To mark the 15th anniversary of her departure from the State Department in 2001, Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state, looks back on the changes that have taken place in the world since then.
Hell And Other Destinations
Albright begins by admitting that the end of her tenure as secretary of state found her “a little overcooked,” meaning that she was tired, frazzled, and out of shape due to a lack of home cooking and lack of exercise.
This follows her previous memoir, Madam Secretary, and the self-explanatory Fascism: A Warning (2018). But she didn’t want to retire, so after handing over the reins to Colin Powell, she considered her options:
she could publish a memoir, go on the lecture circuit, teach, or start “a tiny consulting firm, operated entirely by women.” No lobbying for big tobacco or the gun lobby, as she puts it, and according to her version, Albright and colleagues led big pharma towards a few favourable measures.
Last Words
The lecture circuit was slightly less satisfying, as was “the endurance test known as a book tour,” but postgame diplomatic analysis turns out to be her thing, always from the perspective of one who understands that diplomacy is the art of convincing “each side to settle for part of what it wants rather than prolong a squabble by demanding all.” Naturally, she despairs at the Trumpian approach, to say nothing of the man himself.
Moreover, might he be considered a fascist? While that may not be the case according to the word, it is certainly not through lack of trying, and in any case, Albright adds, “he has the most antidemocratic impulses of any president in recent American history.”
An enjoyable book for anyone with an interest in the finer points of policy negotiation. Thanks for reading our reading Hell And Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir.
