Madeleine Albright – Biography
Madeleine Albright has the distinction and honor of becoming the first women U.S. Secretary of State. She was an outstanding diplomat and a brilliant ambassador, but most all, she was a true inspiration to women. One cannot help but to admire the synchronization between her life as a secretary and a mother. The duality is perfectly aligned with each other. Her political career is an astounding example of the higher capability and intellect of a woman.
Born on May 15, 1937, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Madeleine Albright was the second daughter of Jose and Anna Korbel. She had a brother, John and sister, Katherine. Nazi occupation made her family flee to England, although they returned to postwar Czechoslovakia in 1945, only to find their home country being submerged into Soviet Empire. A major portion of her life was spent in the belief that her family fled for political reasons, but it was only until 1997 that she came to know the truth that her family was Jewish and that three of her grandparents were victims of the holocaust. In 1948, her family moved to United States when she was only eleven. (Nolan, 2)
America proved to be fortunate for the moving family as immediately after their settlement, School of International Studies at the University of Denver selected her father as Dean. Mainly, her schooling was done at Kent Denver School in Denver. In 1959, she graduated from Wesley College with a B.A. with honors in political science on a scholarship. Joseph Medill Paterson, a member of the Medill newspaper-publishing family, married her the same year, together they raised three daughters; twins Anne and Alice, and Katie. Even with the difficult job of upbringing her children, she managed to earn a degree of M.A. in Public Law and Government from School of Advanced International Studies and a certificate from the Russian Institute, both at Columbia University in 1968. This shows her determination in pursuing her life goals. (Nolan, 2)
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The beginning of her political career started off with her being the Chief Legislative Assistant to Senator Edmund S. Muskie in 1976. After that, Zbigniew Brzezinski who, at that time under President Carter, was the National Security Adviser offered her a place at National Security Council as legislative liaison in 1978. Madeleine accepted the opportunity and remained working there till 1981. In 1982, she joined the faculty of Georgetown University, which marked a major turn in her career. Here she taught International Studies, U.S. foreign relations, Russian foreign policy, and central and eastern European politics to undergraduate and graduate students. She also narrowly focused to provide women with opportunities to become professional at international affairs, for this she was an excellent mind at practicing. (Albright – Answers.com, 1)
In 1989, she was made the President of Center for National Policy; a nonprofit organization in Washington which was considered as a think tank for Democracy. Even after the divorce, with all this already much burdened life, she was board member on numerous institutes, national commissions and civic organizations, but still she raised her children all by herself and gave them as much time as she could. The struggles in her life were tightening on her, but she stood like a wall against them, and climbing the ladder of success, steps by step. (Albright – Answers.com, 1)
Apart from her academics, she involved herself more and more into Democratic Party Politics. In 1984, she was adviser to Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferrao during the presidential election year, also in 1988 she acted as adviser to Micheal S.Dukakis where unfortunately he lost against George Bush.1992 was a good year for Albright’s career, she approved Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton’s candidacy, acting as senior foreign policy adviser during the campaign and foreign policy liaison in the White House. (Biography Madeleine Korbel Albright, 1)
In 1993, she was selected ambassador to the UN, immediately after Clinton’s appointment. She portrayed herself as a spokesperson to multiple audiences; President Clinton and his administrational staff, diplomatic delegations gathered at New York headquarters, and to the American public. Her job at the UN was that of a great multi-tasker as it was consisted of the elements of political debate, strategy and consultation over controversial questions about subjects such as peace, inclusion of Germany and Japan in Security Council. (Frontline Ghosts of Rwanda Interviews Madeleine Albright, 1)
The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed her nomination for the position of Secretary of State in 1997. President Clinton nominated her for this position just a year back, in 1996. This was the first time in the history of United States for any woman to be the Secretary of State. This alone gave her the respected title of highest-ranking female within the U.S. (Albright – Answers.com, 1)
After her confirmation as the Secretary of State, one of her Czech cousin revealed to Washington Post about Albright’s family origin which was believed to be Catholic, as Jewish. In response, Albright stated as something of this sort was anticipated, she said “I have been proud of the heritage that I have known about and I will be equally proud of the heritage that I have just been given”. Later, Albright went to see the old Jewish Cemetery at Prague and was honored by the Czech president. (Washingtonpost – Albright, 1)
In the fall of 1997, Albright started a peace mission in Middle East, first meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu; Israeli Prime Minister in September to contemplate on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The apparent gap of goals between the Clinton government and the Israeli government, were revealed at a conference. She tried to persuade Netanyahu to make concessions. Then she also met Palestinian lead Yasser Arafat, from there to Jewish and Arab students in Jerusalem, and from there on to the Middle East belt meeting Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek, King Fahd of Saudia Arabia. At the end, she vowed a refusal of meeting to Israeli and Palestinian leaders again, unless they are “ready to make the hard decision”. In 1998, at NATO’s 50th anniversary summit, Albright put down her theory of what would be later known as “three D’s” of NATO, “which is no diminution of NATO, no discrimination and no duplication — because I think that we don’t need any of those three “Ds” to happen”. (Washingtonpost – Albright, 1)
In her tenure, her influence on American policy in Bosnia and Middle East was considerable. Due to her active participation in Kosovo war and Bosnian war policy of U.S., she was much hated by the Serbs in the former Yugoslavia. She did made many enemies. But her firmness and steadfastness never back downed. She was strong on her decisions throughout, and exactly knew what she was doing. Although a woman, one could judge her rationality and determination by this statement she made to Colin Powell on military force, “What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about, if we can’t use it?” (Frontline Ghosts of Rwanda Interviews Madeleine Albright, 1)
Albright devoted a vast amount of time and energy to ensure Iraqi compliance with Security Council cease-fire resolution and undertakings of arms control that Sadaam Hussein had committed. In a very short span of time after Albright’s arrival at the UN, she lead the Security Council to put up restrictions on oil and arms embargo on Haiti in order to exert pressure on its junta to allow the return of elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who in 1991, was out casted by a coup d’état. (Nolan, 3)
After her term as U.S. Secretary of State, people were of the notion that she might pursue Czech politics. The Czech president even articulated about the prospect of her succeeding him. However, Albright though grateful at the suggestion of running the office, denied ever seriously giving it a thought. She accepted a position on the Board of Directors of NYSE in 2003. The issue regarding the scandal of Grasso compensation, in which Dick Grasso; Chairman of NYSE Board of Directors was compensated $187.5 million dollars by little consent of the board, disappointed Madeleine. This became the reason for her refusal on the re-elections of the board in 2005. (Frontline Ghosts of Rwanda Interviews Madeleine Albright, 1)
After her retirement, she left mainstream politics. But still she was invited in a meeting at the White House of former Secretaries of Defense in January 5, 2006 to discuss ideas on matters of foreign policy with the Bush Administration. She was invited again on May 5, 2006 to meet with Bush government to talk about Iraq. In an interview by Newsweek International, Albright gave her opinion about U.S. foreign policy as “I hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid that Iraq is going to turn out to be the greatest disaster in American foreign policy – worse than Vietnam”. (Brockes, 1)
Her life never stops to be busy. Madeleine, at present, is the chairperson of National Democratic Institute of International Affairs with the job of Presidency at Truman Scholarship Foundation. She is also serving as Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. She was awarded MiE Award along with Vaclav Havel in September, 2006, due to supporting and expanding the cause of International Understanding. Her services are also being rendered as a Professor of Diplomacy at Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service at Washington, D.C. Her publications include the memoir Madam Secretary (2003), The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs (2006) and Memo to the President Elect (2008). (Albright – Answers.com, 1)
Albright Madeleine had a fast track and struggling, striving and challenging life as she was rising in the ranks of her political career. Winning the Ivy League Scholarship, marrying a prominent figure in the newspaper media, sacrificing her career for children, the shocks of her divorce, wetting her hands into politics and Adding to that the mental confliction of her own identity when she finds out that she is not catholic but a Jew, truly she was definitely an exemplary all rounder. The way she handled her children’s upbringing, even after the divorce, the way she got over the suspicious eyes of her male colleagues, the way she made her own identity in this male dominant world is nothing less to be praised and admired, and to place it as an icon of inspiration.
Works Cited
Biography Madeleine Korbel Albright http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/biography/albright.html Accessed October 30, 2008
Cathal J. Nolan, Notable U.S. Ambassadors since 1775: A Biographical Dictionary, p. 2-
Emma Brockes, I Love What I Did
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/30/usa.emmabrockes Accessed October 30, 2008
Frontline Ghosts of Rwanda Interviews Madeleine Albright PBS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/interviews/albright.html Accessed October 30, 2008
Madeleine Albright Biography from Answers_com
http://www.answers.com/topic/madeleine-albright Accessed October 30, 2008
Washingtonpost_com Politics — The Administration, Secretary of State Madeleine K_ Albright
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/govt/admin/albright.htm Accessed October 30, 2008
