Feb 13, 2014 3 min read

Former U.S. Ambassador Thomas Boyatt urged Washington & Jefferson College students to consider a different historical perspective of the last century. The practically back-to-back European conflicts of the 20th century were not isolated incidents, but rather battles fought in one long war, Boyatt said Wednesday inside the Burnett Center’s Yost Auditorium.

Boyatt, who served as an ambassador to Chile, Luxembourg, Colombia and Cyprus, visited several history and political science classes at W&J this week and presented his thesis on “The Hundred Years War of the 20th Century.”

Boyatt reasoned that the major wars in 20th-century Europe were battles fought against aggressive ideologies of Eastern European regimes. He said the United States played a critical role in defeating these authoritarian governments, and what made America unique was not just its ability to win wars.

“The greatest generation is the greatest generation because they won the war, but they are also the greatest generation because they won the peace,” Boyatt said.

Boyatt said that in this modern era, Western countries are faced with new conflicts and new enemies. “History doesn’t end,” he said. “It just changes shape, and the challenges change.”

He said militant Islam and the rise of China will pose two major threats, and the United States must devise a clear plan to handle both.

“That, my friends, is the challenge of your generation,” Boyatt said, concluding his lecture.

Nicholas Chiesa, a junior political science major, said Boyatt spoke to one of his classes about his experiences as vice consul to Antofagasta, Chile, beginning in 1960. Chiesa said it was interesting to hear how Boyatt was at the “epicenter of this incredible political instability” in Chile.

“He has a lot of experience and he’s a very interesting man,” Chiesa said. “From this lecture, I’m not sure if I agree with his theory that we’ve been in 100 years of war and that they’re that closely related, but he certainly provides a good argument for it.”

Boyatt fielded questions from students in the audience who were curious about his views on President Obama’s foreign policies and the Benghazi attacks.

Boyatt replied he lost eight personal friends to bombs and bullets between 1970 and 1980, at which time there was no significant outcry over the killing of American diplomats. “I haven’t lost that many since,” he said. “It’s gotten better.”

Boyatt is currently the chief executive officer of the Foreign Affairs Council, and he lectures frequently in the United States and abroad.