Credit:  USIP /  Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright at a Jan. 10,  2017 “Passing The Baton”  forum,  U.S. Institute of Peace, Washington  D.C. 

By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON –  Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright spoke at a discussion held last Tuesday at the U.S.  Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. on strengthening governance in fragile states. Fragility is often defined as the “breakdown in the social contract”  between state and society, according to a recent USIP Task Force report. In the case of violent extremism, this breakdown creates “fertile ground for extremists’ attempts to create alternative political orders,” according to the USIP Task Force report, in the face of “community alienation by an oppressive, corrupt or unresponsive government.”   Madame Albright said it is important “to fully understand what are the conditions that create fragility, or what are the negative aspects that make sure fragility continues.”   The former Secretary of State spoke on a panel with  USIP  President Nancy Lindborg and former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar (Burma) Derek Mitchell that was moderated by PBS “NewsHour” correspondent Nick Schifrin.   Albright said that she believes that “Democracy Has To Deliver” particularly if people feel a  social contract has been broken.

“I think this is something, generally, where all of a sudden the government feels that it doesn’t have the responsibility for helping the people and the people say the hell with this, I don’t want anything to do with the government. I think we need to kind of think about a little bit more on where the social contract has broken down. Some of it is due to technology and a number of different aspects. I believe that democracy has to deliver.  We need to get the private sector involved. I think that many of us when we were in college, they go together at the same time because people want to vote and eat. and so I think what we need to do is get  the private sector involved more in helping and in some kind of coordinated way that it will result so you have a rule of law that allows there to be a commercial code that pool will come in and invest in X and hire local people.”

-Madame Albright

“Democracy Is Not A Spectator Sport”:  Madame  Albright:

The former Secretary of State commented on how democracy can be more resilient in fragile states.

“Americans are the most generous people in the world with the shortest attention span. What are the positive aspects that have to be taken care of in order to be supportive of it and understand that democracy is not a spectator sport not in the United States and not anywhere else.  It has to, we have to find the partners in these various countries that want to be a part of this and not have us being patronizing  about it or say it has only to be only American democracy.”

-Madame Albright

Thoughts On Increased U.S. Presence, Investment in AFRICA:

Madame Albright was asked by a member of the  audience about increased U.S. presence in Africa after the “destructive presence of France in West Africa.”  He added that he heard talk from a top U.S. diplomat in diplomatic circles that United States policy has shifted from considering sub-Saharan Africa as the “backyard” of Europe.

“I think there has been more (U.S.) attention. I do think it would be useful as more Americans understood that Africa wasn’t one country.  And that  there really are differences among the 54 (countries). And that there are some good stories and some very difficult ones.  But I do think that on the whole there is beginning to understand the diversity and the power of Africa. And the positive aspects and not just the the negative things. And what the role of the U.N. and peacekeeping operations and a variety of how the W.H.O. is dealing with Ebola or any number of different things. But there really – I have to say this – but there are political figures who just say Africa. And they think it’s one place. I think we need to understand more about the history. Some of the colonial history. But also some of the history since that period has been over.”

-Madame Albright

Photo  Credit: Gary Raynaldo  / ©Diplomatic Times / Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright with former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar (Burma) Derek Mitchell at USIP in Washington D.C. Jan. 7, 2020 after speaking on discussion strengthening governance in fragile states.

Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937) is an American politician and diplomat. She is the first female United States Secretary of State in U.S. history, having served from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Albright immigrated to the United States in 1948 from Czechoslovakia. 

Madame Albright graduated from Wellesley College in 1959 and earned a PhD from Columbia University in 1975, writing her thesis on the Prague Spring. She worked as an aide to Senator Edmund Muskie before taking a position under Zbigniew Brzezinski on the National Security Council. She served in that position until 1981, when President Jimmy Carter left office.  After leaving the National Security Council, Albright joined the academic faculty of Georgetown University and advised Democratic candidates regarding foreign policy. After Clinton’s victory in the 1992 presidential election, Albright helped assemble his National Security Council. In 1993, Clinton appointed her to the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She held that position until 1997, when she succeeded Warren Christopher as Secretary of State. Albright served in that capacity until Clinton left office in 2001.