Dal Soglio 1

Megan Dal Soglio

September 4, 2014
Professor Kubler
English 115
Albright Summary
The chapter Faith and Diplomacy, written by Madeleine Albright discusses her view
point on religion being integrated into the government and her encounters with some faithfully
remarkable people. Albright is mostly known for being the first woman to serve as a U.S.
secretary of state from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. She is also recognized for
serving as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as a member of the board of directors
for the Council on Foreign Relations, an unbiased foreign policy think tank. Along with
attending Wellesley College, John Hopkins University, and Columbia University; which is
where she received a Ph.D. in public law in government, she went on to write several books.
Faith and Diplomacy, comes from her book The Mighty and the Almighty, which explores the
way religion impacts government relations. Albright grew up in the Catholic Church and later
found out about her Jewish heritage; so when she got involved with the government, she had a
diverse perspective on how to tie religion into politics.
In Faith and Diplomacy, Albright goes on to talk about how religion is everywhere in
the world whether people agree with it or not. She wants the government to realize that it is okay
to bring religion into the government and she has even found a way to make it happen. But she
knows pursuing faith like diplomacy through the government will not solve all the nations
problems. The nation may believe that they are at peace and doing perfectly fine in life with
church and the government remaining separate but Albright disagrees. She meets individuals

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from around the world and becomes overwhelmed with how faithfully strong people can be
when they believe in their religion, the forgiveness people receive who dont deserve it, and how
children can still have smiles on their faces after being put through misery.
In 1981, Albright visits Poland and noticed very little has changed since the uprising by
the Solidarity to bring down the communist government. Pope John Paul II returned to his
native land in Poland while the communist leaders in Warsaw controlled every move the Poles
could make. They felt extremely threatened of John Paul IIs return so they referred to him in
the reading as, their enemy, and warning of the dangers posed by his uncommon skills and
great sense of humor (36). He comes to realize that all the Polish have been filled with fear
and too much terror to speak out against their government. So through his faith, he help builds
up the peoples courage and confidence to speak up and fight back. He reminded the people of
their freedom that belonged to them in the first place which started the beginning of a revolution
which led to the Berlin Wall coming down, reuniting with Europe, and changing the face of the
world. They learned with some faith and strength anything was possible.
While the Pope helped build the courage in the Polish, Marys amazingly forgiving heart
touches Albright. Bob Seiple had previously worked with Albright in the State department as the
first American ambassador in the fight for religious freedom and he shared this story with her.
He met, Mary, who was a young Lebanese women with an unfortunate encounter with the
Muslim militia in the 1980s. As they invaded her village, she tried to escape but wasnt able to
get away. She was shot in the neck and spine for calling herself a Christian. So the militia
carved a cross on her chest and left her for dead. Later she was found still alive and escorted to a
hosiptal. As she tells Seiple when he asked her how she felt about the man who pulled the
trigger this admiral response was given, Well, I forgave him because my God forgave me. It is

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as simple as that (37). No one could be more humbled by this ladies response. She was not
only left for dead, humiliated, and now paralyzed but she found the faith to forgive such a
horrible person. Not a lot of people have the ability to forgive like Mary and she is an image of
Gods work in Albrights eyes.
Marys forgiving heart was unbelievable but the bravery and smiles on these childrens
face could bring life in such a dark place. In December 1997, during Albrights trip to Africa she
met a five year old boy that was traumatized only weeks before her arrival. When a small village
was under attack, a mother did all she could to save her children. This little boy survived
through the vicious and gruesome attack along with his baby sister. He carried the baby miles to
a town called Gulu, a remote town in the northern part of Uganda, where the met some
wonderful people. World Vision had a camp and hospital set up to save little boys and girls from
around the country. Girls that were rescued rape victims with children of their own surprisingly
ran around with smiles. These little girls and boys, as quoted in the article, laughed, sang,
played games, and cared for each other (38). Even with traumatic upbringings they had smiles
on their faces and were truly happy. Most people that suffer disturbing experiences dont usually
find much hope in the rest of life but these kids were able to and thats only a miracle possible
through faith.
Albright shared these stories because she wants people to realize what a little faith and
religion can do in the government. Pope John Paul II demonstrated his faithful strength and
helped fight for his peoples freedom. Mary was an inspiration to all with her belief in God and
a compassionate heart of forgiveness that wasnt deserved. Lastly, the children that ran around
with smiles on their faces and brave little heart just shows you can be put through the worst but
with some faith things will get better. Religion at its best can reinforce the core values

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necessary for people from different cultures to live in some degree of harmony, (42) is the
perfect lie to some up that if a world was full of people like Pope John Paul II, Mary, and the
children from Gulu, imagine how much better this world it could be.