African Americans in Global Affairs: Contemporary Perspectives

7: Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright: The Changing Face of High-Profile U.S. Foreign Policy Leadership

SEVEN Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright THE CHANGING FACE OF HIGH-PROFILE U.S. FOREIGN POLICY LEADERSHIP Michael L. Clemons and Supad Ghose Women have long been on the sidelines of institutional decisionmaking in the United States, and only recently have they as a group begun to break ground, or as some might say, to shatter the proverbial “glass ceiling.” The social exclusion and deprivation of women parallels that experienced by African Americans who suffered the ravages of slavery and Jim Crow. This legacy of the race factor in the operation of American social institutions left an indelible imprint on the lives of a substantial number of American citizens. Further complicating matters is gender, to the extent that African Americans who happen to be women face a double-edged sword. Race, in combination with gender, is an extraordinarily powerful social cue, as indicated by the fact that the political process historically was successful in excluding the participation of women in general and those of color in highprofile foreign policymaking roles. Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice, each in their own right and excellence, achieved presidential appointment to one of the highest foreign affairs policymaking positions in the United States and in the world. Both of these accomplished women distinguished themselves in the annals of U.S. foreign policymaking by reaching the highest position in the foreign policy bureaucracy, successfully breaking the longstanding gender barrier. As an African American woman and a Republican, Rice has overcome not only gender but also the color barrier, in a country where race and gender continue to influence social resource distribution. Albright overcame the barriers presented by her Jewish ancestry and gender. In the cases of Rice and Albright, it was no minor feat to penetrate the highest level of the formal foreign policymaking establishment, hitherto dominated by white 169 Rise to Institutional Global Power Positions 170 males (notwithstanding Gen. Colin L. Powell’s appointment by George W. Bush as the first African American to serve as secretary of state). In this chapter, we assess the backgrounds, worldviews, and the rise to power of Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice. Specifically of interest is how these women broke gender and racial barriers to reach the highest echelon of the U.S. diplomatic establishment. We focus on each of these leaders as the highest ranking bureaucrat in the nation’s foreign policy apparatus—the Department of State. The study necessitates focusing on their education, belief systems, and professional achievements before becoming secretary of state. We also assess their accomplishments following elevation to the position. Underlying this research are the following fundamental questions: (1) What was the role of race and ethnicity in the agendas and policies of Rice and Albright during their terms as secretary, and did these variables in any way distinguish Rice’s tenure from that of Albright? (2) To what extent did they face obstacles as women while emerging and serving as secretary of state, and did their relative uniqueness as women of African and Jewish descent, respectively, affect their leadership? (3) Did Rice and Albright have to compromise their gender perspectives to fit in a “man’s world”? Methodology This research employs the traditional case study method and comparative analysis. For each case, we describe and discuss the background and seek to delineate the lives of Albright and Rice in terms of their education, scholarly life, and other accomplishments. Each case investigation and analysis articulates and illuminates several relevant issue areas. We utilize a comparative approach to shed light on the experiences of these women and to ascertain any differential in the extent to which race, ethnicity, and gender may have influenced their rise to power and its exercise in the context of Democratic and Republican presidential administrations. The similarities and differences between Albright and Rice are explored to make sense of these in the American social and global contexts. Thecomplexitiesassociatedwithwomen’sparticipationinforeignpolicymaking necessitate a multidisciplinary approach, facilitating the gathering of insights from various disciplines, including intellectual history, gender studies, political science, and sociology. This study employs diverse materials , including books, newspaper articles, scholarly journals, and research monographs published by Rice and Albright. In the following section, we briefly review the history of women’s political exclusion in the United States 171 clemons & ghose ) Rice & Albright to focus on explanations for their low overall participation rates in the political process. In light of women’s political exclusion, it is assumed that those able to...