The Bush administration’s use of the phrase “axis of evil” to describe Iraq, Iran and North Korea was a mistake, said former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Tuesday in Gaston Hall. Albright’s remarks followed her inauguration as the first Michael and Virginia Mortara Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy.
“It was a very dramatic phrase, but we don’t know what it means,” Albright said with regards to President George W. Bush’s description of the three nations. “Although I recognize the problems within all three of those countries, I see no connections. It’s not an axis,” she said.
Albright said that she recognized the effectiveness of the type of “blunt rhetoric” used by Bush in his State of the Union address, but emphasized that she did not feel that it was appropriate in this instance.
“The administration said that there was no change in policy … By saying that and not explaining what it means, I think [the Bush administration has] created more problems than necessary,” Albright said. “I think it was a mistake. I don’t think a lot was gained.”
Although she disagreed with its use of the term “axis of evil,” Albright clearly stated that she fully supported the policy goals of the current Bush administration. “The Bush administration deserves our support and that of law-abiding people everywhere,” she said. “They deserve our support for defeating the Taliban … They deserve our support for bringing to justice those barbarians for killing Daniel Pearl.”
Albright stressed the importance of diplomacy for the United States along with military strategy post-Sept. 11. She said that when she was first appointed to the position of Secretary of State under the Clinton administration, she was told that diplomacy was losing its influence in the field of international relations. She said that the Clinton administration contradicted this by demonstrating the continuing need for diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy in areas such as the Balkans.
“We showed that diplomatic skills are as important to our national security now as they have ever been,” Albright said. “Without them, the Balkans might still be in flames and Slobodan Milosevic might still be in power.”
Albright applied the same rule to the current situation in Afghanistan. “The battle against terrorism is not just a military battle, it is a battle of ideas,” she said. “We must back our use of diplomacy by use of force, and we must back our use of force by diplomacy.”
Albright concluded her lecture by addressing the necessity for the United States to increase its foreign aid in order to build stronger alliances.
“If we are determined, wise, and yes, diplomatic, we will have allies in all nations,” she said.
