Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership

This book is well-written, easy to read, and insightful. I found this book to be full of specific, actionable suggestions for improvement in foreign policy without being overly detailed in any one area. It is comprehensive in its approach to the entire globe and how the international community is poised for a new era of American leadership. For fans of Bush - this book is more forward looking than it is a commentary on the past administration. Unlike many foreign policy books that merely suggest where we need to end up, this one features tangible ideas on how to achieve meaningful change to get there.

I especially enjoyed this book - even more than her previous ones. I think she brings an informed and experienced perspective to the "state of the U.S." in the eyes of the rest of the world. This should be required reading for high school students and beyond!

Madeleleine Albright, former Secretary of State and Ambassador to the UN, writes in in what is an almost lost art form, combining interesting anecdotes with complex details, to provide a lively and insightful perspective. It's as if someone combined the tart and wry commonsense of Miss Manners with the political and intellectual insights of Harvard professor (or in her case a Georgetown professor). Ms. Albright discusses what the next president should consider doing to effectively run the government, and to engage in foreign policy that will restore the US's standing in the world. In the first section she gives advice on how to succeed as a president, such as how to best balance the relationships between the State Department, Defense Department and NSA, and how to be an effective leader. The advice is sprinkled with stories from her own experience, and from other administrations. Her sense of humor is delightful. In a chapter entitle "Thy Staff Shall Comfort Thee" she write about selecting the Cabinet and staff. She says "Selecting a cabinet is exhilarating but also aggravating. It is impossible to avoid hurt feelings when choosing one large ego over another. As President Taft complained, 'Every time I make an appointment, I create nine enemies and one ingrate'." I particularly enjoyed the second section where she analyzes the foreign policy concerns in each region that the new president should consider. Here her deep knowledge of the history and relationships between the players becomes clear. I felt I had a much better understand of some of the regional dynamics, especially in the areas of North Korea and the political influence of Chavez in South America. This book is a great read for anyone who is interested in the current state of international relations. While it's a survey, she gets at the essence of the issues. If you already know a lot about a region, her analysis may help to put the details into focus, if you have only a limited understanding of a region, it will make you want to know more. Her focus in primarily on the question of "What next?" rather that how did we get to a point where so many countries are unhappy with the US. Clearly, she is no fan of Bush's foreign policy, but that does not dominate the book. A fun read on current state of US foreign policy, filled with realistic advice for the future.

My review is on the audio book. Audo is often a remarkably different experience from written books for me. Ms. Albright reads the book and is adept at this medium. Ms. Albright points out in reading the foreward how the book differs from an actual memo to the president elect which would be confidential. She is clearly providing her perspective in a manner accessible to a broad audience. As a huge number of people have trouble with basic world facts and history. Her presentation provides context for the relatively uninitiated so the information and views she is providing may broadly digested and understood. For people with more knowledge of politics and the world this may seem a unnecessary review of known facts and situations. This has been the point of some more negative reviews. For me these were a welcome presentation of familar territory through the eyes of Ms. Albright and helped set the mental stage for the common-sense and pithy observations and advise she provides throughout the text. Ms. Albright takes some hits in other reviews for pointing out how our current policies have hurt our standing internationally. It is my opinion those who cheer on the USA like a football team - we are number 1! - without examining and accepting the global realities will not like this book. For me her presentation was refreshing. Recognizing and giving voice to areas of decline can provide the hope and opprotunity to reverse the trend and lead to improvent. I hope the next president is wise enough to see and use her counsel. The experience and clarity will be invaluable to navigating the international mess we find ourselves left with. I am not sure this would be a "page turner" for me in the print edition, but it is certainly a "disk changer" in the audio edition. The audio version is unabridged with 8.5h of audio on 8 CD's! I feel Ms. Albright's reading of the text adds appreciably to the book.

Wise, vastly knowledgeable, witty. A refreshing conversation with one of the country's more successful diplomats, long experienced in world affairs. Albright's observations on meeting Kim Jong-il in North Korea is worth the price alone. Her character judgements of world leaders is fascinating, enlightening. No mere book can be the answer to all the world's dangers, but Albright suggests plenty of ways, intelligent and insightful, to avoid mistakes and hopefully lead the country out of the mess brought on by an extremely unpopular, inept administration.