage's values stood in sharp contrast with the party's populist "America First" turn and its embrace of a transactional approach to foreign policy under President Donald Trump.

Mr Armitage, who died on April 13 at the age of 79, rose from being a naval ensign in the battlefields of Vietnam to the top rungs of American diplomacy.

He served as deputy secretary of state (2001-2005) under then President George W. Bush and, before that, as an assistant secretary of defence in the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations.

In the tumultuous years following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on America in 2001, he was then Secretary of State Colin Powell's right-hand man. Known for his directness, the bald, muscular powerlifter famously delivered the ultimatum to Pakistan: Cooperate in the fight against Al-Qaeda or face dire consequences.

He also pressed allies such as Japan to support the "war on terror", urging Tokyo to "show the flag" and, controversially, to put "boots on the ground" during the Iraq War, a phrase that sparked debate in pacifist Japan.

At the same time, he was a moderating voice within the Bush administration, advocating diplomacy even as the US embarked on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.