Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright emphasized the importance of diplomacy, teamwork and maintaining an optimistic outlook in challenging times during a wide-ranging keynote address at The ASI Show Orlando on Monday, Jan. 6.

A refugee twice over, Albright shared the story of her early life fleeing her native Czechoslovakia during World War II to live in London during the Blitz. Later, in 1948, when Czechoslovakia underwent a Communist coup, Albright and her family moved to the United States, where they were welcomed with open arms. “My whole life changed,” said Albright, who was interviewed during the keynote by ASI’s President and CEO Tim Andrews.

Madeleine Albright and ASI CEO Tim Andrews at The ASI Show Orlando

When she was a refugee in the UK, Albright said, people would sympathize with her difficult situation but conclude by asking when she would be going back home. Americans, however, would ask when she would become a citizen.

“That’s what made America different from every country in the world,” Albright said.

Bouncing from country to country during a troubled political climate helped Albright gain perspective on America’s role. “It made me understand the fragility of the society we live in,” she said. “I grew up in an assessment of how foreign policy affected ordinary people. … When the U.S. is absent, terrible things happened.”

In 1997, Albright became the first female secretary of state, serving President Clinton during his second term, where she was known for being outspoken and “telling it like it is.” When she would sit down with foreign leaders, rather than spending a lot of time on niceties, Albright would say, “I have come a long way, so I must be frank.” As she told Andrews during her keynote, “That would work for me.”

Despite her reputation for bluntness, however, Albright underscored the importance of maintaining robust diplomatic relations with the rest of the world. “I happen to think,” she said, “diplomacy is the bread and butter of how countries talk to each other.”

Albright shared details of her time in the White House, recalling a time when she angered Russian President Vladimir Putin by wearing a pin of the three monkeys that “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil” to a summit in Moscow. When she told Putin the pin meant that she thought his policy in Chechnya was evil, “he got furious with me,” she said.

She also explained the collaborative nature of the Clinton White House, recalling long and sometimes fraught discussions that would make their way up to the president, who then made the ultimate decisions. “You don’t do things by yourself if you’re actually a good leader,” Albright said. “It’s teamwork.”

Though she is no longer in politics, the 82-year-old still has an active professional life, teaching courses in diplomacy at Georgetown University and writing books. Albright has often described herself as an optimist who worries a lot. “It gets harder every day, but it’s very important to have a positive view,” she said. “I’m optimistic because I’m an American now and I have gratitude for the role this country can play. One can’t take things for granted, which is why I worry a lot. We’re at a complicated time internationally.”

Albright also expressed concern that “the social contract has been broken.” She added: “People make a deal with their governments and governments are supposed to provide protection and a legal system, in return for which the citizens have to play a role and vote. Neither side is doing what it should be. … I hope our citizens in the U.S. haven’t checked out.”

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