First Female US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, Dies at 84

Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state of the US and an influential political figure, has just passed away at the age of 84.

Jewish Origins

Born Marie Jana Korbelova in Czechoslovakia on 15 May 1937, Albright came to the United States as a refugee with her family in 1948 and became a US citizen in 1957.

Her father, Josef Korbel, a diplomat, had converted from Judaism to Catholicism after the family fled to London in 1939 to escape the Nazis.

Albright said she only learned about her Jewish origins late in life and the fact that three of her grandparents had perished in concentration camps.

Education and Political Journey

Albright earned her undergraduate degree from Wellesley College and was fluent in English, Czech, French and Russian.

She earned her doctorate in political science at Columbia University and went to work for Democratic senator Edmund Muskie.

She later joined the National Security Council in the White House of president Jimmy Carter, serving under his national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, her former professor at Columbia.

After Carter’s defeat, Albright began teaching at Georgetown University in Washington but remained an influential voice in Democratic foreign policy-making circles.

Recognised Her Vital Role in Representing Women

In 1993, Albright was appointed by Bill Clinton as ambassador to the United Nations, making her one of the most influential stateswomen of her generation.

Following his re-election in 1997, Clinton announced his choice of Albright to head the State Department (think of it as the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Singapore).

He debunked any doubts about her capabilities, saying gender “had nothing to do with her getting the job” and she was the most qualified candidate.

Albright, however, was aware of the significance of the appointment.

“It used to be that the only way a woman could truly make her foreign policy views felt was by marrying a diplomat and then pouring tea on an offending ambassador’s lap,” she once said in a speech to the Women in Foreign Policy Group.

“Today, women are engaged in every facet of global affairs.”

Albright took the helm of the State Department in a post-Cold War world in which the United States had emerged as the sole superpower, leading crucial discussions with world leaders on arms control, trade, terrorism and the future of NATO.

Not since Margaret Thatcher governed Britain had a woman held such a position of global influence.

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Small Sized but Loud Voice

As she prepared to leave the State Department in 2001, Albright said she would remain involved in foreign policy.

“I am not going to be a wallflower,” Albright said.

Despite standing at a mere height of 1.47m, she was not one to shy away from speaking up.

“I also have never thought of myself as the tall, silent type, so I will be the short, noisy type and I am going to stay out there,” Albright said. “I love foreign policy, I am passionately interested in how the world evolves.”

Just a month ago, The New York Times published an opinion piece by Albright in which she argued that Russian leader Vladimir Putin would be making a “historic error” if he invaded Ukraine.

Brooch Collector

If anyone says fashion should not be taken seriously, they have not heard of Albright’s huge collection of brooches.

Beyond just collecting the accessories, she used them as a reflection of whatever issues she was dealing with.

Once during her stint at the United Nations, state media in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq compared her to an “unparalleled serpent”—she responded by wearing a snake pin to a meeting on Iraq. Girl boss moment.

“In every role, she used her fierce intellect and sharp wit—and often her unmatched collection of pins—to advance America’s national security and promote peace around the world,” President Joe Biden said.

Albright married Joseph Albright in 1959. They had three daughters and divorced in 1982.

Her memoir, Madam Secretary, was published in 2003.

Remembering Her Influence

In mourning her passing, Clinton said Albright had been “a force for freedom, democracy and human rights”, calling her death an “immense loss to the world.”

Biden said Albright had “turned the tide of history”, adding that she “defied convention and broke barriers again and again”.

At the United Nations, the Security Council observed a moment of silence before voting on a Russian-led resolution on Ukraine.

Even though Albright has passed away, her legacy will continue to remain alive.

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