First Female US Secretary of State Albright Passes Away... Daughter of Immigrants Who Fought Against 'Fascism'

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] "There is something I have learned through experience. When the braver and better aspects of human nature come together, breakthroughs can be made. Fascism is by no means inevitable for us." (Madeleine Albright, excerpt from 'Fascism: A Warning')

Madeleine Albright, a Czech refugee who became the first female U.S. Secretary of State, has passed away at the age of 84. Amid the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, her persistent voice urging resistance and warnings against fascism resonates deeply.

On the 23rd (local time), major foreign media including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported the news citing Albright's family.

October 2000, Madeleine Albright (right), then U.S. Secretary of State, during her visit to North Korea, pictured with Kim Jong-il, Chairman of the National Defense Commission of North Korea (left). [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

◆The First Female U.S. Secretary of State with Bipartisan Support= Born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, Albright was the 'daughter of immigrants' who fled to the UK and emigrated in 1939 and 1948 to escape the Nazis and communist regimes, respectively. After her diplomat father settled in the U.S. and became a professor at the University of Denver, she received a stable education and studied political science at Wellesley College.

After marrying Joseph Medill Patterson Albright, a media heir, she earned a Ph.D. under Zbigniew Brzezinski at Columbia University Graduate School. She entered the White House alongside Brzezinski, who was appointed National Security Advisor under the Carter administration. After divorcing in 1982, she fully entered politics and began supporting female politicians, during which she connected with then Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. She later served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during Clinton's first term (1993?1997) and as the first female Secretary of State during his second term (1997?2001). She is also noted for receiving bipartisan support with a Senate confirmation vote of 99 to 0.

Albright paid special attention to the Korean Peninsula issue. In October 2000, she became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit North Korea, meeting then Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Il-sung and holding a 12-hour meeting, leading to the announcement of the North Korea-U.S. joint communiqu?. Reflecting on her departure from the State Department in 2001, she recalled, "At that time, North Korea had neither long-range ballistic missiles nor nuclear weapons." However, in 2002, President George W. Bush labeled North Korea as part of the "Axis of Evil" in his State of the Union address, after which North Korea expelled international weapons inspectors and conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.

In February 2000 at the Kremlin, Madeleine Albright, then Secretary of State (left), met with Vladimir Putin, then Acting President (right).
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

◆"Both Putin and I Were Products of the Cold War"= A Ph.D. in international politics and a diplomatic expert, she continued to express her views on various issues as a senior diplomat after retirement. In 2018, reflecting her research and diplomatic experience, she published the book 'Fascism: A Warning,' in which she also discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin in detail. She notably said, "Putin, a former KGB officer, has a worldview shaped by the Cold War just like mine," but added, "However, our worldviews are as far apart as the actual distance between objects seen through a telescope lens and the eye."

She also hinted that President Putin has a "hidden weakness." In her book, she wrote, "Russia's once very active economy has shrunk to smaller than Italy or Canada, shows no signs of improvement, and the free enterprise system is withering," adding, "The wealth distribution is more unequal than any other country, as if returning to the Tsarist era."

Meanwhile, condolences have poured in from various sectors upon the news of her passing. Former President Clinton, who appointed her, said, "She was a passionate force for freedom, democracy, and human rights," and "One of the finest Secretaries of State and U.N. Ambassadors, an outstanding professor, and an extraordinary person." Former President George W. Bush recalled, "She was a symbol of the American Dream and helped others realize it." Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, also described her as a "pioneer and expert."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.