Madeleine Albright (1937-2022) who served as Secretary of State under the William Jefferson Clinton administration, supported sanctions on Iraq. The sanctions resulted in high amounts of death and a decline in Iraq's living standards. When asked about this in a CBS interview, she stated the price was worth it. Such blatant disregard for human life demonstrates a lack of concern for human rights. Arms embargoes and sanctions against government officials is legitimate. Harming the population is nothing more than an act of warfare. Albright was instrumental in pushing NATO expansion and intervention in the Balkans. The results of this were the bombing of Kosovo and the loss of trust among Russia. This policy of continuing sanctions only made it easier for the Bush administration to launch an aggressive war. Assertive multilateralism was nothing more than a policy of various countries invading others for the sake of geopolitical ambitions. Her image was one of a humanitarian and feminist icon, but her actions were in service to ensuring US hegemony in both Europe and the Middle East. That image was more so a creation of the American press. Iraqis would continue to suffer under sanctions from 1991 to 2003.
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