By Laura Smith, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Former Secretary of the State Madeleine Albright appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday, saying that she has recently participated in the first of four planned seminars as part of a broader process to collect a range of views about NATO’s strategy and operations. She said the treaty-organization plans to provide their conclusions and recommendations to the Secretary General by next May.

She said that after consulting with member governments, the Secretary General will draft the strategic concept for consideration at the Lisbon Summit, and when it is approved, it will serve as a guide for the alliance in the coming decade.

“NATO was created in response to the Soviet threat, but not only in response to that threat. It was also designed to reign in the many national rivalries that had ripped Europe apart,” Albright said.

Speaking to reporters after the first presidential debate, Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says that 5 former secretaries of state agree that negotiations should take place with Iran without preconditions, though some disagreed on the level of the negotiators. (1:01)

 

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Speaking to reporters after the first presidential debate, Former Secretary of State Madeleine Alrbight says that Senator McCain’s request to delay the debate shows an impulsiveness on his part and also shows he does not think presidents have to do more than one thing at a time. She also says that McCain hasn’t made any difference in the negotiations. (0:43)

 

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Madeleine Albright thinks America can be a “guiding hand” in the international community. It will take time for the next president to get the respect that was lost during the Bush administration. (0:31)

 

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Although the administrations they served held clear differences in their views on foreign policy, five former secretaries of state seemed to arrive at a unified conclusion: the next president will need to take innovative steps in order to restore the reputation of the United States abroad.

Speaking at a George Washington University forum on the challenges of the next president, former secretaries of state Madeline Albright, James Baker, Warren Christopher, Henry Kissinger, and Colin Powell touched upon a myriad of topics, including how the U.S. should engage with increasingly hostile regimes, what steps the next president should take to combat climate change, and what should be done about the current brood of humanitarian crises.

Iraq played an important role in the hour-and-a-half discussion and brought forth a disagreement between Albright and Kissinger. When faced with the question of whether or not the U.S. should adopt a timetable for troop withdrawal, Kissinger remarked that it gave every opponent the opportunity to hold out for a deadline. Albright replied,

“There’s a difference from saying that we have to remove our troops by 16 months and saying we need to bring them out at x minute.”

The five secretaries also backed future support of NATO, despite recent aggression from Russia.

“The Russian Federation is not going to be the Soviet Union. That movie failed at the box office,” said Powell.

Domestic issues were also addressed. Baker, who also served as the Secretary of Treasury from 1985–1988 commented that the recent collapse of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Lehman Brothers was one of the worst economic disasters in the century and agreed with the recent decision to not bail out any more banks.

The election was discussed in the closing segment of the forum. Baker mentioned that he endorsed McCain, Albright said that she was supporting Barack Obama, and Powell continued to withhold his endorsement, saying that he will wait until the debates. When asked by moderator Frank Sesno if he was having a hard time deciding since Powell was the first black Secretary of State and Obama stands to be the first black President, Powell simply announced that he was an American first and foremost and would not let either his friendship with McCain or his similarity in race with Obama influence his decision.

While Kissinger did not mention whether or not he would endorse a candidate he did give his opinion on the superfluous nature of the presidential race.

“I think the 24 hour news cycle and constant demands produce a necessity on the candidate to pretend they have an answer to every question.”

Former Secretary of State of the United States, Madeleine Albright, speaks on behalf of the Organization of American States on “Making the Law Work for Everyone.” Albright talks about the vicious cycle created when poor people cannot escape poverty and face a “denial of access to justice.” (0:36)

 

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The Organization of American States (OAS), led by its Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, held their Ninth Policy Roundtable and Report Launch: a discussion on “Making the Law Work for Everyone.” Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State of the United States, began the discussion. She said that the majority of the world’s people are unable to use the law correctly; there are approximately four billion people worldwide that are outside the system in which law can work for them. Because of this, Albright explained that a vicious cycle is created that makes it even harder for poor people to escape poverty. (more…)