Madeline Albright has a new book out. Given the complex and challenging foreign policy agenda today (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, climate change, etc.), one would hope that the first female Secretary of State would make an important contribution to the debates of the day. Instead, Albright reminds us of her lackluster (I'm being generous) legacy as Secretary of State and her lack of gravitas by writing a book on how she used costume jewelry as a tool of diplomacy. Ticked off at the Russians or Saddam Hussein? Forget tough diplomacy - change your lapel pin!
This is a step back for feminism. Albright should be raising the level of discourse on the challenges we face in the 21st Century and demonstrating that female diplomats are at least as capable of solving those challenges as their male counterparts. I know that when I was a Foreign Service Officer, the female officers I worked with were often more intelligent, more capable, and harder working than our male colleagues. They had to be - it was harder for them to get in the Foreign Service, harder to get promoted, and harder to get good assignments because they were women. A class action suit against the Foreign Service proved this discrimination to be a reality at the time.
As the father of two girls and an educator, I am embarrassed and disappointed that Albright does not take her responsibility as a woman who broke through an important glass ceiling more seriously. Then again, expecting more from one of Bill Clinton's top diplomats is a bit unrealistic on my part.
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