ARCHIVE - HELL AND OTHER DESTINATIONS: A 21st-Century Memoir by Madeleine K. Albright - DISCUSSION THREAD - (June, July, August) (No Spoilers, please)

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

And so we begin:

Chapter Thirteen
Companions

"PEOPLE WHO ASK me how I feel about getting older are advised to duck, as are those who profess their astonishment that a person of my age still has the mental capacity to utter a coherent sentence.

The subject is a sensitive one. There are many in my parents’ generation of Central European immigrants - immigrants who believed that speaking openly about one’s age risked attracting notice from the angel of death.

They would readily admit how old they were when they came to America and in what year they arrived, but beyond that, let others do the arithmetic. In their culture, they did not plan for “when Aunt Janika dies,” but rather, for what to do “should something happen.” I am (a little) less superstitious but still see no cause to tempt fate.

My thinking is that because I have no interest in death, death should have no interest in me. This is the kind of quid pro quo that Emily Dickinson wrote poems about.

I do not often become ill.

I am, however, a hypochondriac."

Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 124). Harper. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Topics and Questions:

1. How do you feel about aging in general? Do you think that Albright has anything to worry about with diminishing mental capacity (lol)? I think not but interested to hear other view points.

2. How do you think that Albright handles her family (daughters and grandchildren)? Did you glean any tidbits along the way in the book about her interactions and her parenting skills?

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

And so we begin:

Chapter Fourteen
Digging Out



"NEAR THE BEGINNING of President Bush’s second term, I attended a dinner of former secretaries of state in honor of the new one, Condoleezza Rice.

Like the other guests, I identities. Condi had been a music major and was still a superb pianist. I had a personal connection to her through my father, who had taught her as an undergrad at the University of Denver and served as a mentor on her PhD dissertation.

At my father’s funeral (in 1977), I noticed among the floral gifts an unusual piano-shaped planter. My mother explained that it had been sent by my father’s favorite student.

In 1987, I tried to recruit Rice for the presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis only to discover that she was a member of the other party. Now she was secretary of state and would be called on to bring to the global stage all the skill and discipline that enabled her to excel at the keyboard.

Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 134 - 135). Harper. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Topics and Questions:

1. What are your thoughts about Condoleezza Rice? Were you surprised at the connection between Albright's father and who was his favorite student?

2. What were your thoughts and opinions concerning George W. Bush and his platform - deeper tax cuts, a scheme to partially privatize Social Security, and immigration reform and trying to convince Latinos that the GOP had their back? Does anyone wonder how the same issues are repackaged every election cycle?

3. How does Albright explain the situation in Afghanistan with the following quote by Pulitizer Prize winning journalist Steve Coll: “Military history is rife with examples of generals and presidents who squander strategic advantage by failing to press a battlefield triumph to its conclusion.

4. How did the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq contribute to the rise of not only Al Qaeda but also the Taliban and eventually ISIS? Would it have been better to have Hussein in Iraq versus the debacle that ended after starting another war with Iraq instead of completing the prior one in Afghanistan? How do you feel about Albright's remarks on the above subjects?

5. Why is the State Department undermined it appears during Republican administrations? How was Bush's decision to bring on Rice a breath of fresh air for State? Why was Cheney still on the ticket if Bush was trying to make a clean break from the previous philosophy of the past? How did Albright sum up Cheney? What are your views of her assessment?

6. What are your opinions about the differences between Rumsfeld and Gates and why Bush decided it was time for a change?

7. What do you think "transformational diplomacy" was all about? And how was it any different than what had occurred before or after? Or was it?

8. Was the comparison between George W. Bush and Harry Truman disconcerting to anybody else? Why or why not? How did Albright view the comparison and did you agree or not agree with her?

9. How many readers thought that this was one of the best chapters regarding assessments in her former role? Were you impressed how even handedly she was able to discuss George W. Bush and his strengths and weaknesses from her perspective? What did you agree with and where did you disagree? How many of you have found that George W. Bush's approval rating has improved with the years? Why do you think that this is the case? Do you think that Dick Cheney as Vice President has had the same improvement? Why or why not?

10. I loved the story of the young Ulysses S. Grant buying a pony - did anyone feel that this is the way our current administration is conducting foreign relations today (smile)? You are all welcome to disagree.

11. What were your thoughts about the foreshadowing of the memo on "emails"?

12. Some important questions that Albright raised - feel free to jump right in and discuss any of these:

a) Why, for example, do so many Arabs and Israelis declare their desire for peace and then do all they can to make a resolution of their differences impossible?

b) How did Iran become our enemy and Saudi Arabia our friend?

c) How can the United States peacefully accommodate the rise of China while protecting its own interests and those of its allies in Asia?

d) And most urgently: what must be done to prevent terrorist ideologies from spreading not only from one country to the next but also from the current generations onward?

by Madeleine K. Albright

by Madeleine K. Albright

by Madeleine K. Albright

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

And so we begin:

Chapter Fifteen
Making of the President 2008

“COULD YOU PLEASE call her?” “Okay, sure, we can talk about foreign policy.” “No, she doesn’t care about that. She loves to knit.” The time was December 2007; the place, Iowa.

I was volunteering as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton in a fine president the senator would make. After about forty minutes, I bid farewell to my new friend and sent word to the campaign that I expected the lady who loved to knit would caucus for Hillary.

Just as swiftly, the woman called a reporter to say that she remained undecided. EARLY IN 2007, Barack Obama informed me that he planned to run for president and asked that, should I not endorse him, at least to refrain from publicly backing another.

I told him that I was sorry and would be supporting Clinton, a decision he had no doubt anticipated and accepted without any hint of rancor.

I had a high regard both for Obama and several of the other Democratic contenders, but my bonds with Hillary were tight. We had met about twenty years earlier when she spoke at a fund-raiser for the Children’s Defense Fund, after which I introduced myself to her as a fellow graduate of Wellesley.

In 1995, when she was First Lady, we collaborated in planning America’s role in the Fourth World Conference on Women. The event was held in Beijing, where Hillary managed to rebuke the host government for its poor record on human rights while still avoiding a major diplomatic breach. The following year, when on separate official trips, we met in Prague where we were entertained by the
recently widowed Václav Havel.

With the president as our escort, we strolled through Wenceslas Square and visited the Old Jewish Cemetery. Hillary and I also took a Fourth of July boat ride during which we conversed amiably above the sound of fireworks and the chatter of gulls while gliding atop the delicate little waves of the Vltava River.

Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 142 - 143). Harper. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Topics and Questions:

1. What were your thoughts about the 2008 campaign for president and the part that Albright played?

2. How surprised were you about Hillary Clinton's Republican roots and her early days of growing up? It was sad to me how she was often judged as being where she was because of her husband when in fact he actually dimmed her prospects in some respects. What were your thoughts?

3. What did you think of the assessment that Albright had with this quote: Obama’s campaign was sleek and disciplined; Hillary’s was skilled and bloated. Was she right? Comments.

Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 151). Harper. Kindle Edition.

4. I have always liked John McCain. What were your thoughts about John McCain's campaign and his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate?

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

And so we begin:



Chapter Sixteen
First Light

"AS THE SUN crept above the horizon on January 20, 2009, a million George W. Bush countdown clocks were tossed in Dumpsters, their work done. Hordes of excited men, women, and children assembled in Washington to welcome our forty-fourth president.

Bundled against the cold, many carried signs that reflected the jolly mood, but words seemed inadequate to the occasion. Yes, the inauguration was a democratic rite marking the beginning of a new chapter in the nation’s history, but this year it was also something more: a day that many had thought they would never live long enough to see.

For African Americans especially, Barack Obama’s raised hand embodied a moment when “free at last” seemed closer than ever to a description, not merely a hope.

Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 154). Harper. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Topics and Questions:

1. What were your thoughts given this years racial tensions on Rev. Joseph Lowery’s rainbow-hued benediction?

“Help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back; when brown can stick around; when yellow will be mellow; when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right.”

RIP To An Icon: Let’s Recall Rev. Joseph E. Lowery’s Brilliant Benediction At Obama’s Inauguration - This was history in the making twofold.

Link: https://youtu.be/rb2UJ6r1A3E

Link to the article regarding Rev. Joseph E. Lowery: https://youtu.be/rb2UJ6r1A3E

More:
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/28/517545...

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

2. What were your thoughts about Senator Clinton being offered the Secretary of State position and Albright's advice to her?

Source: Youtube, Newsone, NPR

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

And so we begin:

Chapter Seventeen
Thought and Purpose

"AS IMPERIALISTS, THE British of a century or two ago had their faults, but as originators of slang, they were unparalleled. To those Englanders of yore, a “think tank” was a synonym for the human brain—logical enough, when you picture it.

A new meaning developed during World War II, when the term referred to the hideaway in military headquarters reserved for officers to share secret information and plot their next moves. Postwar, the modern conception came into vogue: a research organization dedicated to public policy.

Not everyone is fond of such bodies, though I can’t understand why. To me, the sight of smart people wrestling with life-altering questions is more fun than a puppy. In the late 1980s and early 1990s,

I was president of the Center for National Policy (CNP), a think tank sprightlier than its name. The group’s public mandate was to advance the economic and security interests of the United States. Its unspoken purpose was to help Democrats restore their party’s credibility after getting thrashed at the polls by Ronald Reagan.

My tenure coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall, a moment when history sped up and dozens of previously undemocratic nations tore off their old uniforms and tried on new ones. I warned my students that although the world had suddenly become freer, it might not, because of the churning, be any less dangerous.

Indeed, a rash of conflicts soon broke out as nations and subnational factions sought to assert themselves. CNP had a transformed global landscape to explain, but I had barely begun to reorganize my mind when President George H. W. Bush let the economy trip him up and lost the 1992 election to Bill Clinton, who hired me.

Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (pp. 163-164). Harper. Kindle Edition.

Discussion Topics and Questions:

1. What were your thoughts about President H.W. Bush and Albright's comments that the economy had tripped him up?

2. How do you think a group and organization like the Aspen Institute makes a difference? How many of you are familiar with the work of Walter Isaacson who was associated with the Aspen Institute along with being an eminent historian?

3. What are your thoughts on the various think tanks described in this chapter?

[Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - SCOTUS - Civil Rights]

Chapter Overviews and Summaries

Chapter 12 - Advise and Dissent 183

In this harrowing chapter, Secretary Albright relates the allegation made on 60 Minutes in May 1996 accusing the American government of responsibility for the deaths of a half-million children in Iraq because of UN sanctions. What enfolds in this chapter is the backstory.

Chapter 13 - Companions 198

This is a delightful chapter about aging and all of the questions about diminishing mental capacity. It is also a very personal chapter where she is free to discuss her three daughters and her grandchildren.

[Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - SCOTUS - Civil Rights]

Chapter Overviews and Summaries

Chapter 14 - Digging Out 213

This chapter focuses on the second term of the George W. Bush administration where Condoleeza Rice was now Secretary of State. Hurricane Katrina had ravaged much of the Gulf Coast in August 2005, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continuing, the world stage was also in crisis. Secretary Rice wanted to repair our relationships with our allies and "reaffirm the primacy in our foreign policy."

Chapter 15 - Making of the President 2008 225

Secretary Albright relates in this chapter how she was supporting Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential primary. Theirs was a long friendship, both graduates of Wellesley, and working together on many causes such as the Children's Defense Fund. Ms. Albright relates her perspective on the 2008 primary with candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama the leading contenders.

[Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - SCOTUS - Civil Rights]

Chapter Overviews and Summaries

Chapter 16 - First Light 244

This chapter opens with the inaugural ceremonies on January 20, 2009 of Barack Obama, America's first black president, with all of the many hopes and dreams embodied in his election and historic breakthrough.

Chapter 17 - Thought and Purpose 259

This chapter explores ideas and thought beginning with Albright's tenure with the Center for National Policy in the late 1980's and early 1990's and the subsequent election of William Clinton in 1992 where she then served in the State Department for eight years. Ms. Albright also discusses the Aspen Institute and its global presence and where she began serving on its Board of Directors in 2002. Other think tanks are explored as well throughout our history.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thank you Lorna - good Chapter Overviews and Summaries to keep everybody on track.

[Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - SCOTUS - Civil Rights]

You are welcome, Bentley. This has been such an enjoyable book with so many different areas explored.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Yes it is!

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

The U.S. War in Afghanistan | Council on Foreign Relations


President Bush addresses a joint session of Congress. Win McNamee/Pool/AP Images

Link: https://www.google.com/search?client=...

More:

Taliban Country (full film) | FRONTLINE
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/WxvZvRzNlV0
Summary: A rare and dangerous journey inside both Taliban- and ISIS-held territory in Afghanistan, this documentary features an unprecedented interview with the Taliban’s lead negotiator in U.S. peace talks. As President Trump says he wants to end the war in Afghanistan, our reporter exposes the harsh reality that not only is the Taliban once again wielding power, but the threat from ISIS looms large.

Sources: The Council on Foreign Relations, Frontline

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Steve Coll: The Fight for the Future of Afghanistan



Link to presentation and video: https://youtu.be/s5N3ZmddMZE

About Steve Coll:

Steve Coll is the dean of Columbia Journalism School, the former President and CEO of the New America Foundation, and a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine.

Previously, he spent twenty years as a foreign correspondent and senior editor at The Washington Post, serving as the paper’s managing editor from 1998 to 2004.

He is the author of six books, including The Deal of the Century: The Break Up of AT&T (1986); The Taking of Getty Oil (1987); Eagle on the Street, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the SEC’s battle with Wall Street (with David A. Vise, 1991); On the Grand Trunk Road: A Journey into South Asia (1994); Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 (2004); and most recently, The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century (2008).

Mr. Coll’s professional awards include two Pulitzer Prizes. He won the first of these in 1990 for explanatory journalism in his series about SEC, with David A. Vise. He was awarded his second in 2005 for his book Ghost Wars, honored in the general nonfiction category. Ghost Wars also won the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross award, the Overseas Press Club award, and the Lionel Gelber Prize for the best book published on international affairs during 2004. Other awards include the 1992 Livingston Award for outstanding foreign reporting, the 2000 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Award for his coverage of the civil war in Sierra Leone, and a second Overseas Press Club Award for international magazine writing.

Mr. Coll graduated Phi Beta Kappa, cum laude, from Occidental College in 1980 with a degree in English and history. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Sources: Youtube, Goldman Sachs

all by Steve Coll

[Kathy]

Thanks!

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

You are welcome.

[Kathy]

I had read ghost wars which was excellent. This video makes me think I should add Steve Coll’s newer book to my want read book. Bentley, have you read it?

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

I have not - but it is a sequel and it won some awards and was shortlisted for the National Book Award.

Let me know if you would like to set up a buddy read on the book. You might want to lead the discussion on it - we could set up a sample syllabus and I would post the table of contents.

[Kathy]

Bentley, I want to do D Day: The Battle for Normandy first.





My dad was in the Third Wave on D Day when he was just 20 and was in the fight for Normandy in Patton's Division. As with most WWII vets, he would never tell me much. But I know he saw terrible service (confirmed by a first cousin, much older than I, who is the son of my dad's older brother). And it's my way to honor him. He's been gone for 25 years now. I've had that book on my to read list for a number of years and I figured that the buddy read would be a good way to get it finished (I've only gotten 7% in, although I started it 2X). I want to get the Iran book finished first before I start on a buddy read. And I've got a ways to go on the Iran book.

[Kathy]

Antony Beevor
Sorry screwed up on the author add.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

by Antony Beevor

The above is the citation format.

Let me know when you would like to do it.

[Kathy]

I'm not sure I can figure out the format but I will try. Just getting both seems to be a challenge and can't seem to do it at all on the app. Only can partially do it in Safari.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Kathy wrote: "I'm not sure I can figure out the format but I will try. Just getting both seems to be a challenge and can't seem to do it at all on the app. Only can partially do it in Safari."

The Help Desk folder (Mechanics of the Board thread helps) - add book/author function - add book cover (you know how to do that) - then one blank space - type in the word by - then one blank space - then add the author's photo - (you make sure the harvey ball at the bottom where the word photo is - is filled in and add the photo - then go back into author again and then make sure the harvey ball at the bottom with the word link is filled in and add the author's name (you seem to know how to do that.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

For those of you interested here is Steve Coll:

Steve Coll, "Directorate S"
Link to Video: https://youtu.be/MFk3_6qwSmk
Summary: Journalist Steve Coll discusses his book, "Directorate S" at Politics and Prose on 2/8/18. Steve Coll, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and a staff writer for The New Yorker, won his second Pulitzer for Ghost Wars, a comprehensive account of America’s involvement in Afghanistan before 9/11.

His new book continues the story with a detailed look at the country’s post-9/11 military, diplomatic, and intelligence efforts to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. While many factors contributed to our inability to achieve these goals, as Coll shows, the definitive one was U.S. failure to understand the work of a secret wing within Pakistan’s intelligence agency.

Directorate S covertly trained, armed, and worked to legitimize the Taliban, all of which directly contradicted Pakistan’s ostensible support for the U.S. mission and ultimately doomed it. Adding substantially to what we know about our long involvement in South Asia, Coll’s account is both a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction and investigative journalism at its most illuminating.

Sources: Youtube - also on C-Span

by Steve Coll

[Kathy]

Bentley, can you see my full explanation why I want to do the D Day book? I can see the full posts in Safari but not on the app. I discussed my dad’s involvement. Let me know. Thanks.

[Kathy]

Thanks for the help by the way.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Yes, Kathy I did read it. Sorry that your Dad and so many of his generation suffered over there; I am sure that so many of them had haunting memories of that time period. We owe our service men and women so much - even today.

We can set up a buddy read for that for you.

[Kathy]

I will let you know when I’m ready to go. The book is supposed to be very good. Thanks.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

No problem.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

The Speech that began it all for Barack Obama
C-SPAN: Barack Obama Speech at 2004 DNC Convention

Link: https://youtu.be/eWynt87PaJ0

Raw Video: Barack Obama's 2008 acceptance speech



Link: https://youtu.be/LEo7lzfpdCU

Source: Youtube, C-Span

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Aretha Franklin - My Country Tis of Thee



Aretha Franklin MY COUNTRY 'TIS OF THEE Inauguration Day 2009

And what a hat too.

Link: https://youtu.be/5NqszdLiJxg

Source: Youtube

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

George Marshall as Secretary of State



George Catlett Marshall (December 31, 1880-October 16, 1959), America’s foremost soldier during World War II, served as chief of staff from 1939 to 1945, building and directing the largest army in history. A diplomat, he acted as secretary of state from 1947 to 1949, formulating the «Marshall Plan», an unprecedented program of economic and military aid to foreign nations.

Marshall’s father owned a prosperous coal business in Pennsylvania, but the boy, deciding to become a soldier, enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute from which he was graduated in 1901 as senior first captain of the Corps of Cadets. After serving in posts in the Philippines and the United States, Marshall was graduated with honors from the Infantry-Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth in 1907 and from the Army Staff College in 1908. The young officer distinguished himself in a variety of posts in the next nine years, earning an appointment to the General Staff in World War I and sailing to France with the First Division. He achieved fame and promotion for his staff work in the battles of Cantigny, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne. After acting as aide-de-camp to General Pershing from 1919 to 1924, Marshall served in China from 1924 to 1927, and then successively as instructor in the Army War College in 1927, as assistant commandant of the Infantry School from 1927 to 1932, as commander of the Eighth Infantry in 1933, as senior instructor to the Illinois National Guard from 1933 to 1936, and as commander, with the rank of brigadier general, of the Fifth Infantry Brigade from 1936 to 1938. In July, 1938, Marshall accepted a post with the General Staff in Washington, D. C., and in September, 1939, was named chief of staff, with the rank of general, by President Roosevelt. He became general of the army in 1944, the year in which Congress created that five-star rank.

In his position as chief of staff, Marshall urged military readiness prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, later became responsible for the building, supplying, and, in part, the deploying of over eight million soldiers. From 1941 he was a member of the policy committee that supervised the atomic studies engaged in by American and British scientists. The war over, Marshall resigned in November, 1945.

But Marshall could not resign from public service; his military career ended, he took up a diplomatic career. He had been associated with diplomatic events while chief of staff, for he participated in the conference on the Atlantic Charter (1941-1942), and in those at Casablanca (1943), Quebec (1943), Cairo-Teheran (1943), Yalta (1945), Potsdam (1945), and in many others of lesser import. In late 1945 and in 1946, he represented President Truman on a special mission to China, then torn by civil war; in January, 1947, he accepted the Cabinet position of secretary of state, holding it for two years. In the spring of 1947 he outlined in a speech at Harvard University the plan of economic aid which history has named the «Marshall Plan».

For one year during the Korean War General Marshall was secretary of defence, a civilian post in the U. S. Cabinet. Having resigned from this post in September, 1951, three months before his seventy-first birthday, he retired from public service, thereafter performing those ceremonial duties the public comes to expect of its famous men.

More:

George C. Marshall takes oath of office as Secretary of State, in the oval office...HD Stock Footage
Link: https://youtu.be/1LvrRtDAaVU
Summary: President Harry Truman and former Secretary of State, James F. Byrnes, are among those present as George C. marshall takes the oath of office as Secretary of State, in the oval office of the White House. Afterwards, he walks out of the White House and down the block next to the Old Executive Office Building. A phalanx of photographers take pictures of Secretary Marshall at his desk as he signs his first official document as Secretary of State. Location: Washington DC. Date: 1947.

The Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony 1953
Link to article and video: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/pea...

by Dean Acheson

by William Frye (no photo)

by H.A. DeWeerd (no photo)

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Next week's assignment:

Week Nine: - August 3rd - August 9th

18 The Serpent's Tale 274

19 Muscles in Brussels 288

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

The Aspen Institute



The Aspen Institute is a nonpartisan forum for values-based leadership and the exchange of ideas. From the stimulation of the Ideas Festival, to the projects conceived at the Resnick Aspen Action Forum, to deep policy studies done at our roundtables, the Aspen Institute brings together people with different outlooks to search for common ground and make the world a better place.

Link: https://youtu.be/iGW7wTozsHs

Madeleine Albright and Nicholas Burns - Aspen Ideas Festival - Jun 30, 2020
Summary: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright joins longtime colleague and friend Ambassador Nicholas Burns for a conversation about her life, the dangers facing modern democracies, and America’s role in what she calls “a brand new world.” Reflecting on her childhood in London during the Blitz, her journey to America as a refugee, and her long career as a diplomat, Secretary Albright is facing the current crises and ongoing work with outspoken determination. “It took me a long time to find my voice,” she says,”I’m not going to shut up now.” A self-described worried optimist and grateful American, Albright offers an urgent message for the unprecedented times we are living in. This is a very interesting interview because it also deals with this book.
Link: https://youtu.be/c_1nVb-3lAw

Source: Youtube, Aspen Institute

[Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - SCOTUS - Civil Rights]

This week's reading about the inauguration of Barack Obama during the same week that Civil Rights icon Congressman John Robert Lewis was laid to rest, brought to mind how President Obama always attributed his ability to win the presidency to the work of the people of the Civil Rights Movement, namely John Lewis. In fact Obama always has said that he stood on the shoulders of giants.

[Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - SCOTUS - Civil Rights]

Chapter Overviews and Summaries

Chapter 18 - The Serpent's Tale 274

This chapter opens with Madeleine Albright discussing the possibility of her next book talking about her beautiful and iconic pins and how she used each one as a diplomatic tool in the years she served as Secretary of State.

Chapter 19 - Muscles in Brussels 288

This chapter discusses Ms. Albright being asked by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009 to represent the United States in a group of experts to explore and recommend revisions to the strategic concepts of NATO, a document last amended in 1999. This chapter discusses the history of NATO and its influence worldwide.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Very true Lorna - so many times when we begin to discuss a book - something very timely coincides with the discussion. Odd isn't it. And so sad for John Lewis.

[Lorna, Assisting Moderator (T) - SCOTUS - Civil Rights]

Bentley, how right you are. That certainly is the way of history. Last week was a very sad week but it was also a poignant reminder to us all what this nation represents in spite of its many struggles.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Walter Isaacson



Walter Isaacson is a Professor of History at Tulane and an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg, a financial services firm based in New York City. He is the past CEO of the Aspen Institute, where he is now a Distinguished Fellow, and has been the chairman of CNN and the editor of TIME magazine.

Isaacson’s most recent biography, Leonardo da Vinci (2017), offers new discoveries about Leonardo’s life and work, weaving a narrative that connects his art to his science. He is also the author of The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution (2014), Steve Jobs (2011), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007), Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (2003), and Kissinger: A Biography (1992), and coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made (1986).

He is a host of the show “Amanpour and Company” on PBS and CNN, a contributor to CNBC, and host of the podcast “Trailblazers, from Dell Technologies.”

Isaacson was born on May 20, 1952, in New Orleans. He is a graduate of Harvard College and of Pembroke College of Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He began his career at The Sunday Times of London and then the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He joined TIME in 1978 and served as a political correspondent, national editor, and editor of digital media before becoming the magazine’s 14th editor in 1996. He became chairman and CEO of CNN in 2001, and then president and CEO of the Aspen Institute in 2003.

He is chair emeritus of Teach for America. From 2005-2007 he was the vice-chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which oversaw the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other international broadcasts of the United States, a position he held from 2009 to 2012.

He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of the Arts, and the American Philosophical Society. He serves on the board of United Airlines, the New Orleans City Planning Commission, the New Orleans Tricentennial Commission, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Society of American Historians, the U.S. Defense Department Innovation Board, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.

More:
https://www.aspeninstitute.org/our-pe...

Madeleine Albright Calls for American Diplomacy | Amanpour and Company - interviewed by Walter Isaacson (nice interview)
Summary: Madeleine Albright once called America the “indispensable nation” when it comes to leading global action. As the first female U.S. Secretary of State, Albright spent her career using the power of American diplomacy to solve international crises. Walter Isaacson speaks with the former diplomat about the urgent need for a return to that model--as she lays out in her new book, "Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st Century Memoir."
Link: https://youtu.be/yxGWa0nN1rQ

all by Walter Isaacson

Source: The Aspen Institute, Youtube, Amanpour and Company

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Dan Porterfield



Dan Porterfield talks about moving ideas to action. He shares his excitement for the future of the Aspen Institute and briefly describes his previous work. Dan discusses our obligation to protect opportunities for serious dialogue. Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dan talks about the “network of mutuality” that binds society. “That’s what I see the Aspen Institute representing,” he says, “unified by a set of values that matter for civilization.”

The Aspen Institute Board of Trustees named Daniel R. Porterfield, Ph.D., as the organization’s next president and CEO on November 30, 2017. Dan is president of Franklin & Marshall College. He will succeed Walter Isaacson, effective June 1, 2018.

More:

Dan Porterfield is the Next Aspen Institute President
Link: https://youtu.be/PezUccPKSpQ

Learn more about Dan Porterfield and the Aspen Institute:
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/newpres...

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Lorna wrote: "Bentley, how right you are. That certainly is the way of history. Last week was a very sad week but it was also a poignant reminder to us all what this nation represents in spite of its many strugg..."

Very true!

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Kathy wrote: "What are the discussion questions for this week? Or are on our own? I’m already through Chapter 18 so I do forget where we stand from week to week. I’m enjoying the book so I force myself to put it..."

Yes, it is but try to put it down sometime and read another book on the side. That way you can contribute to the discussion and gain more from the experience.

[Kathy]

Bentley what does that mean exactly? I’m fairly well read in the foreign policy area as this is one of my major interests and you and Lorna are just posting links. So as far as I can see there is not much to say.in response. Albright’s book is not very deep so it’s fairly self contained, I’m enjoying it but not learning anything really new just enjoying her perspective on things. And enjoying her wit. Regards, Kathy

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Actually Kathy for each chapter we have questions at the bottom of the introduction to each chapter. The links that are posted Kathy have something to do with the chapters we are reading.

I actually disagree but respect your views - I find that Albright discussed a great deal in each chapter.

But I am glad that you are enjoying her wit. You can find the discussion questions and topics usually first at the bottom of the chapter intro which starts with And so it begins: And then we ask questions throughout if there are outstanding topics that are brought up.

We always also post what we call the Chapter Overviews and Summaries so that folks have a bearing as to where we are and what we are talking about.

We also post the assignments for the following week and since this is a one thread discussion arena - the syllabus and the table of contents are at the beginning of the thread. By the way we are all just volunteers just trying to give a space for some great discussions.

We are not goodreads employees so sometimes we expect our members to post their views on each chapter and initiate discussion on things that they found interesting and enjoyed. And we love it when you use specific quotes with chapter and page number reference so that we can enjoy what you have posted even more.

Additionally we try to make the book come alive for you with ancillary images, videos, podcasts sometimes, and links to a variety of topics which meshes with what we are reading.

Happy Reading.

[Kathy]

I understand that the links relate to the chapters and I don’t disagree she has been involved in many interesting parts of our country’s recent history. And that her perspective on these issues is very interesting but her book to me doesn’t cover new factual ground that I was not aware of. Neither do the links you are posting and they are fairly self explanatory so I’m not making any comments. I’m finding that I like her better than I did before, not just respecting her intelligence and knowledge. But we are all entitled to view things different ways. I still haven’t found questions but it doesn’t matter, I’m reading according to the syllabus and not going too far ahead. I’ve got 4 books going at the same time plus I’m a pretty dedicated (2) newspaper reader. I don’t think I should pick up anything more. Otherwise nothing gets finished! Kathy

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

That is totally up to you. And we appreciate having you with us.

But I have learned something new with each chapter and I find sometimes it is great to hear from the members about things that they liked, disliked, learned something new about or had some other varying opinion about. Debate is good and as long as it is civil and respectful - everyone can learn from each other. And normally we like folks to dive into one or two of the questions posted about the chapters read and just post their responses and how they feel.

Our discussions are not meant to be blog like. We encourage members to take the initiative and talk about what interests them in the chapters too so we can all benefit from everyone's posts. I wish that I could focus on one book but I have many opened up for all sorts of interest areas and I go from one to another to keep them all on track.

I can tell that you are an avid reader Kathy and I appreciate your diligence. It would be great for you to post what you are thinking about from time to time because I am sure with your perspective - you have a lot of ancillary information to add.

And again it is not something you have to do - this is not a free give away selection where there are any t's & c's - just interested readers enjoying the discussion and the selection.

I like taking some books slower - many times avid readers just devour one book after another and don't have time to discuss, savor, reflect. They are just on to the next read.

[Kathy]

Bentley, I’m not sure you’ve noticed but I’ve been making a lot more comments on the influenza book because that one has all sorts of surprises for me. Stuff I never knew or his perspective is very novel on what I thought I knew. Kathy

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

I know you have and I appreciate that and as soon as I catch up with this book which I have done and the Churchill one - I am heading their next.

Every book is different and that one is chock full of new info.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

William Cohen's books mentioned by Albright (Genre: Fiction)

by William S. Cohen

by William S. Cohen

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Next week's assignment:

Week Nine: - August 3rd - August 9th

18 The Serpent's Tale 274

19 Muscles in Brussels 288

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

And so we begin:

Chaper Eighteen
The Serpent’s Tale

“YOUR NEXT BOOK should be about your pins.” I took a sip of water. “I’m not kidding. Listen to me. A coffee table kind of book, with lots of pictures and the story of how you used pins as a diplomatic tool. Readers will love it.” I put down my water glass. Stared.

“Be honest. Wherever you go, people come up to you and ask why you’re wearing such-and-such a pin. That shows interest. No one has put together a book like that before and definitely no former secretary of state. It’ll be educational and show how much fun you can be. What do you think?”

“I think,” I said, “that you’ve lost it. You want the first woman secretary of state to publish a book about her jewelry? I won’t do it, not in a million years.” And that, I felt sure, was that.

Source: Albright, Madeleine. Hell and Other Destinations (p. 173). Harper. Kindle Edition.

More:

by Madeleine K. Albright

Discussion Topics and Questions:

1. What is the significance of the title of the chapter and which country and leader was the "serpent's tail" an international response?

2. Why do you think that there is so much gender based reporting on what a leader is wearing, their hair cuts, their accessories? Do y9ou think that this is discriminatory in nature? Do men have to encounter the same scrutiny?

3. What was your favorite accessory that Albright mentioned and why?

4. Did you agree with Albright that a book about pins would set back the progress that women and she had made? Would such a book be considered frivolous?

5. What was the symbolism of the "dove" and how did that fit in with the Middle East? How ironic is this meaning?