With her beginnings in the former Czechoslovakia and formative years in England before her emigration to the United States, Madeleine Albright seems to have been born and raised for diplomacy and international relations. Her reputation certainly did precede her when she arrived in Mid-Michigan for a recent lecture at Alma College, and the eloquence, sophistication, wisdom, and humor of her presentation could have left no one disappointed.
Albright became the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State when she was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton to succeed Warren Christopher in 1996, and was confirmed unanimously by the Senate the following January. Previously, she had served as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1993-1997). Albright currently is a principal of The Albright Group LLC, a firm dealing with global strategy. She spoke in Alma as the latest guest in the Robert D. Swanson Responsible Leadership Series.
Over the one hour lecture in which not a single word or idea could have been said to be superfluous or unclear, Albright was inspiring by the force and confidence with which she delivered a powerful message about leadership and international cooperation. While much of the speech and many of the questions revolved around her time as Secretary of State, she seemed to revel in recalling earlier, though not always carefree, days as a "immigrant" in Colorado trying to become more "American" and college years at Wellesley at which female stereotypes and traditional expectations still stifled many women of world class talent and ability.
Among the most memorable portions of her presentation was a particularly gloomy assessment of America's current standing in world public opinion. She used the single example of the Eastern European nation of Turkey, a relatively moderate Muslim country in which the U.S. depends for support in the region and which is also a large recipient of U.S. aid. According to Albright, the latest poll showed a mere 9% of the people of Turkey having a positive opinion of the United States. Not surprisingly, she places the blame for the free falling "approval ratings" on the current Administration's war in Iraq, which she categorized as the greatest (American) foreign policy disaster- ever! She also called for the closing of the infamous Guantanamo Prison (in Cuba) and a full and public investigation into the Abu Ghraib abuses. Condemning these undemocratic and overbearing practices as a double standard (and hypocrisy) for the U.S. when we insist on human rights around the world, she reminded listeners that America "is an exceptional country, but exceptions cannot be made for us." In an alternative version of Bush's so-called "Axis of Evil", Albright suggested that the true trio of enemies should be Poverty, Ignorance, and Disease- an appeal to reason rather than rant.
As Secretary of State at the time of the Kosovo crisis in the former Yugoslavia, she recalled an effort under the Clinton Administration in which strong support was gained from regional allies for American involvement. Acknowledging early errors, she remembered the attempts by the media and political opponents to label the policy "Madeleine's War", yet the effort to stop "ethnic cleansing" there was noted as one of her proudest moments as Secretary of State.
Albright admonished it is a myth that certainty is a sign of strength in a leader, an obvious reference to our current "Decider-in-Chief"- who is never mentioned by name. Instead, she suggested that strong leadership should include as its elements an open mind, a willingness to seek advice, an ability to admit fault (say, "I'm sorry"), and to "know what you don't know".
Even with this dark but honest appraisal of our current position in the world, she offered a fresh approach- and new hope- for the next American President (she hinted several times that she hopes this next leader will be a woman- presumably Senator Hillary Clinton). In outlining her vision for future diplomacy and restoring America's reputation, Albright expressed support for "international literacy" (a better understanding and global perspective) and a more effective international system that is "multilateral" in decision making. She spoke critically of the temper of the times in Washington D.C., where partisan polarization is making governing difficult if not impossible. Despite her obvious Democratic affiliations and loyalties, she looked forward to an President who would seek out greater bipartisanship in the Cabinet. Envisioning a foreign policy- as well as domestic- in which "every individual counts", where we "embrace broadly" and secure a "victory for all" with "unity across every border", the Honorable Madeleine K. Albright inspired the Alma audience- young and old-
to a life of public service so exemplified by her own. She reminded those in attendence of a timeless message of wisdom recently popularized in the latest Spiderman film: "To whom much is given, much is expected". She has undoubtedly lived by those words.