'Steel Lady' in waiting?

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Feb 3, 1997 | by Martin Sieff

Russia outwardly has welcomed Madeleine Albright as the next U.S. secretary of state, but Moscow media close to the Kremlin have warned that her appointment could lead to a new era of confrontation.

American diplomats and officials say Albright enjoys excellent personal relations with her Russian colleagues. In late December, she met President Boris Yeltsin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ryurikov, and sources in both countries say their session was friendly and constructive.

But some Russian politicians fear the Moscow media criticisms reflect widespread concern in the Russian Foreign Ministry about Albright's confrontational style, her Central European heritage and her emphasis on human rights.

* The NTV television network, which during the past year has acted as an unofficial but tightly controlled mouthpiece for Yeltsin, has characterized her appointment as a sign of the growing power of "anti-Russian forces" in Washington.

* The newspaper Sevodnya, owned by immensely powerful banking interests close to Yeltsin, says her appointment "creates colossal problems" for Russia's foreign ministry.

* The pro-reform newspaper Izvestiya has editorialized that Albright's Czech origin leaves her "inclined toward confrontation" with Russia.

* The Communist newspaper Pravda-5 has called Albright the "steel lady" and compared her to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, known as the "Iron Lady."

"While the Russian foreign ministry officially responds positively to Albright's appointment as secretary of state, unofficial commentators have taken a more negative view," says J. Michael Waller of the American Foreign Policy Council. "These papers reflect the government view so regularly that one can usually divine official views from their supposedly unofficial commentaries."

Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom, believes that some Russian concern about Albright is inevitable. "It would be strange if the Russians were not a little nervous at the change," Simes says. "Taking into account their intense dependence on good relations with the United States today, they are always nervous when there are changes" in the foreign-policy leadership. Albright's reputation precedes her, explains Simes. Her strong commitment to an assertive role for America in world affairs and her tough posture on issues naturally would worry the Kremlin.

Russian sources also express concern about Albright's prior work with Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter's national security adviser. Brzezinski has been caricatured by Russian Communists and nationalists as a confrontational hard-liner. But Albright's Americans supporters emphasize that her views are her own and that her record on issues clarifies this point. They also note she enjoyed excellent relations with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, while serving as ambassador to the United Nations.

Widespread speculation that Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott may step down rather than continue under Albright has added fuel to the fire, say Russian political sources. Talbott masterminded U.S. policy toward Russia during the first Clinton term and won praise from American oil executives for championing their interests in energy-rich Central Asia, as well as from Central and Eastern European diplomats for strongly supporting NATO expansion during the last two years.

But he also has been viewed in Moscow as sympathetic and understanding toward Russia's problems and needs. If he steps down, the move could be interpreted as a tilt away from strategic cooperation, sources say.