- Née:
- Marie Jana Korbel
- Born:
- May 15, 1937, Prague, Czechoslovakia [now in the Czech Republic]
- Political Affiliation:
- Democratic Party
- Awards And Honors:
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012)
Madeleine Albright
-
Who was Madeleine Albright?
Madeleine Albright (1937–2022) was a Czech-born American public official who served as the first woman U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001).
Albright's family fled Czechoslovakia after the Nazi occupation in 1939 and settled in the U.S. in 1948. She worked as a fundraiser and legislative assistant before earning a Ph.D. and becoming a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University from 1982 to 1993.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Albright as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. As secretary of state, she championed democracy and human rights, advocating for military intervention when necessary. Notably, she pushed for NATO bombings in Yugoslavia to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. After leaving government service in 2001, she founded a consulting firm, wrote books, and remained a commentator on foreign affairs.
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What position did Madeleine Albright hold in the U.S. government?
Madeleine Albright served in the U.S. government as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997. Subsequently, she achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first woman to hold the cabinet post of U.S. Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001.
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Why was her appointment as Secretary of State important?
Madeleine Albright's appointment as U.S. Secretary of State in 1997 was historically significant because she was the first woman to hold this cabinet position. As Secretary of State, she was a proponent of military intervention, and she also championed democracy and human rights. During her time in office, she pushed for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bombings in Yugoslavia to stop the ethnic cleansing of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
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What were some major issues or events during her time as Secretary of State?
During Madeleine Albright's tenure as U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001), she championed democracy and human rights, advocating for military intervention when necessary. A notable event was her push for NATO bombings in Yugoslavia in 1999 to halt the ethnic cleansing of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, which some called "Madeleine’s War." Additionally, she engaged in efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear program, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country in 2000, though talks with Kim Jong Il did not yield a deal.
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How did Madeleine Albright influence U.S. foreign policy?
Madeleine Albright, as the first woman U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001), was a proponent of military intervention, and a champion of democracy and human rights. At the UN, she advocated for American interests and a larger U.S. role in UN operations, especially those with military components. In 1999, she pushed for NATO bombings in Yugoslavia to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Albright also worked to end North Korea’s nuclear program, and in 2000, she became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country.
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What lasting impact did Madeleine Albright have on diplomacy and international relations?
Madeleine Albright, the first woman U.S. Secretary of State, left a lasting impact through her tough-minded approach to diplomacy and forceful advocacy for democracy and human rights.
Notably, she championed military intervention, such as the 1999 NATO bombings in Yugoslavia to halt ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Albright also engaged in efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear program, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country in 2000.
Beyond her government service, Albright remained influential through her writings, board service for the Council on Foreign Relations, and frequent columns on foreign affairs.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Madeleine Albright (born May 15, 1937, Prague, Czechoslovakia [now in the Czech Republic]—died March 23, 2022, Washington, D.C., U.S.) was a Czech-born American public official who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (1993–97) and who was the first woman to hold the cabinet post of U.S. secretary of state (1997–2001).
(Read Madeleine Albright’s Britannica essay on democracy.)
Marie Jana Korbel was the daughter of a Czech diplomat. After the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia in 1939, her family fled to England. Although she spent most of her life believing that they had fled for political reasons, she learned in 1997 that her family was Jewish and that three of her grandparents had died in German concentration camps. The family returned to Czechoslovakia after World War II, but the Soviet-sponsored communist coup made them refugees again, and by 1948 they had settled in the United States.
Korbel graduated from Wellesley (Massachusetts) College (B.A., 1959) and married Joseph Albright, a member of the Medill newspaper-publishing family. After earning a master’s degree (1968) from Columbia University, New York City, she worked as a fundraiser for Sen. Edmund Muskie’s failed 1972 presidential campaign and later served as Muskie’s chief legislative assistant. By 1976 she had received a Ph.D. from Columbia and was working for Zbigniew Brzezinski, U.S. Pres. Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser.
During the Republican administrations of U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the 1980s and early ’90s, Albright worked for several nonprofit organizations, and her Washington, D.C., home became a salon for influential Democratic politicians and policy makers. She also was professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., from 1982 to 1993.
After the election of U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton, a Democrat, in 1992, Albright’s political star began to rise, and Clinton named her ambassador to the United Nations in 1993. At the UN she gained a reputation for tough-mindedness as a fierce advocate for American interests, and she promoted an increased role for the United States in UN operations, particularly those with a military component. Her nomination to the position of secretary of state was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 1997.
During her tenure in office, Albright remained a proponent of military intervention and a forceful champion of both democracy and human rights. Notably, in 1999 she pushed for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bombings in Yugoslavia to halt the ethnic cleansing of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo by Yugoslav and Serbian forces. The Kosovo conflict, which some came to call Madeleine’s War, ended after 11 weeks of air strikes, when Yugoslavia agreed to NATO’s terms. Albright was also involved in efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear program, and in 2000 she became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country. However, her talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il failed to produce a deal.
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With the end of Bill Clinton’s second term in 2001, Albright left government service and founded the Albright Group, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. She later supported Hillary Clinton’s presidential bids in 2008 and 2016. In the latter campaign, Albright drew criticism when she said that “there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other,” a sentiment she had often expressed over several decades. However, some believed she was implying that gender was the only consideration when choosing a candidate, and she later clarified her comments.
A frequent columnist on foreign affairs issues, Albright served on the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations. Albright wrote a number of books, including The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs (2006), Memo to the President Elect (2008), and Fascism: A Warning (2018). Madam Secretary (2003), Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937–1948 (2012), and Hell and Other Destinations (2020) are memoirs. In 2012 Albright was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.