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Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will be the featured speaker at this year's McCarthey Family Foundation lecture series — a free public event Nov. 2. Her topic is the role of independent journalism in diplomacy.
The foundation also will continue its tradition of sponsoring a student essay contest tied to the speaker's theme. All Utah college and university students are invited to submit original essays of 500 words by Oct. 2. A cash prize of $2,500 will be awarded to the winning essayist.
Albright was the nation's first woman secretary of state, serving from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. In that top diplomatic role, the native of Prague, Czechoslovakia, was noted for promoting the expansion of NATO into former Soviet bloc countries and for pushing to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons. She also favored the Kyoto Protocol on global warming.
Albright was a strong advocate for the U.S. and NATO air strikes on Kosovo in 1999 after officials labeled the civil war a humanitarian crisis. In recent days, she called for Congress to approve a resolution authorizing President Barack Obama to order military strikes in Syria in retaliation for alleged chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime. Albright argues that inaction in this instance is more dangerous than a "limited" military response.
Her Salt Lake City talk is scheduled for Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at Rowland Hall St. Mark's.
Essay entries should be typed, double-spaced and include the student's name, phone number, email address and name of the college or university and department in which the writer is currently enrolled. Essays should be addressed to MKL Public Relations, 1338 S. Foothill Drive, Suite 264, SLC, UT 84108-2321, with a postmark not later than Oct. 2.