Trailblazing Women—Diplomacy
Madeleine Albright, who died on March 23, 2022 during Women’s History Month, was the first female U. S. Secretary of State. She delighted in telling the story of how one of her granddaughters was less than impressed with her illustrious career. Noting that after her grandmother two of the next three secretaries of state were women, the 7-year-old commented: “What’s the big deal about Grandma Maddie having been secretary of state? Only girls are Secretary of State.”
She influenced American diplomacy as Secretary of State by promoting the expansion of NATO eastward into the former Soviet bloc nations and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons from the former Soviet republics to rogue nations, successfully pressing for military intervention under NATO auspices during the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo in 1999, and supporting the expansion of free-market democratization in the developing world.
Albright’s backstory, by now, is well known. Born in Prague, her father was a member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Service, and the family immigrated to Denver, Colorado after the communist coup in 1948.
She adored and emulated her father, Josef Korbel, who taught international relations at the University of Denver — where he mentored future secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.
At the time, little did Madeleine realize she would later blaze the trail for Condoleezza Rice, who would become the first Black Female to be Secretary of State.
As a child, Rice dreamed of becoming a concert pianist, and her love of international music translated into her renowned career in international diplomacy. In fact, she was known to perform on occasion at Sunday services at National Presbyterian Church where she was a member of the congregation when she lived in Washington DC.
Her diplomatic accomplishments as Secretary of State include supporting the expansion of democratic governments, seeking to redistribute U.S. diplomats to areas of severe social and political trouble, and negotiating several agreements in the Middle East including the Israeli withdrawal from, and the opening of, the Gaza border crossings and the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
Hillary Clinton who was First Lady when Albright served in Bill Clinton’s administration, went on to be Secretary of State under the first African-American President, then the first woman to be nominated by a national party to run for president. In 2000, she made history when she became the first First Lady elected to the United States Senate, representing New York State.
Ironically, while she was First Lady, Secretary Clinton worked with Albright to launch the government’s Vital Voices Democracy Initiative. Today, Vital Voices is a non-governmental organization that continues to train and organize women leaders across the globe.
Most readers may be familiar with Madeleine Albright’s quote, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”
Another of her quotes is fitting for Women’s History Month. “I think there has to be the sense that once you have climbed the ladder of success, that you don't push it away from the building."