Madeleine Korbel Albright was nominated by President Clinton on December 5,1996 as Secretary of State. After being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she was sworn in as the 64th Secretary of State on January 23, 1997. This appointment made Madeleine Albright the first female to hold the position of Secretary of State. This designation also algovernment.lows her to obtain the title of highest-ranking female within the United States.

Twice during her childhood her family was forced to flee Czechoslovakia, once in 1939 following Hitler's annexation of the country and again in 1948 after the Communist government stripped her father -who had been the Czech ambassador in Belgrade- of his citizenship. A close former associate of Albright told : "Her personal history has taken over in Kosovo, ". "She has been waiting to get into this fight for a long time". She arrived in the United States in 1948 at the age of 11. Becoming an American citizen, Albright carried on an academic career.

She has always been keen on the human rights: for example, she was responsible for developing and implementing programs designed to enhance women's professional opportunities in international affairs. Albright has long been outspoken on this subject of the human rights and believes in American assertiveness internationally. Moreover, she is fluent in French and Czech, with good speaking and reading abilities in Russian and Polish. Though some criticize Albright for "sound-bite diplomacy", many find her no-nonsense demeanour refreshing. She is also known for staying cool under fire and expressing her views with clarity and passion. She assumed responsibility for many of the thorny internal issues facing the State Department, including a greatly reduced budget, the U.S. presence in Bosnia...Her success results from the way she handles these issues.

However, despite her skills, she seems to have little ability for strategic thinking. Indeed, one year after NATO first intervened in Kosovo, it appears the alliance has failed to fulfil its chief objectives, both in waging the war and keeping the peace. It's now time to trace the lineage of the humanitarian and strategic catastrophe in Serbia to Secretary of State. "Asked if it is not hypocritical to punish Burma for human rights violations while refraining from sanctions on China for similar actions, Albright replied, "We have consistent principles and flexible tactics". Furthermore, Madeleine Albright seems to lack compassion. For instance, she was asked whether the over half million children killed in the Iraqi sanctions were "worth it"- Her answer was "it's a hard choice, but I think, we think , it's worth it" (60 minutes, May 11, 1996).

We are far from the glowing " a Star Is Born " headlines that greeted the confirmation of the first woman secretary of State and the hell on Earth she helped unleash in Kosovo. The lesson Albright should have taken from Munich is that tragedies spring from honourable intentions coupled with terrible misjudgments.

Madeleine Albright is an interesting immigrant to study, not merely for her political career, although the public has a mixed feeling, but also for the reason which urged her family to leave her native country. Indeed, fleeing the Nazis and the Communists gave Albright a different frame of reference in international affairs. Furthermore, her concept is striking: She wants to ensure that America doesn't forget about the rest of the world (it's rather uncommon ): "Our strategy has always been to encourage nations to come together around basic principles of political freedom, open markets and the rule of the law" (January 13,2001). Eventually, she embodies a new evolution in the female work world: in the U.S.A, women can now aspire to whatever job they wish.

Angélique - Laurène - Elodie, 1ère S, 2001-2002

 

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