Former Secretary of State to Address the Future of NATO Oct. 19 at Saenger Theatre

Now that long-standing enemies have become allies and global terrorism has outstripped traditional patterns of war and peace, the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the 21st century is in question.

South Mississippians will have a chance to hear about the future of NATO from former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in Hattiesburg's historic Saenger Theatre. 

“NATO remains the most important military alliance in U.S. foreign and security affairs,” said Dr. Tom Lansford, academic dean and professor of political science at Southern Miss. “Despite, its transatlantic focus, NATO is the cornerstone of U.S. national security policy, as evidenced by the NATO missions in Afghanistan and other areas of the world. Most importantly, NATO affirms the status of the United States as a European ally, even though is not geographically in the continent.”

Her lecture titled, “The Future of NATO,” marks the second installment of the Lt. Col. John H. Dale Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series in International Security and Global Policy presented by the Southern Miss College of Arts and Letters, the University Centennial Celebration committee and the Honor's College.

In 2009, Albright served as Chair of the Group of Experts on the NATO Strategic Concept Expert Group, a group created by NATO Secretary General Rasmussen to provide him with an analysis of NATO's role in the 21^st century and recommendations for the next Strategic Concept.

“NATO members will release the full text of that report asserting that the Cold War era alliance not only has a role in 21^st century foreign relations, but is even more vital now than ever,” according to Dr. Denise von Herrmann, dean of the College of Arts and Letters and professor of political science.

From 1993 to 1997, Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of the President's Cabinet. She is a professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She chairs both the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the Pew Global Attitudes Project and serves as president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. Albright serves on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Board of Trustees for the Aspen Institute. 

Albright is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets.  She was the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. In 1997, she was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. As Secretary of State, Albright reinforced America's alliances, advocated democracy and human rights and promoted American trade and business, labor and environmental standards abroad. 

The lecture is free and open to the public. Business attire is required. For more information, call 601.266.4315.