On 24 May 2021 the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) hosted the third SIPRI Lecture. The lecture, which was held virtually, was delivered by HE Dr Madeleine Albright and focused on the theme of ‘Democracy in a Post-Covid World’.

Dr Albright is well known for her lifelong career of public service. From 1993 to 1997, Dr Albright served as the United States’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations and gained a reputation as a champion of international cooperation, the democratic process and the rule of law. From 1997 until 2001, she was US secretary of state. She was the first woman to hold that post and, at that time, was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the US Government. Since leaving government service, she has become a noted public scholar and lecturer. Her 2018 book, Fascism: A Warning, was an eloquent, timely and solidly grounded examination of a monster that, despite everything, has not been destroyed.

In her lecture, Dr Albright highlights ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftershocks have transformed the world. We are entering a new period. It will involve change and it may be painful. The pandemic has reminded us that global challenges need effective joint action. It is only through sustaining peace and democratic freedoms that the growing divisions between states can be bridged. Looking back at the period after the end of the cold war, Dr Albright sees opportunities to build democracy and enhance freedom that were not fully grasped. She argues that the onus is on the world’s established democracies to lead by example and put democratic values at the centre of any post-pandemic strategy to create a more secure, stable, healthy and prosperous global environment.

Dr Albright’s lecture was followed by a panel discussion involving a number of distinguished participants, including HE Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden; HE Ann Linde, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden; HE Margot Wallström, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden; and Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board. 

On behalf of SIPRI, I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr Albright for her thought-provoking address. It was a memorable occasion and provided many useful insights and recommendations for the international community.