Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright does a book signing Thursday in Chicago.

Women’s issues ‘central’ to foreign policy

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright discusses international affairs.

By Jamie Loo, First Amendment reporter

October 9, 2009

CHICAGO—Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said women have to be part of the solution on many international issues and that she is glad to see women’s rights become part of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s agenda and a priority for the United Nations.

“I think it has become central again to American foreign policy. I was very proud when I was Secretary to make women’s rights issues central not just because I’m a feminist but because I think that the world is more stable when women are politically and economically empowered in their societies,” she said.

Albright was in Chicago promoting her latest book, “Read My Pins, Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box.” Pins became part of her diplomatic signature when she served in President Bill Clinton’s administration from 1993 to 2000. The book is part memoir, social history and an intimate look into the life of the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state. In an exclusive interview with the Post-Exchange, Albright gave her thoughts on climate change, missile defense and engagement with foreign countries that are hostile to the U.S. The Post-Exchange is a news Web site owned by the McCormick Freedom Project, which sponsored a moderated discussion with Albright at the Chicago Cultural Center on Thursday.

Climate change is clearly an issue that must be dealt with by all countries, Albright said. When asked about European Union director-general for the environment Karl Falkenberg’s comments that U.S. legislation is an important factor in how developing countries respond to international agreements, Albright said although it is important, the U.S. can, and will still be in a leadership role on climate change even if it doesn’t pass congress. “Americans under President Obama have really decided that this is a very important issue, but it’s a combination of the U.S. leadership, of an international agreement of developing countries and developed countries being a part of it. And the U.N. and secretary general Ban Ki-Moon have an important role to play also,” she said.

Albright said she agrees with the Obama administration that it takes a variety of approaches to engage with countries such as North Korea, Iran and Venezuela. It is “essential,” she said, to “actually talk to people that we don’t like” because without some conversations and engagement the U.S. won’t be able to deliver tough messages.

“I don’t see it as kind of just being sweet and nice or as some people have called it, appeasement,” she said. “It is the way to deal with tough issues.”

Obama’s recent decision to stop plans to build missile interceptors in Poland and a radar site in the Czech Republic was a good move, Albright said. The ground based interceptors, which were part of plans from President George W. Bush’s administration, were intended to provide a missile defense shield for the U.S. and Europe in case of a missile launch from Iran. The Obama administration is using a different strategy with U.S. Navy ship-based interceptors.

“I think it’s a very wise decision because I personally felt that the original decision of putting those in place in Poland and the Czech Republic was not very well negotiated and also it was putting in systems that as far as we knew did not work,” Albright said. “What President Obama has decided to do is to have a different system, which is move closer to Iran, dealing with what the real threat is. I believe that the president is dedicated to the national security of the U.S. and our allies and that he is going about this in the right way.”

When asked about what international issues the media and the public should be more aware of, Albright said there are many out there. The conflicts in Africa in particular need more attention, she said and Secretary Hillary Clinton’s trip to the interior of Congo was important because it showed how many people are suffering there.

“I think more people are dying in various conflicts in Africa that are never noticed and ultimately it does take the attention of the international media so that people were aware of what is happening in Darfur, but not aware of what is happening in Congo, for instance, where more people are dying,” she said.