Hard working, as passionate about her outreach and advocacy initiatives as she is about her family, Ann Wagner is the sort of female trailblazing politician the world had better get used to. 

The first thing that strikes you when you meet Ann Wagner, the 19th U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, is how overwhelmingly normal she is. You can almost forget that you just passed through the same sort of security you endure when you go through an airport just to meet her. She is warm, funny, and, well, just so American in an old-fashioned charming way. She tells a very funny story of how she wanted to cook a turkey in the convection oven in the normally "off-limits" kitchen at the Embassy, refusing to believe the turkey would cook in such a short time and convinced she would "kill them all." She is a Mother of three children. She is a wife. She is also a very smart, hard working career politician.

When you reconsider Wagner"s biography, and start to realise that she does all the normal things Mothers and wives do on top of a constant and demanding workload, and with such vibrancy and charm, you realise the enormity of what she is achieving. In this sense, she could not be more of a modern woman. Wagner is a trailblazer. She was the first and only woman to head the Missouri GOP and was re-elected by acclamation on January 6, 2001.

She served nine years as a local committeewoman in Lafayette Township, Missouri, while at the same time working as both the Missouri Chair and the RNC Co-Chair. She has extensive business experience and held management positions at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri, and Ralston Purina in St. Louis, Missouri. She is living proof of the multi-tasking capabilities of women.

Wagner on Luxembourg

First things first. What does Wagner think of Luxembourg? "I find Luxembourg fantastic," she says. "It is a real honour for my family to be here. We have been so warmly received. We arrived in August when most of Europe is on holiday and we"ve done a lot of travelling. We"ve been to the north, up to Clervaux, to Remich, we"ve gone kayaking, and visited castles. Then there are so many cultural things to do, such as the Philharmonie and the Grand Théâtre. I am struck by how nice the people are, and by the sense of national pride. Americans and Luxembourgers share a lot of common values. "From a business perspective, Luxembourg has a lot of advantages. There are over 80 American enterprises in Luxembourg.

Its central position is a big asset. Luxembourg"s greatest selling point is Luxembourg and there are a lot of business opportunities here. IT is a huge potential growth area. You have AOL and Skype. I have discussed areas of growth in my meetings with the government on economical development such as IT, Logistics - Cargolux offers opportunities, - IPR, research..." How does she balance all this with being a Mother and wife? "This is very much a family affair. It is challenging," she admits. "Right now my husband is travelling. I went to 48 States in 4 years. I always say my children have received a front row lesson in crisis management. At the very start of my career they were going door to door with me and licking stamps."

The ever emerging role of women in diplomacy

The number of female foreign Ambassadors to Luxembourg will double with the imminent arrival of the new Polish Ambassador, Madam Barbara Labuda. In September 2005, two other new female Ambassadors assumed their Luxembourg posts: Finnish Ambassador Madam Tarja Laitainen and Wagner. The trio double the ranks of the already active Belgian Ambassador Madam Ingeborg Kristoffersen, Swiss Ambassador Madam Apelbaum-Pidoux, and Swedish Ambassador Madam Agneta Soderman. Is this a sign of the times? Madeleine Albright, another powerful woman was in Luxembourg in the fall spreading her "I am for peace, but I'm not a pacifist" message.

On 16 January, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in as President of Liberia and the first female president on the African continent. Is this the age of female diplomats? Does Wagner feel women have a special role to play in diplomacy'"It is exciting to be a female leader," she says. "I get together with other female leaders here. For example, I lunched with the other female Ambassadors the other day with a place ready for Ambassador Labuda, and we also invited Lydie Polfer and Colette Flesch. "I have a certain set of values. I think it is important to give back to the community. I am proud of my outreach initiatives, going into the community to work with Latino and African American women developing leadership training programmes. In terms of what I am doing, I don't think a man would handle the workload any differently. I work hard and I work smart. I have worked through a gamut of arenas - business, politics and now diplomacy. The workload may be the same, but it is true that women are masters at multi-tasking. Women are fantastic at networking and there is a certain female sensitivity. You need things outside your professional life to ground you and my family gives me that."

American Repositioning in Europe

On January 18, 2006, another female powerhouse, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, announced her plans for "global repositioning" which will result in a restructuring of overseas and domestic staffing. The reason given for this repositioning is to address "current diplomatic challenges". In her statement, Rice said that the current "allocation of American diplomatic resources still has vestiges of a Cold War posture." This kind of diplomacy, according to Rice, "not only reports about how the world is but seeks to change the world itself." As a comparative example, Rice pointed out that the United States has almost the same number of State Department personnel in Germany, a country with a population of 82 million, as the US has in India, a country with a one billion plus population.

Thus, she noted, the current diplomatic situation focuses too much on Europe and not enough on other areas of the world. "In a multiyear process," she stated, "hundreds of positions will be moved to critical emerging areas in Africa, South Asia, East Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere." (for the full transcript: www.actfl.org) Will this reorganisation affect the Embassy in Luxembourg? The US is Luxembourg"s #1 foreign investor. How valuable does Washington consider the Luxembourg/U.S. and the transatlantic relationship? What aspects does Wagner see as particularly important? "We are forward deploying our people to the cities and countries and regions where they are needed most," she responds.

"We are moving our diplomats from Europe and Washington to critical countries like China and India and South Africa and Indonesia. We are giving more of our people new training and language skills to engage directly with foreign people. And we are empowering our diplomats to work more jointly with America's service men and women. We need to go where the need is. "Luxembourg won't be affected in terms of resources. The reorganisation will involve the repositioning of about 100 jobs in a first stage. The transatlantic relationship is huge. The U.S. E.U. summit last here was important. We"ve seen a good deal of interest. All we have to do and all we have to accomplish will only happen if the U.S. and Europe get together on certain issues - we have more in common that we disagree on - like security issues, climate problems, AIDS etc. There are countries that urgently require our attention and resources in the Middle East, China and Africa.

"In Luxembourg there are strong historical ties. This year of course is the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, which reminds us of these ties. We need to continue to partner on issues of security, freedom of democracy, best practices in the business world, etc..." Does Wagner have a strategy for Luxembourg? "Topics that remain important from a business perspective are the U.S. E.U. transatlantic relationship. Outreach and advocacy are what I have always done and what I will focus on here. I like to see the people and to talk to them. I have already hosted a series of receptions, such as the American wine reception." (Wagner laughs) It is perhaps courageous to be promoting American wines in a region like this. I have some beautiful Luxembourg Art on loan," she says and indeed, the Embassy has a feeling of lightness to it since Wagner moved in.

The choice of art has a lot to do with it. Current paintings are from artists Ger Maas and Robert Brandy. Loans were made available with the assistance of Dr. Marita Ruiter from Galerie Clairefontaine and former Ambassador Guy de Muyser). It"s a nice (and smart) touch. A women's touch, perhaps?