More than 150 students, administrators and Long Beach community members crowded into the Theatre Arts Lecture Hall Thursday to listen as former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter spoke about his experiences and speculated on U.S.-Pakistan relations.
During his time in the Middle East, former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter oversaw the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden and the use of U.S. military drones.
The event, organized by the Yadunandan Center for India Studies and titled “U.S.-Pakistan Relations in 2014 and Beyond,” focused on ways the U.S. and Pakistan can improve their relationship with one another.
Munter highlighted the diplomatic struggle between the U.S. and Pakistan.
“We [the U.S. and Pakistan] misunderstand each other,” Munter said. “It’s time for us to repeal narratives that have bedeviled our relationship.”
Munter, who served as an ambassador to Pakistan from 2010 to 2012, spoke about his experience serving around the globe and the challenges he faced in numerous crisis zones.
“As a diplomat, I volunteered to go to the problem areas of the world,” Munter said.
Munter said the U.S. and Pakistan have not developed a stronger diplomatic relationship because each country has preconceived and misguided notions about the other, as the countries look at events in different lights. He used the killing of Osama bin Laden as an example.
While in Pakistan, Munter oversaw events such as the 2011 capture and killing of Bin Laden and the expansion of the U.S. military drone program.
Munter explained why the U.S. government did not inform the Pakistani government about its mission to capture Bin Laden.
“If we had informed [Pakistan], it could have been leaked,” Munter said. “We couldn’t tell Pakistan we were going in.”
Munter also discussed how U.S.-Pakistan relations could improve following U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014.
During his time in Pakistan, Munter served with former U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke’s death in 2010 interrupted diplomatic progress in the region, Munter said.
“[Holbrooke] created a galaxy where he was the sun, and we [diplomats] were the planets,” Munter said. “He was a man of great energy.”
After discussing future U.S.-Pakistan relations, Munter answered questions from guests in the crowd.
During the session, one of the attendees asked Munter a question and called U.S. military drones strikes in Pakistan acts of “American terrorism.”
“Drones are much more humane,” Munter said in response. “It’s extraordinarily irresponsible to call what America is doing terrorism. That is total crap.”
Before the lecture started, Interim Provost for Planning and Budgets and Director of Strategic Planning David Dowell thanked Munter for visiting campus.
“There’s something special about how we build bridges between groups [at CSULB],” Dowell said. “I’m very grateful for a series like this.”
Throughout the event, Munter remained optimistic that the U.S. and Pakistan could have a better relationship in the future.
“Over time, we can build a relationship,” Munter said. “I see a positive future.”