edition.cnn.com Open in urlscan Pro
2a04:4e42:600::323  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

Name: q — /search

<form action="/search" name="q" class="sc-dxgOiQ cDylkZ"><input type="search" autocomplete="off" id="header-search-bar" name="q" placeholder="Search CNN..." data-zjs="click" data-zjs-campaign="header-expanded-search-btn"
    class="sc-ckVGcZ kncukQ"><button color="inherit" width="24,,80" tabindex="0" aria-label="Search" class="Flex-sc-1sqrs56-0 sc-jKJlTe eaiROF">
    <div class="Text-sc-1amvtpj-0 gYetWy" font-size=",,14">Search</div>
    <div class="Box-sc-1fet97o-0 bQmsQJ" display="none,,block"><svg class="arrow-right-10-icon" style="outline:0" width="10" height="10" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="#4D4D4D" tabindex="-1" focusable="false" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
        aria-hidden="true">
        <path d="M1.53,8.52H14.76L10,3.71a1.5,1.5,0,0,1,2.12-2.12l7.44,7.47a1.49,1.49,0,0,1,0,2.12l-7.44,7.47a1.5,1.5,0,0,1-2.12,0,1.51,1.51,0,0,1,0-2.12l5-5H1.53a1.5,1.5,0,1,1,0-3Z"></path>
      </svg></div>
    <div class="Box-sc-1fet97o-0 fyifOt" display="block,,none"><svg class="search-icon" style="outline:0" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 64 64" fill="#4D4D4D" tabindex="-1" focusable="false" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
        aria-hidden="true">
        <path d="M55.3,51.89,42.46,39a19.22,19.22,0,1,0-3.38,3.43L51.9,55.29a2.38,2.38,0,0,0,3.4,0A2.42,2.42,0,0,0,55.3,51.89ZM11.2,27.28a16,16,0,1,1,16,16.07A16.07,16.07,0,0,1,11.2,27.28Z"></path>
      </svg></div>
  </button></form>

Name: q — /search

<form action="/search" name="q" class="sc-dxgOiQ cDylkZ"><input type="search" autocomplete="off" id="footer-search-bar" name="q" placeholder="Search CNN..." data-zjs="click" data-zjs-campaign="footer-search-btn" class="sc-ckVGcZ kncukQ"><button
    color="inherit" width="24,,80" tabindex="0" aria-label="Search" class="Flex-sc-1sqrs56-0 sc-jKJlTe eaiROF">
    <div class="Text-sc-1amvtpj-0 gYetWy" font-size=",,14">Search</div>
    <div class="Box-sc-1fet97o-0 bQmsQJ" display="none,,block"><svg class="arrow-right-10-icon" style="outline:0" width="10" height="10" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="#4D4D4D" tabindex="-1" focusable="false" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
        aria-hidden="true">
        <path d="M1.53,8.52H14.76L10,3.71a1.5,1.5,0,0,1,2.12-2.12l7.44,7.47a1.49,1.49,0,0,1,0,2.12l-7.44,7.47a1.5,1.5,0,0,1-2.12,0,1.51,1.51,0,0,1,0-2.12l5-5H1.53a1.5,1.5,0,1,1,0-3Z"></path>
      </svg></div>
    <div class="Box-sc-1fet97o-0 fyifOt" display="block,,none"><svg class="search-icon" style="outline:0" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 64 64" fill="#4D4D4D" tabindex="-1" focusable="false" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
        aria-hidden="true">
        <path d="M55.3,51.89,42.46,39a19.22,19.22,0,1,0-3.38,3.43L51.9,55.29a2.38,2.38,0,0,0,3.4,0A2.42,2.42,0,0,0,55.3,51.89ZM11.2,27.28a16,16,0,1,1,16,16.07A16.07,16.07,0,0,1,11.2,27.28Z"></path>
      </svg></div>
  </button></form>

Text Content

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised
Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. More information about cookies
I agree

 * The Biden Presidency
 * Facts First
 * US Elections


Search CNN
Open Menu
 * The Biden Presidency
 * Facts First
 * US Elections

Search


Edition
 * US
 * International
 * Arabic
 * Español

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * Edition
 * US
 * International
 * Arabic
 * Español

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 * World
   * Africa
   * Americas
   * Asia
   * Australia
   * China
   * Europe
   * India
   * Middle East
   * United Kingdom
 * US Politics
   * The Biden Presidency
   * Facts First
   * US Elections
 * Business
   * Markets
   * Tech
   * Media
   * Success
   * Perspectives
   * Videos
 * Health
   * Life, But Better
   * Fitness
   * Food
   * Sleep
   * Mindfulness
   * Relationships
 * Entertainment
   * Stars
   * Screen
   * Binge
   * Culture
   * Media
 * Tech
   * Innovate
   * Gadget
   * Foreseeable Future
   * Mission: Ahead
   * Upstarts
   * Work Transformed
   * Innovative Cities
 * Style
   * Arts
   * Design
   * Fashion
   * Architecture
   * Luxury
   * Beauty
   * Video
 * Travel
   * Destinations
   * Food and Drink
   * Stay
   * News
   * Videos
 * Sports
   * Football
   * Tennis
   * Golf
   * Olympics
   * US Sports
   * Climbing
   * Motorsport
   * Esports
 * Videos
   * Live TV
   * Digital Studios
   * CNN Films
   * HLN
   * TV Schedule
   * TV Shows A-Z
   * CNNVR
 * Features
   * As Equals
   * Call to Earth
   * Freedom Project
   * Impact Your World
   * Inside Africa
   * 2 Degrees
   * CNN Heroes
   * All Features
 * Weather
   * Climate
   * Storm Tracker
   * Wildfire Tracker
   * Video
 * More
   * Photos
   * Longform
   * Investigations
   * CNN Profiles
   * CNN Leadership
   * CNN Newsletters
   * Work for CNN

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow CNN Politics

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 




MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FIRST FEMALE US SECRETARY OF STATE, DIES

By Caroline Kelly, CNN



Updated 2316 GMT (0716 HKT) March 23, 2022


JUST WATCHED


FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT DIES AT 84


Replay
More Videos ...

MUST WATCH


Play








Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright dies at 84 04:21

(CNN)Madeleine Albright, the first female US secretary of state and who helped
steer Western foreign policy in the aftermath of the Cold War, has died. She was
84 years old.

The cause was cancer, Albright's family said in a statement Wednesday.
Albright was a central figure in President Bill Clinton's administration, first
serving as US ambassador to the United Nations before becoming the nation's top
diplomat in his second term. She championed the expansion of NATO, pushed for
the alliance to intervene in the Balkans to stop genocide and ethnic cleansing,
sought to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons, and championed human rights and
democracy across the globe.




President Joe Biden paid tribute to Albright in a lengthy statement Wednesday,
calling her a "force" and saying working with her during the 1990s while he was
on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was among the highlights of his Senate
career.

"When I think of Madeleine, I will always remember her fervent faith that
'America is the indispensable nation,'" said Biden, who ordered flags at the
White House and all federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in Albright's
honor.
Read More
"Few leaders have been so perfectly suited for the times in which they served,"
Clinton said in a statement. "As a child in war-torn Europe, Madeleine and her
family were twice forced to flee their home. When the end of the Cold War
ushered in a new era of global interdependence, she became America's voice at
the UN, then took the helm at the State Department, where she was a passionate
force for freedom, democracy, and human rights."
Clinton later told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he had recently spoken with his
former top diplomat.



She "spent the entire conversation talking about how Ukraine had to be defended
and that we had put a lot of those who said we had made a mistake to expand NATO
-- she said (Russia's) not going after NATO yet," Clinton said on "The Situation
Room."
"She just wanted to support whatever we could do to back Ukraine. And that's all
she wanted to talk about. She was happy. She was upbeat," he added. "And she
didn't want to venture into her health challenges. She said, 'I'm being treated,
I'm doing the best I can. The main thing we can all do now is to think about the
world we want to leave for our kids.'"
Albright was a face of US foreign policy in the decade between the end of the
Cold War and the war on terror triggered by the September 11, 2001, attacks, an
era heralded by President George H.W. Bush as a "new world order." The US,
particularly in Iraq and the Balkans, built international coalitions and
occasionally intervened militarily to roll back autocratic regimes, and Albright
-- a self-identified "pragmatic idealist" who coined the term "assertive
multilateralism" to describe the Clinton administration's foreign policy -- drew
from her experience growing up in a family that fled the Nazis and communists in
mid-20th century Europe to shape her worldview.
She saw the US as the "indispensable nation" when it came to using diplomacy
backed by the use of force to defend democratic values around the world.
"We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future, and we
see the danger here to all of us," she told NBC in 1998. "I know that the
American men and women in uniform are always prepared to sacrifice for freedom,
democracy and the American way of life."
Perhaps most notable were her efforts to bring about an end to violence in the
Balkans, and she was crucial in pushing Clinton to intervene in Kosovo in 1999
to prevent a genocide against ethnic Muslims by former Serbian leader Slobodan
Milosevic. She was haunted by the earlier failure of the Clinton administration
to end the genocide in Bosnia.
The breakup of communist Yugoslavia into several independent states, including
Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia, in
the 1990s generated savage bloodshed unseen on the continent since World War II.
The term "ethnic cleansing" became synonymous with Bosnia, where Serb forces
loyal to Milosevic tried to carve out a separate state by forcing out the
non-Serb civilian population.
The Clinton administration did not intervene until the massacre at Srebrenica in
1995, when Serbs killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys, which led to the US-brokered
Dayton Peace Plan. But when Milosevic then tried to move his ethno-nationalist
plan to Kosovo, the Clinton administration gathered a coalition to stop him
doing there what he had gotten away with in Bosnia.
Albright accused Milosevic of creating "a horror of biblical proportions" in his
"desire to exterminate a group of people" -- Kosovo's Muslim majority. She came
under heated criticism in Washington at the time, with some calling the NATO
airstrikes "Albright's War" while others accused her of misjudging Milosevic's
resolve. To that end, Albright said in 1999, "I take full responsibility along
with my colleagues for believing that it was essential for us not to stand by
and watch what Milosevic was planning to do," adding that "we cannot watch
crimes against humanity."
Ultimately, the US-led coalition did stop Serbian aggression, and Kosovo
declared independence in 2008.


RWANDAN GENOCIDE AMONG ALBRIGHT'S GREATEST REGRETS

Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
President Bill Clinton is surrounded by Albright and others in 2000 while
signing bipartisan legislation normalizing trade relations with China.
Hide Caption
19 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright prepares to testify before a House committee in 2000 about how Russian
President Vladimir Putin rose to power.
Hide Caption
20 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright shares a toast with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a dinner in
Pyongyang, North Korea, in 2000. Albright left office in 2001 after President
Clinton's second term ended.
Hide Caption
21 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright visits a polling station in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2007. She was heading a
delegation of election observers from the US-based National Democratic
Institute.
Hide Caption
22 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright speaks to a guest at the unveiling of her official portrait in
Washington, DC, in 2008.
Hide Caption
23 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright and presidential candidate Barack Obama attend a roundtable discussion
on foreign affairs in 2008.
Hide Caption
24 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright visits with students in Chicago in 2012. The city was hosting a NATO
summit the next month.
Hide Caption
25 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright helps plant a tree at a botanical garden in her native city of Prague,
Czech Republic, in 2012.
Hide Caption
26 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Obama presents Albright with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. "As the
first woman to serve as America's top diplomat, Madeleine's courage and
toughness helped bring peace to the Balkans and paved the way for progress in
some of the most unstable corners of the world," Obama said in his remarks.
Hide Caption
27 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright plays the drums while attending the Thelonious Monk International Jazz
Competition in 2012.
Hide Caption
28 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright, second from left, joins other secretaries of state at the
groundbreaking ceremony for the US Diplomacy Center in 2014. From left are
Hillary Clinton, Albright, Henry Kissinger, John Kerry, James Baker and Colin
Powell.
Hide Caption
29 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright talks with Ukrainian presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko at a
meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2014.
Hide Caption
30 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright shows off her sneakers with Olympic athlete Angela Ruggiero as they
attended an alumni weekend at Wellesley College in 2014.
Hide Caption
31 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright was known for wearing brooches or decorative pins to convey her foreign
policy messages. More than 200 of them were part of the "Read My Pins"
collection.
Hide Caption
32 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright attends the Glamour Women of the Year awards in 2015. She was a past
honoree.
Hide Caption
33 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright speaks at the Democratic National Convention in 2016.
Hide Caption
34 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Actor George Clooney embraces Albright at the United Nations headquarters in
2016. They were attending a Leaders Summit for Refugees.
Hide Caption
35 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright attends the funeral for former US Secretary of State Colin Powell in
2021.
Hide Caption
36 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Madeleine Albright, seen here in 1997, was the first woman to serve as US
secretary of state.
Hide Caption
1 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
A young Albright sits with her father, Josef Korbel, in this photo circa 1945.
Korbel was a Czech diplomat, and the family escaped Czechoslovakia 10 days after
the Nazi invasion.
Hide Caption
2 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright, center, works on the newspaper staff at Wellesley College in
Massachusetts. She graduated in 1959 and later received a master's degree and a
Ph.D from Columbia University.
Hide Caption
3 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
In 1988, Albright worked as a senior foreign policy adviser for Democratic
presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. She also worked for Walter Mondale's
unsuccessful campaign in 1984. During the Jimmy Carter administration, she was a
White House staff member and congressional liaison for the National Security
Council under Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Hide Caption
4 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright, as the US ambassador to the United Nations, casts a vote in 1993. She
was confirmed shortly after the election of President Bill Clinton, who she also
advised during his campaign.
Hide Caption
5 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright presents a poster from the World Conference on Women as she meets with
Myanmar political leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 1995.
Hide Caption
6 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright reaches out to a Burundian orphan while visiting the country in 1996.
Hide Caption
7 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright is sworn in as US secretary of state in 1997.
Hide Caption
8 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright looks over at North Korea during a visit to the border village of
Panmunjom in 1997.
Hide Caption
9 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright puts on a jacket as she visits the US Naval Academy in 1997.
Hide Caption
10 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright's red outfit stands out in a sea of suits as she poses with other
foreign ministers during a NATO meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1997.
Hide Caption
11 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright has lunch with US troops serving in Bosnia in 1997.
Hide Caption
12 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright greets well-wishers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 1997. She was the
first US secretary of state to visit the city since the Vietnam War.
Hide Caption
13 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright talks with a member of the FBI while visiting the site where a US
embassy was bombed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1998.
Hide Caption
14 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright wipes away a tear as she and the Clintons attend a memorial ceremony
for US citizens who were killed in an embassy bombing in Kenya in 1998.
Hide Caption
15 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright is interviewed by John F. Kennedy Jr. for George magazine in 1998.
Kennedy co-founded the magazine.
Hide Caption
16 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright talks to US Brig. Gen. John Craddock, commander of the US troops that
would be taking part in the Kosovo implementation force in 1999. Albright was
crucial in pushing President Clinton to intervene in Kosovo to prevent a
genocide against ethnic Muslims by former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Hide Caption
17 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1999. The
committee was conducting hearings on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
that the Senate would be voting on.
Hide Caption
18 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
President Bill Clinton is surrounded by Albright and others in 2000 while
signing bipartisan legislation normalizing trade relations with China.
Hide Caption
19 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright prepares to testify before a House committee in 2000 about how Russian
President Vladimir Putin rose to power.
Hide Caption
20 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright shares a toast with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at a dinner in
Pyongyang, North Korea, in 2000. Albright left office in 2001 after President
Clinton's second term ended.
Hide Caption
21 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright visits a polling station in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2007. She was heading a
delegation of election observers from the US-based National Democratic
Institute.
Hide Caption
22 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright speaks to a guest at the unveiling of her official portrait in
Washington, DC, in 2008.
Hide Caption
23 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright and presidential candidate Barack Obama attend a roundtable discussion
on foreign affairs in 2008.
Hide Caption
24 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright visits with students in Chicago in 2012. The city was hosting a NATO
summit the next month.
Hide Caption
25 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright helps plant a tree at a botanical garden in her native city of Prague,
Czech Republic, in 2012.
Hide Caption
26 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Obama presents Albright with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. "As the
first woman to serve as America's top diplomat, Madeleine's courage and
toughness helped bring peace to the Balkans and paved the way for progress in
some of the most unstable corners of the world," Obama said in his remarks.
Hide Caption
27 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright plays the drums while attending the Thelonious Monk International Jazz
Competition in 2012.
Hide Caption
28 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright, second from left, joins other secretaries of state at the
groundbreaking ceremony for the US Diplomacy Center in 2014. From left are
Hillary Clinton, Albright, Henry Kissinger, John Kerry, James Baker and Colin
Powell.
Hide Caption
29 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright talks with Ukrainian presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko at a
meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2014.
Hide Caption
30 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright shows off her sneakers with Olympic athlete Angela Ruggiero as they
attended an alumni weekend at Wellesley College in 2014.
Hide Caption
31 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright was known for wearing brooches or decorative pins to convey her foreign
policy messages. More than 200 of them were part of the "Read My Pins"
collection.
Hide Caption
32 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright attends the Glamour Women of the Year awards in 2015. She was a past
honoree.
Hide Caption
33 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright speaks at the Democratic National Convention in 2016.
Hide Caption
34 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Actor George Clooney embraces Albright at the United Nations headquarters in
2016. They were attending a Leaders Summit for Refugees.
Hide Caption
35 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright attends the funeral for former US Secretary of State Colin Powell in
2021.
Hide Caption
36 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Madeleine Albright, seen here in 1997, was the first woman to serve as US
secretary of state.
Hide Caption
1 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
A young Albright sits with her father, Josef Korbel, in this photo circa 1945.
Korbel was a Czech diplomat, and the family escaped Czechoslovakia 10 days after
the Nazi invasion.
Hide Caption
2 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright, center, works on the newspaper staff at Wellesley College in
Massachusetts. She graduated in 1959 and later received a master's degree and a
Ph.D from Columbia University.
Hide Caption
3 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
In 1988, Albright worked as a senior foreign policy adviser for Democratic
presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. She also worked for Walter Mondale's
unsuccessful campaign in 1984. During the Jimmy Carter administration, she was a
White House staff member and congressional liaison for the National Security
Council under Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Hide Caption
4 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright, as the US ambassador to the United Nations, casts a vote in 1993. She
was confirmed shortly after the election of President Bill Clinton, who she also
advised during his campaign.
Hide Caption
5 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright presents a poster from the World Conference on Women as she meets with
Myanmar political leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 1995.
Hide Caption
6 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright reaches out to a Burundian orphan while visiting the country in 1996.
Hide Caption
7 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright is sworn in as US secretary of state in 1997.
Hide Caption
8 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright looks over at North Korea during a visit to the border village of
Panmunjom in 1997.
Hide Caption
9 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright puts on a jacket as she visits the US Naval Academy in 1997.
Hide Caption
10 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright's red outfit stands out in a sea of suits as she poses with other
foreign ministers during a NATO meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1997.
Hide Caption
11 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright has lunch with US troops serving in Bosnia in 1997.
Hide Caption
12 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright greets well-wishers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 1997. She was the
first US secretary of state to visit the city since the Vietnam War.
Hide Caption
13 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright talks with a member of the FBI while visiting the site where a US
embassy was bombed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1998.
Hide Caption
14 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright wipes away a tear as she and the Clintons attend a memorial ceremony
for US citizens who were killed in an embassy bombing in Kenya in 1998.
Hide Caption
15 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright is interviewed by John F. Kennedy Jr. for George magazine in 1998.
Kennedy co-founded the magazine.
Hide Caption
16 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright talks to US Brig. Gen. John Craddock, commander of the US troops that
would be taking part in the Kosovo implementation force in 1999. Albright was
crucial in pushing President Clinton to intervene in Kosovo to prevent a
genocide against ethnic Muslims by former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Hide Caption
17 of 36
Photos: Madeleine Albright's life in pictures
Albright testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1999. The
committee was conducting hearings on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
that the Senate would be voting on.
Hide Caption
18 of 36





The effort contrasted with the Clinton administration's opposition to
international action to stop the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. At the time that
Albright was representing the US at the United Nations, the Clinton
administration, haunted by the military fiasco in Somalia a year earlier, argued
for withdrawing the majority of UN troops from the country in the early days of
the genocide. The ensuing planned slaughter of primarily ethnic Tutsis, as well
as some moderate Hutus by Hutu extremists, would leave at least 800,000 dead.
Years later, Albright would call it her "greatest regret from that time."
Late in Clinton's second term, Albright also participated in unsuccessful talks
to foster peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, which were followed by a
second explosion of violence in the region. She was also part of the effort to
coax North Korea to abandon its nuclear program by engaging with Kim Jong Il, an
effort that was abandoned by George W. Bush.
Albright's tenure as secretary of state also saw the al-Qaeda bombings of US
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people. She called the attack
the "toughest day" of her tenure but would reject criticism that it should have
prompted tougher US action against the terror group that would later carry out
the 9/11 terror attacks.
"It would have been very hard, pre-9/11, to have persuaded anybody that an
invasion of Afghanistan was appropriate," Albright told the 9/11 Commission in
2004. "I think it did take the megashock, unfortunately, of 9/11, to make people
understand the considerable threat."
When pressed by the commission about the argument that the Clinton
administration lacked actionable intelligence, Albright said "we used every
single tool we had in terms of trying to figure out what the right targets would
be and how to go about dealing with what we knew."
But she also expressed frustration about the reluctance to push ahead with
military force against al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
"From my perspective, the Pentagon did not come forward with viable options in
response to what the president was asking for," Albright said.


LIFELONG OPPONENT OF TOTALITARIANISM

Born Marie Jana Korbelova, the daughter of a Czechoslovakian diplomat, in Prague
in 1937, Albright escaped then-Czechoslovakia with her family 10 days after the
Nazi invasion. Her experience growing up in communist Yugoslavia and then
fleeing to the US made her a lifelong opponent of totalitarianism and fascism.
She was raised Roman Catholic, though she later converted to Episcopalian, and
learned later in life about her family's Jewish heritage.
Albright graduated from Wellesley College in 1959 and was married to Joseph
Albright from 1959 until 1983, when they divorced. They had three children,
twins Anne and Alice in 1961 and Katharine in 1967. She attended Columbia
University for her master's degree and Ph.D., which she completed in 1976 before
launching on a decades-long career in government service and foreign affairs
work under different Democratic politicians and causes.
Albright was aware of her role as a trailblazer and often spoke of the
challenges of being the first woman to lead the State Department.
"I think that there were real questions as to ... whether a woman could be
secretary of state. And not just in terms of dealing with the issues, but in
terms of dealing with the people, especially in hierarchical societies. ... I
found, actually, that I could do that," she told CNN in 2005. "And people, I
think, now can understand that is perfectly possible for a woman to be secretary
of state, and I am delighted that there is second one," a reference to
then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Throughout her career, Albright was known for wearing brooches or decorative
pins to convey her foreign policy messages. When she found out that the Russians
had bugged the State Department, she wore a large bug pin when she next met with
them. When Saddam Hussein referred to Albright as a snake, she took to wearing a
gold snake pin; when she was called a witch, she proudly brandished a miniature
broom. When she slammed as "completely un-American" acting Director of US
Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli's suggestion that only
immigrants who can "stand on their own two feet" are welcome in the United
States, Albright wore a Statue of Liberty pin.
Following her tenure as secretary of state, Albright served as chairwoman of the
National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington from 2001
to her death, and she taught at Georgetown University. She was also a prolific
author, penning several books, including a memoir in 2003 entitled "Madam
Secretary." She also worked in the private sector for a time.
In 2012, Albright received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President
Barack Obama, who said her "toughness helped bring peace to the Balkans and
paved the way for progress in some of the most unstable corners of the world."


A FORCEFUL VOICE ON FOREIGN POLICY IN RETIREMENT

Throughout her retirement, Albright continued working for democracy around the
world and speaking about US policy, leveling particularly harsh criticism toward
President Donald Trump, whom she called "the most undemocratic president in
modern American history."
In a New York Times op-ed written last month just before Russia's invasion of
Ukraine, Albright argued that Russian leader Vladimir Putin would be making "a
historic error" and warned of devastating costs to his country.
"Instead of paving Russia's path to greatness, invading Ukraine would ensure Mr.
Putin's infamy by leaving his country diplomatically isolated, economically
crippled and strategically vulnerable in the face of a stronger, more united
Western alliance," Albright wrote.
Asked by USA Today in August 2020 how she defined courage, Albright replied,
"it's when you stand up for what you believe in when it's not always easy and
you get criticized for it."

"It took me a long time to find my voice. But having found it, I'm not going to
shut up," Albright said. "I'm going to use it to the best of my ability in terms
of making sure that democracy is our form of government and that those around
the world that want to live in a democracy have a possibility to do so."
This story has been updated with additional reaction and details.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Ingrid Formanek and Devan Cole contributed to this
report.

 * 

 * Paid Content
    * 
      Quiz: Only True Masters Can Name These Movies From A Single Photo
      Parentsdome Galleries
    * 
      Alles genau zu sehen. Adobe
   
   
   
   Recommended
   1/5
   Drones flying into NATO territory have forced the alliance to decide how to
   respond -- if at all -- to incidents inside its borders
   Analysis: Where Donald Trump went wrong with his 2022 endorsements
   Your IQ Is Over 160 If You Get Even 5/20 On This Quiz
   How Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson handled Trump and executive privilege cases
   IEA: Crude oil markets may remain tight in 2022
   Drones flying into NATO territory have forced the alliance to decide how to
   respond -- if at all -- to incidents inside its borders
   Analysis: Where Donald Trump went wrong with his 2022 endorsements
   
   Analysis: Where Donald Trump went wrong with his 2022
   endorsements
   
   Read More
   
    * 
      Europe's 11 Best Overlooked Small Towns Thrillist
    * 
      Travel Selfies That Weren’t Worth the Risk Far & Wide
    * 
      23 People Who Ended Up Marrying Their Celebrity Crush POPSUGAR
   
   
   
    * 
      World Video: Ukraine is turning the tables on Russia. CNN analyst…
    * 
      Business Ex-Trump official praises Biden for uniting the West against
      Putin
   
   
   
    * 
      Style The human body is often seen through a male lens. 30 female…
    * 
      Europe 7 key developments in Ukraine this weekend
    * 
      Politics Her pause 'really said it all': Abby Phillip breaks down…
   
   
   
    * 
      European Tourist Traps to Avoid Far & Wide
    * 
      Diese Tasche bricht alle Verkaufsrekorde in Deutschland! Norsäcke
      Deutschland
   
   
   

 * Paid Content
    * Dogecoin price: Is it set for a new rally? Capital.com | 79.17% of retail
      CFD accounts lose money.
    * Jobless in Germany? This is how to become a UX designer in just…
      CareerFoundry
    * Quiz: Only True Masters Can Name These Movies From A Single Photo
      Parentsdome Galleries
    * We Finally Know Which European Country is the Worst Far & Wide
   
   More from CNN
    * Biden administration eases some Trump-era tariffs
    * The bodies of Russian soldiers are piling up in Ukraine, as…
    * Analysis: Albright predicted Putin's strategic disaster in…
    * Paul Manafort stopped from boarding plane to UAE over revoked…
   
   Recommended by
   

 * 


 * More From CNN
   Olympic champion loses Speedo deal after attending Putin rally
   (Sports)
   Paul Manafort stopped from boarding plane to UAE over revoked…
   (this site)
   Olympic champion loses Speedo deal after attending Putin rally
   (Sports)
   Paul Manafort stopped from boarding plane to UAE over revoked…
   (this site)
   



 * Paid Content
    * 
      Dogecoin price: Is it set for a new rally? Capital.com | 79.17% of retail
      CFD accounts lose money.
    * 
      We Will Guess Your Education Level in 20 Questions Parentsdome Galleries
   
    * 
      This is how to become a UX designer in just 5 months for free
      CareerFoundry
   
   by
   

 * SPONSORED CONTENT
   
   Recommended by

 * More From CNN
   Paul Manafort stopped from boarding plane to UAE over revoked…
   
   Cawthorn calls Zelensky a 'thug' and Ukrainian government…
   
   Paul Manafort stopped from boarding plane to UAE over revoked…
   
   Cawthorn calls Zelensky a 'thug' and Ukrainian government…
   
   






Search


 * World
   * Africa
   * Americas
   * Asia
   * Australia
   * China
   * Europe
   * India
   * Middle East
   * United Kingdom
 * US Politics
   * The Biden Presidency
   * Facts First
   * US Elections
 * Business
   * Markets
   * Tech
   * Media
   * Success
   * Perspectives
   * Videos
 * Health
   * Life, But Better
   * Fitness
   * Food
   * Sleep
   * Mindfulness
   * Relationships
 * Entertainment
   * Stars
   * Screen
   * Binge
   * Culture
   * Media
 * Tech
   * Innovate
   * Gadget
   * Foreseeable Future
   * Mission: Ahead
   * Upstarts
   * Work Transformed
   * Innovative Cities
 * Style
   * Arts
   * Design
   * Fashion
   * Architecture
   * Luxury
   * Beauty
   * Video
 * Travel
   * Destinations
   * Food and Drink
   * Stay
   * News
   * Videos
 * Sports
   * Football
   * Tennis
   * Golf
   * Olympics
   * US Sports
   * Climbing
   * Motorsport
   * Esports
 * Videos
   * Live TV
   * Digital Studios
   * CNN Films
   * HLN
   * TV Schedule
   * TV Shows A-Z
   * CNNVR
 * Features
   * As Equals
   * Call to Earth
   * Freedom Project
   * Impact Your World
   * Inside Africa
   * 2 Degrees
   * CNN Heroes
   * All Features
 * Weather
   * Climate
   * Storm Tracker
   * Wildfire Tracker
   * Video
 * More
   * Photos
   * Longform
   * Investigations
   * CNN Profiles
   * CNN Leadership
   * CNN Newsletters
   * Work for CNN

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow CNN Politics

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * Terms of Use
 * Privacy Policy
 * Manage Cookies+
 * Ad Choices
 * About Us
 * Modern Slavery Act Statement
 * Advertise with us
 * CNN Store
 * Newsletters
 * Transcripts
 * License Footage
 * CNN Newsource
 * Sitemap

© 2022 Cable News Network.A Warner Media Company.All Rights Reserved.CNN Sans ™
& © 2016 Cable News Network.




Exclusive: Inside rare US meeting with Russia general in Moscow


MANAGE COOKIES+

We process your personal data to personalize content and ads, measure the
delivery of such content and ads, to provide social media features, to extract
insights about our properties and as otherwise specified in our Privacy Policy.
We share this information with our Affiliates and Vendors on the basis of
consent or legitimate interest. You may exercise your right to consent or, in
some cases object to, a legitimate interest based on a specific purpose below.
Additionally, you may exercise your preferences for consent or object to
legitimate interest processing at a vendor level in the “Vendors” link under
each purpose. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the
Transparency and Consent Framework.
Privacy Policy
Accept All


PLEASE NOTE: CONSENT TO STORE AND/OR ACCESS INFORMATION ON A DEVICE IS REQUIRED
TO CUSTOMIZE AND IMPROVE YOUR EXPERIENCE

STORE AND/OR ACCESS INFORMATION ON A DEVICE


Store and/or access information on a device

Cookies, device identifiers, or other information can be stored or accessed on
your device for the purposes presented to you.

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

SELECT PERSONALISED ADS


Select personalised ads

Personalised ads can be shown to you based on a profile about you.

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

CREATE A PERSONALISED ADS PROFILE


Create a personalised ads profile

A profile can be built about you and your interests to show you personalised ads
that are relevant to you.

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

SELECT PERSONALISED CONTENT


Select personalised content

Personalised content can be shown to you based on a profile about you.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

CREATE A PERSONALISED CONTENT PROFILE


Create a personalised content profile

A profile can be built about you and your interests to show you personalised
content that is relevant to you.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

MEASURE CONTENT PERFORMANCE


Measure content performance

The performance and effectiveness of content that you see or interact with can
be measured.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

APPLY MARKET RESEARCH TO GENERATE AUDIENCE INSIGHTS


Apply market research to generate audience insights

Market research can be used to learn more about the audiences who visit
sites/apps and view ads.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

DEVELOP AND IMPROVE PRODUCTS


Develop and improve products

Your data can be used to improve existing systems and software, and to develop
new products

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

SELECT BASIC ADS


Select basic ads

Ads can be shown to you based on the content you’re viewing, the app you’re
using, your approximate location, or your device type.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

MEASURE AD PERFORMANCE


Measure ad performance

The performance and effectiveness of ads that you see or interact with can be
measured.

Object to Legitimate Interests Remove Objection
Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

ENSURE SECURITY, PREVENT FRAUD, AND DEBUG


Always Active
Ensure security, prevent fraud, and debug

Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent fraudulent activity, and ensure
systems and processes work properly and securely.

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

TECHNICALLY DELIVER ADS OR CONTENT


Always Active
Technically deliver ads or content

Your device can receive and send information that allows you to see and interact
with ads and content.

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

MATCH AND COMBINE OFFLINE DATA SOURCES


Always Active
Match and combine offline data sources

Data from offline data sources can be combined with your online activity in
support of one or more purposes

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

LINK DIFFERENT DEVICES


Always Active
Link different devices

Different devices can be determined as belonging to you or your household in
support of one or more of purposes.

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

RECEIVE AND USE AUTOMATICALLY-SENT DEVICE CHARACTERISTICS FOR IDENTIFICATION


Always Active
Receive and use automatically-sent device characteristics for identification

Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it
automatically sends, such as IP address or browser type.

Vendors‎ | View Full Legal Text Opens in a new Tab

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES


Always Active
Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched
off in our systems. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these
cookies, but some parts of the site will not work.

Reject All Save Preferences

Back Button

Back


PERFORMANCE COOKIES



Vendor Search Search Icon Filter Icon


Clear Filters

Information storage and access
Apply
Consent Leg.Interest

All Consent Allowed

Select All Vendors
Select All Vendors
All Consent Allowed

Reject All Save Preferences



OUR USE OF COOKIES AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES

We, our Affiliates and Vendors use cookies and other technologies to process
personal data (including device identifiers and IP addresses) for the following
purposes: Store and/or access information on a device, Select personalised
ads, Create a personalised ads profile, Create a personalised content
profile, Select personalised content, Measure content performance, Apply market
research to generate audience insights, Develop and improve products, Select
basic ads and Measure ad performance. Privacy Policy

By clicking “Accept All” you agree to these purposes. For more information, to
provide or withdraw consents, and in some cases object to legitimate interest
purposes for processing your personal data, click “Manage Cookies+”.
Additionally, you may exercise your preferences for consent or object to
legitimate interest processing at a vendor level in the “Vendors” link. These
settings are accessible on a site or app specific basis, at any time through the
‘Manage Cookies+’ link located on webpages or in application settings. We work
in coordination with an industry framework which will signal your preferences to
our participating Vendors

Accept All Reject All Manage Cookies+