Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gives Themester talk on war, peace

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave a talk Wednesday at the IU Auditorium.

Albright’s name recognition is part of the reason that junior Jacque Emord-Netzley came with friends to see Albright.

“Madeleine Albright is an intelligent, powerful woman, and it’s nice to see that in comparison to, I don’t know, Michele Bachmann,” Emord-Netzley said. “It seems like a lot of women in the media are not the kind I want to look up to.”

Albright came to speak about the topic of this fall’s Themester, “Making War, Making Peace.”

George Thomas, a junior and the Union Board lectures director, helped select Albright as the speaker.

“We just thought that she had great name recognition, and she’s still on the world stage,” Thomas said. “She’s very relatable to the theme.” 

She is most well known for becoming the first female secretary of state for former President Bill Clinton’s administration — the highest-ranking U.S. government position a female received at that time.

She served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and she continues to serve on various political committees dedicated to international affairs and relations.

Emord-Netzley said she hoped to hear Albright’s opinions on the current state of
America.

“I know no one can have a solution — but just her outlook on how things are going,” she said.

The event drew older people from the community as well as students.

Thomas introduced Albright, and she walked onstage to raucous applause.

“Thank you, George, for introducing me,” she said jokingly, “because not everyone always knows who I am.”

During her speech, Albright gave an account of her personal life, detailing her move from Czechoslovakia to America, recalling tales of her mother, who didn’t understand the concept of sleepovers, and how her father followed behind her during the entirety of her first date.

She then talked about being sworn in as the first female secretary of state and the sense of responsibility she felt.

“It looks today like we will never again have a secretary of state who’s a man,” she said, to much applause.

From here, she spoke about more current events, such as conflicts in the Middle East and famine and war in the horn of Africa.

She also spoke of budget cuts at the federal level and the budget cuts IU is facing. She warned against cutting back on foreign aid in the federal budget.

“Isolationism and retreat don’t work,” she said, “We’ve tried them.” 

She said it’s important for the United States to understand opposing viewpoints both domestically and globally.

“Instead of only listening to the opinions of those who make you the most comfortable, study those that make you the most upset,” Albright said.

After her speech, Albright answered questions from the audience, covering topics such as the Arab Spring, the U.S. military budget, immigration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

When asked how to solve bipartisan struggles in the nation, she answered simply, “I have no idea,” to laughter and applause.

However, she moved on to a more serious discussion of her struggles with bipartisanism while working for the government. She said she hopes Americans’ current discontent will convince the two parties to work together.

To end her lecture, Albright spoke once more about what it was like to be the first woman secretary of state and the recognition she still receives for it.

She told a story about her 7-year-old granddaughter and a question she asked her mother on her last birthday.

“‘What’s the big deal about Grandma Maddie being secretary of state?’” Albright said, quoting her granddaughter. “‘Only girls are secretary of state.’”

Albright’s Career

1976-1978: Chief Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie, D-Maine

1978-1981: National Security Council employee

1982: Became a professor at Georgetown University

1990-1993: President of the Center for National Policy, an independent think tank in Washington, D.C.

1993-1997: U.S. representative to the United Nations

1997-2001: First female secretary of state for then-Pres. Bill Clinton

2001: Founded The Albright Group, an international strategic consulting firm

2003-2005: Member of the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange
Current: Professor of international relations at Georgetown University

Fun Facts

Has talked in several interviews about her love of working out; can leg press 400 pounds

Guest-starred as herself on a 2005 episode of “Gilmore Girls”

Has published three New York Times bestselling books

Georgetown students have given her a 3.5 overall rating on ratemyprofessor.com