Secretary Albright contributes a "Mythbuster" to Politico Magazine
Mythbusters
Bill and Melinda Gates and 27 other thinkers on the misconceptions about the United States and the world that drive them crazy.
January 21, 201
America is stronger alone
Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state
What drives me the most crazy is the myth that our country’s power is diminished when we cooperate with other countries to achieve our national security interests. We are, as President Clinton said and I have often said since, the indispensable nation to this day. But there is nothing in the definition of “indispensable” that says “alone.” Another way to put it would be to engage in multilateral diplomacy, something I dabbled in once. The problem many Americans seem to have with “multilateralism” as a term is that it has too many syllables and ends in “-ism”! What it really means is “partnerships.” Our country can be stronger and more effective when it engages in partnerships—with allies, with businesses, with civil society—to make our country and the world a better place.