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Someone forgot to send former Secretary of State (1997 to 2001) Madeleine Albright the memo that says when you’re in your 70s and you’ve finished a tedious, exhaustive tenure on the President’s Cabinet, you can slow down a little and stop working so hard. But hard work, Albright believes, is the key to a life well-lived.
The Czechoslovakian-born daughter of a Jewish Czech diplomat, Albright was raised Catholic, and converted to the Episcopalian religion years ago when she married. She only learned later in life that her parents were Jewish, and that she had lost many relatives in the Holocaust. Perhaps it is an innate ability to adapt and survive under difficult circumstances that accounts for much of her success, not only professionally, but personally. She has three grown, professional daughters and is the (naturally proud) grandmother of six. Dr. Albright schedules her days, even now, in 15-minute intervals. She is sharp and likeable and surprisingly down to earth and easy to talk to, considering she’s shared umpteen meals with heads of state from around the globe.
Speaking of sharing meals, Albright points out that, believe it or not, one of her many great challenges while serving as the U.S. envoy for all things difficult and demanding, was that she gained weight. “Eating with dignitaries and leaders of countries is no simple challenge,” she says. “It is expected of one, even as a woman, to eat enthusiastically when you are dining with people in their countries. There was no way around it. I put on some unwanted pounds ‘eating for my country.’” And indeed, that may not have been one of the ‘heavier’ (pardon the pun) burdens of the job for this self-proclaimed feminist who was the first woman in this country to hold the lofty position of the 64th Secretary of State – at the time, the highest-ranking woman in U.S. government history.
Dr. Albright, who currently is an endowed professor in the practice of diplomacy at Georgetown University and chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, has fashioned a career that has been, though not entirely, significantly government-centric. Though she was primarily educated in the United States, Albright didn’t become a U.S. Citizen until 1957. In 1975, while her daughters were still young, she completed her PhD at Columbia University. She became involved in politics while working on the Edmund Muskie campaign during that same time. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Achievements as Secretary of State
In her assessment, her greatest achievement in her term was accomplished in Kosovo. “In Kosovo, we were able to stop ethnic cleansing. It was a complicated effort, and satisfying when it was over.” She also points out that during her term she was able to oversee some extraordinary progress for women globally, therefore politically and economically empowering more women throughout the world. “That was no small feat,” she remembers, “and I’m proud to have helped spearhead that movement – a movement that continues today.”
On Feminism
When speaking of feminism, Dr. Albright is noticeably passionate and sincere. “Women need to support and help one another. There is no other way. I always say there’s a special place in hell for women that don’t help other women. It’s that important. As it is, every woman’s middle name is guilt; we never feel like we’re doing enough or in the right place. So we need one another, and we need to be less hard on one another.” She also expresses a belief in having a strong work ethic. “I’m so into working hard, giving whatever your job is, no matter the job, the best you have.” And how did she find the energy to fulfill such a complex role? “I love and am passionate about foreign policy, so being Secretary of State was the dream job of a lifetime. I learned to live out of a suitcase, but I loved it. The hardest part was keeping up with my relationships with friends. I had to constantly cancel on people when we would try to get together, and I really missed the company of my friends sometimes. That’s the part that really suffers the most. Otherwise it’s a fun, fascinating and challenging job.”
Secretary Clinton’s Challenges
Albright recognizes that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has an even harder job than she had during her term. “Clinton, and Obama, have more simultaneous challenges than ever,” she says, with empathy. “They are under an umbrella of issues that include finding ways to effectively fight terrorism, deal with a broken nuclear non-proliferation process, bridging the gap between rich and poor. They have to address a bundle of energy and environmental issues, have to figure out how to restore the good name of democracy, and address the global financial crisis. And on top of all those things, add wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and what is going on in Africa, Cuba and Latin America while developing good working relationships with India and China. I’ve rarely seen something like this.” Dr. Albright is known to be one of Hillary Clinton’s most trusted advisors, a grand example of women helping women.
“Thankfully,” she goes on with concern, “they have appointed special envoys for day-to-day hot issues that require complete concentration on the ground, for example, in places like the Middle East.”
Another frustrating challenge of Secretaries of State is finding ways to get more resources from the already tapped State Department. The Department of Defense budget is $780 billion and the entire budget for the State Department is only $53 billion. “Clinton has to be able to present the case to the American people and Congress that her department needs more funding.”
Albright also adds, with concern, the necessary focus the department must foster on children, disease, women’s issues and assistance programs. “It’s a very broad job, and I believe she’s organizing things in much the same way I would.”
Albright, the Author
Add to Albright’s list of published books, (17 in my estimation), her latest bestseller, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box (Harper, $40) truly completes ‘the whole package.’ "Before long, and without intending it, I found that jewelry had become part of my personal diplomatic arsenal," Albright writes in her new book. "Former President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying 'Read my lips.' I began urging colleagues and reporters to 'Read my pins.' "
The book is beautifully illustrated, and Albright’s colorful stories behind her unique pin collection explains how brooches became her signature tool of diplomacy. For example, The Dove, was a gift from Leah Rabin (widow of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin). She explains that she wore it to convey the critical need to end violence and foster reconciliation between historic rivals in the Holy Land. Albright: ever the messenger.
Read My Pins is published in conjunction with the Museum of Arts and Design’s first major exhibition of jewelry from the collection of Madeleine K. Albright. Running through Jan. 31, the exhibit will travel to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AK, Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis.
Planned Parenthood of Austin welcomed former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright on October 29, 2009 as their keynote speaker for the Choice for Generations Public Affairs Dinner. She also signed copies of her book at the event.
David Revere McFadden, the chief curator of the Museum of Arts and Design describes Albright’s pins as “gentle implements of statecraft."