A Conversation with Ambassador M. Osman Siddique (ret)
Ambassador Siddique was the first Muslim and South Asian American to serve as Ambassador and Chief of Mission, and he was in that role from 1999 to 2001 (Wikimedia Commons).
On October 22, the Caravel, Georgetown’s Muslim Student Association, and the Georgetown Bipartisan Coalition collaborated to host a talk with former U.S. Ambassador M. Osman Siddique. Ambassador Siddique was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Fiji, the Republic of Nauru, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Tuvalu by President Bill Clinton. He was the first Muslim and South Asian American to serve as Ambassador and Chief of Mission, and he was in that role from 1999 to 2001. Over the course of the event and a subsequent interview, he discussed his experience as an ambassador, his experience as an immigrant, and his views on current foreign policy issues.
Ambassador Siddique moved to the U.S. in 1970 in the midst of Bangladesh’s bloody transition to independence. Many students were killed in the violence, which Ambassador Siddique personally witnessed. “I was perched in my fourth-floor apartment building from which I had the misfortune of witnessing this kind of brutality. I wish I didn't, because it is still indelibly imprinted in my heart, but we moved on,” he said. He completed his MBA from Indiana University, and he quickly fulfilled his dream of working for a Fortune 500 Company. He soon started his own business, Travelogue Inc., before transitioning to politics.
Ambassador Siddique believes in the ability of immigrants to assimilate themselves into American society and culture, which is why he opted against dual citizenship, saying, “I want my allegiance to be to only one flag.” He also expressed his passion for being equally American as a naturalized citizen compared to other Americans, saying that, “when you sign that naturalization decree, you are an American. Those 50 stars on the flag belong to you just as much as they belong to the President of the United States.”
Ambassador Siddique also discussed the impact of the American Dream. “The American Dream started knocking on my door, and I became an entrepreneur in Washington D.C. As a new immigrant entrepreneur, it’s a tough road. Blood, sweat, and tears is what I expended. When I went to the bank, people laughed at my balance sheet. When I wanted to get a mortgage, everybody laughed at my credit score because I had none. I had to build it up, and the chance for me to do that is the beauty of America.”
Ambassador Siddique gave special praise to America’s constitutional values. Addressing the First Amendment, he discussed how it allows for the freedom of speech, religion, and voting. He cited the Fourteenth Amendment as his favorite, “as it mandates that every American, born or naturalized, has the same equal rights.”
At the same time, Ambassador Siddique used the Constitution as a reference to criticize present-day America, saying that, “the America I am seeing today is very different from the America envisioned by the founding fathers.” He addressed rising levels of xenophobia and racism by saying, “the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees that we as Americans look beyond our color, our culture, and our ethnicity, whether we are born in America or are naturalized citizens. Equal rights are granted and have been granted to everybody, including freed slaves after the Civil War. Despite this, it is sad to see rising levels of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate-fueled shootings, among other forms of racism and xenophobia.”
He brought up an anecdote to highlight the importance of the First Amendment, and how its rights were not being experienced by immigrants and people of color for the fear of xenophobia and racism. “There is a township in Michigan where 20 percent of the citizens are Bangladeshi American. They don't want to register [to vote]. They don't want to vote because they're afraid that somebody might hurt them.” Building on this, he said that, “we have to make sure that the future leadership, whoever it is, does not impugn our First Amendment right. Our freedom of speech, freedom to vote, and freedom to practice our religion without fear shouldn't be compromised.”
Discussing his shift from business to politics, Ambassador Siddique said, “the air [in Washington D.C.] is always toxic with politics, and I could not avoid it. I was inducted into American politics by the late Senator Ted Kennedy. He was my mentor, my friend, and he made sure that I understood the [political] process.” Ambassador Siddique has been involved in campaigning and fundraising for every Democratic presidential candidate since 1992, except in 2000 when he was an ambassador. He campaigned for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, and he was appointed as Ambassador to the four Pacific Island states in 1999. “I’m grateful to President Bill Clinton for the opportunity he gave me to participate in American public service. He was aware of the racial and ethnic conflicts going on in Fiji. Keeping my South Asian and Muslim heritage in mind, he knew that I would be effective in pressing America’s values about justice, freedom, and democracy in the country.”
The most notable event to happen in Ambassador Siddique’s tenure as ambassador was the Fiji coup d’état in 2000, in which a group of ethnic nationalists held the prime minister, cabinet members, and up to 50 Members of Parliament hostage. The prime minister was of South Asian background, and Ambassador Siddique remarked, “here I was thrust in this crisis, with people knowing very well my background and my ethnicity.” Ambassador Siddique also noted how the Fijians wanted the U.S. to take leadership in resolving the crisis. “They wanted America to initiate the process of reconciliation, reconstruction, and the restoration of democracy, which I did.” Regarding his role in the restoration of Fijian democracy, Ambassador Siddique said, “my government was interested in installing an interim government that wasn’t meant to be long-lasting, and focused on framing a constitution that mandated fair and free elections which reflected the will of the people.” Ambassador Siddique also noted how his tenure as an ambassador was unusual compared to others, as he stayed during President George Bush's administration, despite being appointed by President Clinton. “I submitted my resignation, which all ambassadors have to do. Soon after I did that, I was advised by the State Department to stay on, as President Bush wanted me to continue with the process and bring it to a successful closure.”
The conversation then shifted to current issues in international relations, particularly regarding China and its impact on the world. “I have no doubt in my mind that China is our biggest adversary, both politically and economically.” He also commented on how we could have averted this current impasse with China if we had payed more attention to its emergence as a regional superpower. “We have ourselves to blame for China as a global superpower and threat. It is our fault we did not foresee the emergence of such a superpower.” He spoke specifically on China’s Belt-and-Road initiative. “China is going into third world countries with large amounts of aid, grants, technical assistance, and their own way of bilateral relations. We need aggressive diplomatic efforts there.”
Ambassador Siddique further talked about climate change, bringing up the example of Tuvalu, where he served as U.S. Ambassador. He explained how the small island country will be submerged by a rise in sea levels if temperatures rise by three to four degrees Celsius. “We need to come together as a global community to combat the very existential threat of climate change.”
Ambassador Siddique also criticized U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration. “There has to be a massive effort to restore the credibility of our foreign policy. Some ambassadors have resigned in protest, and this sends negative signals to the host countries.” Ambassador Siddique used specific examples of the Trump administration’s foreign policy, such as its dealings with China. “The Trump administration is dealing with China in a confrontational manner. This is counterproductive. We need to increase diplomatic efforts, dialogue, and our understanding of China’s dealings.” He also bemoaned the Trump administration pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords. “If Biden is elected, he will have a huge challenge to rebuild the carnage of United States foreign policy. It will be a huge task to steady the ship, and that includes retaking leadership in NATO and other global alliances. Hopefully, the young Georgetown students will have a big role to play in that.”
Despite criticizing both the domestic and foreign policy situations of the U.S., Ambassador Siddique remains optimistic about our country rebounding from this short-term deterioration. “I am confident that we will get better as the constitution allows us to change. The power of our citizens, constitution, and common humanity will help us recover. The shining light at the top of the hill may be dim right now, but will be back.” He compared the United States to a bus with strong shock absorbers. “The U.S. is like a bus which has really strong shock absorbers. We might be in a bumpy ride, we might be falling off of our seats. But by the end of the day, the shock absorbers will stabilize the bus and everybody will be back on their seats, and this bus will continue to move forward on its journey.” However, he also stressed on how the U.S. needs new leadership to achieve this, claiming that “this is a country that deserves better than what we currently have.”
Ambassador Siddique recently came out with a new book—Leaps of Faith: An Immigrant's Odyssey of Struggle, Success, and Service to his Country. In his book, he writes more extensively about the topics he discussed during his talk. If you are interested in learning more about Ambassador Siddique’s journey as an immigrant, businessman, political figure, and ambassador, you can do so by purchasing the book here.