Albright Speaks On Tech & Diplomacy
Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright said Monday that she is no longer a technophobe. She has a BlackBerry, "which I'm addicted to unfortunately," and regularly users her computer -- but she still has not yet joined the blogosphere, attendees at the Aspen Institute's Forum on Communications and Society heard.
The Clinton Administration's top diplomat appeared at a multi-day event aimed at exploring the new uses and practicalities of emerging versus older media. She said there "needs to be a greater understanding of a lot of the technology that’s available" because "it's very hard to grasp in terms of what its effect is on foreign policy."
The key question is "whether one can get your arms around it enough to make it useful," Albright said of the countless tech tools currently available. "Information is a tool of foreign policy," she added.
Charter Communications Vice Chairman Marc Nathanson, who interviewed Albright on stage, asked whether she thought China was a friend or foe. "Friend," she responded, but said the relationship between the Communist country and the U.S. needs to improve.
Conversely, she said Russian President Vladimir Putin is a foe. "I think that he's a very dangerous character," Albright said, noting that Russia as a country should not be viewed as an enemy.
Albright also had strong feelings about the American media's coverage of the Iraq war. "I think we have no idea what's going on in Iraq," she offered. "We have no idea because the government isn't telling us the truth. It's hard to figure out what the media can do."
Other scheduled speakers included FCC Chairman Kevin Martin; EU telecommunications Commissioner Viviane Reding; former Disney CEO Michael Eisener; pundit Arianna Huffington; Craigslist.org founder Craig Newmark and more.
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