Madeleine Albright ’59 and Wendy Sherman Speak to PRI’s “The World” in Conjunction with Their Visit to the Albright Institute’s Wintersession 2018

From Left to Right: Wendy Sherman, Madeline Albright, and Paula Johnson
January 26, 2018

This year’s Albright Institute of Global Affairs Wintersession welcomed U.S. diplomats—and longtime friends—Madeleine Albright ’59, former U.S. secretary of state, and Wendy Sherman, former undersecretary of state for political affairs.

Albright and Sherman participated in a dialogue titled “In the Balance: Setting a Course to Restore Democratic Principles,” moderated by President Paula Johnson, that touched on issues such as the role of higher education in upholding democratic principles and how to build trust amid radical shifts in policy norms.

The pair also appeared together on the PRI radio program The World, with host Marco Werman, where they discussed the power of diplomacy and the strengths that women bring to international negotiations.

In addition, Albright spoke this week with Meghna Chakrabarti on WBUR Radio’s Radio Boston. Topics included the global #MeToo campaign, presidential tweets, State Department vacancies, and the link between feminism and foreign policy. Albright told Chakrabarti that in her time as secretary of state, she made women’s issues central to U.S. foreign policy “not just because I’m a feminist, but because I know that when women are economically and politically empowered, societies are more stable.”