Joe Biden talks about ‘new world order’ in Business Roundtable address
Joe Biden’s approval rating fell to the new low of 40 per cent this week, with a number of Americans citing economy as their top concern, followed by foreign conflict.
The poll found that 54 per cent of Americans disapproved of his job performance as the country struggled with high inflation.
This comes as the president embarks on a four-day trip to Europe in a bid to coordinate with Nato allies on military assistance for Ukraine, new sanctions on Russia, and boosting defences in Eastern Europe. The US has also now officially accused Russian forces of war crimes in Ukraine.
A report says that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged Mr Biden to not sanction Roman Abramovich as the oligarch may be able to help with Russian peace talks. The Treasury Department was prepared to join the UK and EU with sanctions, but was told by the White House to hold off.
Meanwhile, the president caused a stir during a gathering of business leaders at the White House when he alluded to a coming “new world order” in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, apparently not stopping to consider the awkward legacy of the phrase has tied to conspiracy theories.
In related news, tributes have poured in for former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who passed away from cancer aged 84. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Biden praises Albright as a ‘force’ that ‘turned the tide of history’
In a statement on her passing, President Joe Biden has hailed former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as “a force” adds that “hers were the hands that turned the tide of history”.
He writes: “When I think of Madeleine, I will always remember her fervent faith that ‘America is the indispensable nation’.”
Read the full statement below.
Madeleine Albright was a force.
Hers were the hands that turned the tide of history.
As a young girl, she found a home in the United States—after her family fled their home country of Czechoslovakia during World War II, and the Iron Curtain came down across Central and Eastern Europe. Her father, a diplomat, was marked for death by the Soviet regime. She spent the rest of her days defending freedom around the world and lifting up those who suffered under repression.
She was an immigrant fleeing persecution. A refugee in need of safe haven. And like so many before her—and after—she was proudly American.
To make this country that she loved even better—she defied convention and broke barriers again and again. As the devoted mother of three beloved daughters, she worked tirelessly raising them while earned her doctorate degree and started her career. She took her talents first to the Senate as a staffer for Senator Edmund Muskie, followed by the National Security Council under President Carter. And then to the United Nations where she served as U.S. Ambassador, and ultimately, made history as our first woman Secretary of State, appointed by President Clinton.
A scholar, teacher, bestselling author, and later accomplished businesswoman, Secretary Albright continued to advise presidents and members of Congress with matchless skill and diplomatic acumen. In every role, she used her fierce intellect and sharp wit—and often her unmatched collection of pins—to advance America’s national security and promote peace around the world. America had no more committed champion of democracy and human rights than Secretary Albright, who knew personally and wrote powerfully of the perils of autocracy.
Working with Secretary Albright during the 1990s was among the highlights of my career in the United States Senate during my tenure on the Foreign Relations Committee. As the world redefined itself in the wake of the Cold War, we were partners and friends working to welcome newly liberated democracies into NATO and confront the horrors of genocide in the Balkans.
When I think of Madeleine, I will always remember her fervent faith that “America is the indispensable nation.”
In the years after she left government, Secretary Albright never stepped away from that belief. As the Chairman of the National Democratic Institute for over two decades, and through other organizations she advised, she continued to champion democratic principles as vitally important to America’s interests in freedom, prosperity and security.
She continued to mentor and nurture new generations of foreign policy experts at Georgetown University, the Korbel Center for International Studies at the University of Denver, named after her father, and beyond. As always, she shared her insight and wisdom widely, but she was especially dedicated to supporting the next generation of women leaders, including through the establishment of the Albright Institute for Global Affairs at Wellesley College.
Madeleine was always a force for goodness, grace, and decency—and for freedom.
Jill and I will miss her dearly and send our love and prayers to her daughters, Alice, Anne and Katie, her sister Kathy, her brother John, her six grandchildren, and her nephews and grandniece.
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 21:24
Just one month ago Albright wrote that Putin was making ‘historic error’
A month before her death at 84, Madeline Albright wrote that Russian President Vladimir Putin was making a “historic error”.
Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 21:00
Obama hails ‘trailblazing career’ of ‘champion of democratic values’
Former President Barack Obama has hailed Madeleine Albright’s “trailblazing career” as a “champion of democratic values”, recalling her story as an “upward journey”.
As the first woman to serve as America’s top diplomat, Madeleine Albright helped bring peace to the Balkans, paved the way for progress in some of the most unstable corners of the world, and was a champion for democratic values. And as an immigrant herself, she brought a unique and important perspective to her trailblazing career.
One of my favorite stories: At a naturalization ceremony, an Ethiopian man came up to Madeleine and said, “Only in America could a refugee from Africa meet the Secretary of State.” She replied, “Only in America could a refugee from Central Europe become Secretary of State.”
It’s because of people like Madeleine that the story of America is, ultimately, one of hope — an upward journey. Michelle and I send our thoughts to the Albright family and everyone who knew and served with a truly remarkable woman.
President Barack H Obama
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 20:45
Romney criticises GOP questioning of Ketanji Brown Jackson
Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 20:30
No remarks to reporters as president arrives in Belgium
President Biden made no remarks to reporters as he arrived in Belgium where it is now after 9pm.
Mr Biden was greeted by Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo.
There is a full day of meetings scheduled on Thursday as well as a news conference.
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 20:27
Biden lands in Brussels
President Joe Biden has arrived in Brussels to meet with Nato allies about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 20:22
Clinton mourns Albright as ‘extraordinary human being’
Former President Bill Clinton mourns former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as “one of the finest secretaries of state, an outstanding UN ambassador, a brilliant professor, and an extraordinary human being”.
Mr Clinton nominated her as the first female secretary of state in 1997 and she was approved unanimously by the Senate in a 99-0 voice vote.
He recalls her work in an era of global interdependence at the end of the Cold War; in Bosnia and Kosovo; supporting Nato expansion in Central Europe; fighting nuclear proliferation; relieving developing world debt and poverty; and elevating concerns about climate change.
“Hillary and I will always be deeply grateful for the wonderful friendship we shared and the unfailingly wise counsel she gave us over so many years.”
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 20:20
McConnell praises Albright’s ‘dedicated leadership on behalf of nation’
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell offered his own tribute.
I was grieved to learn this afternoon that our nation has lost former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Secretary Albright’s remarkable, pathbreaking life took her from fleeing Soviet communism as a young girl with her family to helping steer American global leadership from the commanding heights of public service half a century later.
You didn’t have to share every one of Secretary Albright’s policy views to appreciate her dedicated leadership on behalf of our nation. I genuinely enjoyed the times we got to work together on shared interests including the ongoing project of helping secure a democratic future for the people of Burma. Secretary Albright understood keenly that the United States of America is a global power with global interests and global responsibilities and must act accordingly.
My prayers are with Secretary Albright’s family and all who mourn her loss.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 20:05
Schumer: Albright was ‘a titan in American history’
In his tribute to Madeleine Albright, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls her “a titan in American history”.
Madeleine Albright was one-of-a-kind and first-of-a-kind.
As a refugee who fled the Nazis and Soviet Communism, she embodied the American dream in rising to become our first female Secretary of State.
A titan in American history — her story inspired women and girls across the globe.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 19:50
George W Bush pays tribute to Albright
Laura and I are heartbroken by the news of Madeleine Albright’s death. She lived out the American dream and helped others realize it. As a young girl in Czechoslovakia, she fled the Nazis, and years later, she fled Communism. When she arrived in the United States as a young girl aboard the SS America in 1948, she never dreamt that she would become our nation’s first female Secretary of State. She served with distinction as a foreign-born foreign minister who understood firsthand the importance of free societies for peace in our world. I respect her love of country and public service, and Laura and I are grateful to have called Madeleine our friend. We send our sincere sympathies to her daughters.
President George W Bush
And he included an oil painting portrait of Ms Albright that he painted.
Oliver O’Connell23 March 2022 19:40
