Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright has a piece of advice for young people, “Don’t forget to interrupt.”
That’s what she encourages in her classes at Georgetown University. Albright does not encourage hand-raising, rather she prefers that students interrupt.
“Women wait too long to make a comment, and they always raise their hands,” Albright said. This was what she learned in decades of government service.
Albright was the guest Thursday in the “Money, Message, and the American Political System” class at the Cable Center. She proved a colorful and insightful guest.
Albright served as the 64th secretary of state under President Clinton. Not only was she the first woman to hold the position, she is the highest ranking woman in government history.
She fielded questions from the students for an hour, focused mainly on U.S. foreign policy in Iraq, but touched on issues from her wardrobe to her experiences as a grandmother.
Albright said that she understood the “why” in the current administration’s involvement in Iraq, as the country had been in need of regime change. But she has been concerned about the situation from the beginning because she did not understand the “why now” and the “what next.” Her reservations have proven right on target.
“Countries cannot impose democracy, they can only offer democracy,” Albright said. This system is possible anywhere; Albright felt that it was arrogant to think that it is not. It must be developed from the bottom up, not imposed from the top down.
“I am horrified at everything that is going on [around the world],” said Albright. The United States has lost significant credibility in the foreign policy arena and is now in the worst position globally Albright has ever seen. During her government service and continuing today, she tries to help people understand the great importance of foreign policy and diplomacy.
“Foreign policy is not foreign. Foreign policy is domestic policy,” said Albright. She was quick to point out that what happens around the world affects all Americans. The national security “tool-box” is comprised of everything from “kind words to cruise missiles,” she said. A true diplomat knows which tool to use and when.
The former Secretary addressed the question of the usefulness of the United Nations: “I believe in the UN, but it is an imperfect organization and needs reform.”
Albright continued, “There are people in the U.S. who are afraid of the United Nations. They think they steal our lawn furniture at night. And then there are people who don’t like the UN because it’s full of foreigners, which frankly can’t be helped. But it is important to see the UN as an organization that is useful for the United States,” she quipped.
Albright is not all business, though. On Thursday, she let her lighter side come out. Rarely seen without a jewelry pin on her left shoulder, Albright explained this particular day’s selection. The pin-wearing began years ago when Saddam Hussein called her a “snake.” She then began wearing a snake pin on her jacket. Television cameras eventually picked up on the story.
Her pin this day was another snake, though this one had a dagger through it. The deeper meaning? “He [Saddam] is done,” said Albright with a smile.
