• Secretary Albright and President Bartlet

    Just back from Barnes and Noble in Union Square, where Madeleine Albright was promoting her new book, "Memo to the President-Elect". She spoke well for 20 minutes, starting with an obligatory funny story—this one about flying off to China, when a Bosnian-born guard at Chicago airport recognised her in the queue for security at departure, told her she was a legend in Bosnia, and insisted on a photograph. The line of passengers behind grew restive.

    "What was that all about?", asked a lady behind, when Ms Albright rejoined the queue.

    "I used to be secretary of state", said Ms Albright.

    "Of Bosnia?" replied the lady.

    I enjoyed Ms Albright's argument that diplomacy was best compared, not to chess, but to billiards. You shoot a ball into a bunch of other balls and hope that the knock-on effects work out in your favour. But at least some of the knock-on effects will always be unintended and unforeseen—as Pakistan now is the unintended consequence of Western policy in Afghanistan.

    The new book is half an explanation of how the national-security and foreign-policy apparatus works in Washington, DC, half a primer on the big issues likely to face the new president next year. Ms Albright suggests that newly elected leaders are often surprisingly ignorant of the mechanics of power, and from my own more limited experience I have to agree.  read more »


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