"I am an Optimist Who Worries A Lot." - M. Albright

On Monday several of my classmates and I braved the winter storm in order to hear Former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright speak at JFK Library. There to promote her new book, Memo to the President, Albright spoke about the foreign policy challenges facing America in the coming years with China, Iran, and North Korea at the forefront. She was funny and charming, and remarkably optimistic...although she did suggest that whomever assumes the presidency next January will be inheriting "the worst foreign policy disaster in the last hundred years" (Iraq). Similarly, she compared the relationship of the US and China to that of a "drug addict and pusher...but you never know who's who!" Surprisingly, there was little to be said about the state of affairs for women in the United States and throughout the world. In the world of women's rights advocacy, there are many who would charge that the world has begun to witness the 'feminization' of poverty, disease and poor education. Nonetheless, Albright did not identify this as an issue to contend with in the coming years. As the first woman to hold the position of Secretary of State in America, she has been a beacon to many of us in this country who aspire to be a more integral part of the political and policymaking world. It begs the questions whether once again even our most successful female leaders have found that they are most effective and heard when they divorce themselves of their gender in the political world. But, if women don't speak up and advocate for women...who will? In March of 2003, Madeline Albright attended and spoke at an event put on by Marie Wilson's White House Project. On the issue of women for women, Albright said, "if women and government do their jobs, they will improve the lot of women and girls everywhere. They will raise issues that others overlook, pass bills that others oppose, put money into projects others ignore, and seek and end to abuses others accept." Though I am an admirer of her work and have tremendous respect for her, I can't help feeling as though this time around, she's dropped the ball.