The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

by Samantha Power

When I am asked today what it was like working in the national security world as a woman, I don’t have a simple answer. Although Obama had appointed more women to cabinet-level national security roles than any president in history, his NSC was the most male-dominated place I had ever been in the United States. Men held the positions of National Security Advisor, Deputy National Security Advisor, Homeland Security Advisor, NSC Chief of Staff, Strategic Communications Advisor, and speechwriter. During that first year of the administration, this top NSC tier was supported by twenty-six Senior Directors—and only six of us were women. I was fortunate never to experience sexual harassment of the kind I knew many other women had endured.* And while I could tell I was being condescended to at times, I could never be sure it was because of my gender. I started out as a complete novice in government, and in debates, I often advocated on behalf of human rights, which national security professionals generally viewed as a “soft,” secondary priority.