Graphic by Sofía Savid ‘24
By Lauren Cincotta ’25
Staff Writer
On March 23, 2022, Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state, died at the age of 84. According to The New York Times, “Albright rose to power and fame as a brilliant analyst of world affairs and a White House counselor on national security. Under President Bill Clinton, she became the country’s representative to the United Nations (1993-1997) and secretary of state (1997-2001), making her the highest-ranking woman in the history of American government at the time.” A graduate of Wellesley College, Albright became and remained a prominent voice in American foreign policy long after her tenure as secretary of state ended.
Albright, the daughter of a diplomat, fled her home country of Czechoslovakia with her family when the Nazis invaded during World War II. The family then fled communist rule in 1948, which led to them settling in the United States. Albright received a degree in Political Science from Wellesley College in 1959. According to a blog post from Wellesley after her death, Albright said of her time at the college, “I learned an awful lot about myself: that I wanted to use the fine education I’d received for something more than meaningful table conversation … that I wanted to give something back to this country that had given so much to me.” She went on to serve as a counselor to President Jimmy Carter and a foreign policy adviser to Democratic presidential campaigns before beginning her work as representative to the United Nations, according to The New York Times.
Helen Roane ’23, an international relations major, reflected on Abright’s career, stating, “Madeleine Albright certainly knew how to make an impact. I was impressed by hearing how direct she was known to be in her speeches or while carrying out other diplomatic activities. Often, women are not celebrated enough for speaking their mind[s], so I appreciated that Albright continued to do so throughout her entire career,” Roane said. “I hope that everyone can learn something from her about speaking up and staying consistent.”
According to her obituary in The New York Times, while serving as a U.N. representative, Albright advocated for peacekeeping missions in countries including Rwanda and in the Bosnian Civil War, often putting her at odds with the secretary general. Albright’s personal convictions largely shaped her policy positions, according to Wellesley’s blog. Her experience fleeing communism made her a lifelong believer in democracy and the importance of the United States using its global power effectively, Colorado Public Radio reported.
When she began her position as secretary of state during former President Clinton’s second term, Albright embraced the role by launching a domestic trip to Rice University in Texas. At the university, Albright said, “As secretary, I will do my best to talk about foreign policy not in abstract terms, but in human terms and bipartisan terms. I consider this vital because in our democracy, we cannot pursue policies abroad that are not understood and supported here at home,” according to The New York Times. She was known for her self-described “people to people” style of diplomacy, according to The New York Times, often embarking on foreign tours or participating in challenging negotiations.
In 1999, Albright supported NATO’s bombing of Kosovo to stop ethnic cleansing by leader Slobodan Milosevic, a controversial move that at the time was called “Albright’s War,” according to CNN. Despite the controversy over the bombings, she believed it was necessary, stating on “Larry King Live,” “I take full responsibility along with my colleagues for believing that it was essential for us not to stand by and watch what Milosevic was planning to do. We cannot watch crimes against humanity.”
Christopher Mitchell, assistant professor of international relations and politics at Mount Holyoke, commented on Albright’s career of strengthening NATO.
“Among Secretary Albright’s most important accomplishments was keeping NATO intact and strong in a period where, after the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, people were asking about the necessity of the organization going forward. Her focus on maintaining and expanding the Cold War-era alliances and preserving an assertive U.S. presence kept intact the organizational structures the Biden Administration is now relying on,” Mitchell said. Albright also championed the expansion of NATO, incorporating former Soviet Union satellite states like the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland into the organization.
After her time as secretary of state, Albright continued to be a prominent voice in foreign policy. She founded the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs at Wellesley College and taught at Georgetown according to the Wellesley College blog. Albright was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama, as reported by CNN.
Mitchell asserted that Albright’s impact on American foreign policy continues to be visible today.
“Albright represented a muscular internationalist school of foreign policy within the Democratic Party, one unafraid to use the U.S.’ military clout to oppose authoritarian regimes and promote democracy in the wider world,” Mitchell said. “I’d say her legacy is in preserving the tools the U.S. has used to great effect in the Ukraine conflict.”