This remarkable statement was made by then Secretary of State Designate Madeleine K. Albright, during her confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 8, 1997. But this didn't stop Ms. Albright from making this statement, which was perhaps the most remarkable thing of all and the most American. We are a people who specialize in declaring what we are going to do, even when we don't know how we're going to do it. As the magician David Copperfield says, the first step in making the impossible happen is to imagine that it is possible. One thing that a bold vision does is demonstrate true leadership.
People rally around bold visions.
As the new millennium approaches, it's time for a bold vision for the post-Cold War world. Ms. Albright said that we must be the authors of our history. Here's one way the United States can do that - by rallying the world's nations to the cause of fulfilling one of humanity's fondest dreams. The economist Hazel Henderson's book, Building a Win-Win World, already addresses this concept from one perspective. Here's my profession's perspective.