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Madeleine Albright, the first woman to head the US State Department, died Wednesday at the age of 84.
She was elected chief diplomat in 1997 by then-President Bill Clinton, and held that position for the last four years of his administration. At the time she was the woman with the highest position in the history of the United States. Ms. Albright herself has assessed as one of the greatest achievements of her career, the liberation of Kosovo that later brought the independence of this country.
Madeleine Albright came to the United States at a young age as a refugee. She managed to become the first woman to take the position of secretary of state, shaping American foreign policy in the late 20th century.
Appointed by President Bill Clinton, initially as ambassador to the United Nations and later as chief US diplomat, Ms. Albright was one of the most influential women of her generation.
Former President Clinton said Mrs. Albright’s death is a great loss to the world. He stressed her contribution to freedom, democracy and the protection of human rights.
President Joe Biden praised Ms. Albright’s contribution to changing the course of history, challenging the rules and breaking down barriers.
President Clinton while announcing Ms. Albright’s appointment to head the State Department in 1997, said gender did not matter in her engagement and added that she was the most qualified candidate.
However, Ms. Albright was aware of the importance of her appointment to this position.
“Once upon a time, the only way for women to influence foreign policy through their views was by marrying a diplomat and throwing tea in the lap of a troubled ambassador.” she had stated in a speech by the Group on Women in Foreign Policy, while adding that “Today, women are engaged in every sphere of global affairs.”
Ms. Albright led the State Department until 2001. She took office, years after the world emerged from the Cold War, a period when the United States was the sole power to conduct vital discussions with world leaders on arms control, trade, terrorism and the future of NATO.
Ever since Margaret Thatcher led the British government, no woman had had such an influential task in the world. Ms. Albright was one of the strongest voices against the atrocities of Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic in the Balkan wars.
She openly supported the NATO alliance’s intervention in Kosovo, in order to stop the killing of Albanian civilians by Serb forces in the 98-99 war.
The 78-day NATO bombing campaign against Belgrade brought Kosovo freedom.
“We won this war so that you can go home and live a normal life. “Milosevic and the Serbs lost control of Kosovo.” Ms Albright told Albanian refugees during a meeting with them in the camps in northern Macedonia.
Free and independent Kosovo was considered by Ms. Albright as the greatest achievement of her career.
“In my professional life, I am proud of what we have achieved in Kosovo. I was very worried about what was happening in the Balkans and found it difficult to see people being killed because of their nation or religion. I had the opportunity to contribute to get the United States committed to changing that country. The people of Kosovo now have an independent country. There lives a whole generation of little girls named Madeleine. “I am very proud of what the United States has achieved in the Balkans.”
Mrs. Albright’s friendship with the Albanians was maintained even after the liberation and independence of Kosovo. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the liberation of the country, in the center of Prishtina in a square named after the former American secretary, her bust was unveiled.
Prior to the unveiling of the bust, Mrs. Albright, along with former US President Bill Clinton, former NATO Commander Wesley Clark, accompanied by Kosovo leaders, marched in the center of Pristina in what was called the “walk for freedom”.
“I am deeply honored to be here. People often ask me what is the thing that makes me most proud of myself of all the things I have done and I always say; “Kosovo, because we had the opportunity to make sure that the people of Kosovo will live in peace,” she said. “Thank you very much for this great honor. “This place means a lot to me,” said Mrs. Albright a few hours after receiving the “Order of Freedom” decoration.
Mrs. Albright’s efforts to help war-torn peoples were linked to her childhood when she fled war-torn Europe as a refugee.
Her personal story helped her shape her professional views.
Mrs. Albright came to the United States from Czechoslovakia in 1948, and acquired American citizenship in 1957.
Her father, diplomat Josef Korbel, converted from Jew to Catholic after his family fled to London in 1939 to escape the Nazis.
Ms Albright had said she had learned too late about her Jewish origins and the fact that her three grandparents had died in concentration camps. She was fluent in English, French and Russian while receiving her doctorate in political science from Columbia University.
Former President Barack Obama honored her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest American civilian award, saying her life was an inspiration to all Americans.
In the early 2000s, Mrs. Albright became the icon of the new generation of American women and girls. It has inspired them to fight for more opportunities and respect in the workplace. One of her famous expressions, which Mrs. Albright often repeated, was that “there is a special place in hell for women who do not help each other.”
In honor of her life and work, President Joe Biden ordered the flag-lowering of the White House and other federal buildings by March 27. While the United Nations Security Council held a minute of silence in her honor./VOA
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