I hope a charm offensive does not offend you

As an adjective, the word offensive means repelling, especially to the senses of hearing, sight and smell. That is why the expression “charm offensive” may sound in one’s ear like a self-contradiction. It may raise the question: How can anything charm and yet, at the same time, offend your sense organs?

Yet the expression charm offensive does not raise any semantic problem because, in this context, the word offensive is not an adjective. No, it is a noun. In the international relations known as diplomacy, a charm offensive is simply a deliberate, usually indirect, attempt to attract other states to your side concerning some international controversy.

The only problem is the term offensive may sound permanently negative in one’s ear. For, just as the adjective defensive comes from the verb to defend, so the adjective offensive comes from the verb to offend. Yet offensive is commonly used also as a noun in international relations, especially in diplomacy, where it refers to nothing more offending than an official initiative concerning an international problem.

HOSTILE TO EARS

The government of a state usually hostile to yours might resort to an offensive act by taking a deliberate action aimed specifically at prompting the offended government(s) to react in some manner. A good example occurred in 1963. As Kenya’s independence approached apace, a few young Kenyans — including myself — were sent to the Kenya Institute of Administration at Kabete.

The aim was to prepare us for service in the newly formed Department of External Affairs, led by a polished young politician called Robert John Ouko, as the Foreign Minister. We were meant later to be posted as officers to the newly appointed missions in such world metropolises as the District of Columbia, London, Moscow, New York City, Paris and Rome.

We were meant to serve also in such important inter-governmental organisations as the United Nations, Unesco, Unicef, WHO and Kenya’s newly appointed embassies and high commissions. Unfortunately, however, Ouko was soon gunned down by interests whose identity and purposes have never been publicly identified.

MISSIONS ABROAD

We were all being prepared to serve in the newly appointed embassies and other such missions abroad.

After independence, the term “external affairs” was what was dropped from the ministry’s name in preference for the term “foreign affairs”. It was headed by two suave and well-informed individuals, Robert Ouko as the Foreign Minister and Farid Hinawy as the Chief of Protocol.

The Department of External Affairs belonged at that time to the Office of the Prime Minister. So Jomo Kenyatta served also as our Foreign minister. Only when the department became a full ministry of Foreign Affairs did suave young people begin to play leading roles there.

Joseph Murumbi, who would serve as Vice- President, was the Foreign Minister in Kenyatta’s first Cabinet, and Robert Ouko was the first Permanent Secretary. But it was under Farid Hinawy that I served as a protocol officer.

The writer is a veteran journalist