Drs. Albright and Gambari–a dynamic duo, to say the least.

First-year staff writer Mia Lindheimer jumped at the chance to attend Madeleine Albright’s “Governing the Crisis of Global Governance” panel at Columbia this week. Here are her musings from the vantage point of the Low Library Rotunda’s first row.

Jittery with excitement, we had rushed over to Low Library at 8:30am. “We’re just so lucky to go here; like, how did we get this crazy opportunity?” my hallmate Rose asked me. I nodded my head in agreement; whether it was our first year awe or the fact that we were about to listen to the first woman Secretary of State, I was pretty damn excited.

Yet half an hour after finding our seats, Low Library’s Rotunda was still oddly empty. I was in the first row behind the reserved seats, and half the seats behind me remained unclaimed, despite the email I had received beforehand warning me the event was oversubscribed.

Eventually, with seats still untaken, a hush fell over the room. As a slightly frightening voice came out of nowhere to request we to silence our cell phones, the procession of panelists arrived on stage.

The panel, “Governing the Crisis of Global Governance,” featured five speakers, each bringing something unique to this conversation on the United Nations Commission on Global Security, Justice, and Governance. Dr. Madeleine Albright of course brought her background as Secretary of State, US representative to the UN, and extensive knowledge of the Commission, as well as a little bit of fame factor. Dr. Matthes Buhbe, former director of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Geneva Office, offered insight into the specifics of putting the Commission’s ideas into action. Professor of professional practices at SIPA and fellow commissioner Dr. José Antonio Ocampo provided a link between Columbia and the commission, while former Foreign Minister of Nigeria Dr. Ibrahim A. Gambari introduced the perspective of a nation actually facing the with the issues the Commission is intended to address. Finally, Columbia professor and director of the Global Policy Initiative Michael Doyle carried the Commission back to student interest, recommending it at one point as a “gold mine for potential paper topics”.

Although PrezBo rambled through an introduction, which flew over the heads in the audience, the true start of the event was marked by Dr. Albright’s grin as she turned to Dr. Gambari and raised joined hands with him. PrezoBo’s voice faded at last, and Provost John Coatsworth stepped in to moderate. Dr. Albright exclaimed she was “delighted to be back at Columbia,” even though it took an inordinate amount of time to get her PhD (to the point where her kids told her “Mom, if you can’t finish your paper, we can’t finish ours”).

As Provost Coatsworth focused on questions very specific to the topic, I began to understand why attendance was so limited; the answers to many questions, though apt and thorough, required solid background knowledge of the UN and perhaps even some familiarity with the Commission itself.

However, the occasional comment offered an uneducated listener such as myself a peek into the ideas behind the Commission. I was able to understand that it highlighted the hyperconnected global economy, and recently proposed several sets of reform. Driving their decisions is the perception that much of the UN is a “rich countries’ club”, even though less wealthy countries have all the more reason to need a say in decisions impacting the global economy.

Ultimately, the panel seemed to hope the Commission would further unite the international community through their reforms to the structure of the United Nations and the effective implementation of global justice, since, as Dr. Albright reminded us, “clearly, there cannot be security without justice.” Dr. Gambari backed her up, adding that our global community “must not only aim to protect…we must have a commitment to rebuild,” especially in fragile nations. He reminded us that this commission is only beginning its work, whereas other commissions failed simply because their publication marked the end of their efforts. Dr. Albright considers the Commission to be an “ongoing work”. She believes our society needs a better understanding of the UN, which was why she was so delighted to see some young faces (Does that mean me?? Did she see my bright, shining, “I was up till 2:00am last night” face?) eager to learn about this monumental commission.

While the conversation as a whole was often difficult to follow, the overall message was remarkably clear: civil society in a global context is necessary for the success of both resolutions from commissions such as this one and the countries they specifically involve. Answering a student’s question, Dr. Albright passionately left us with a hopeful remark: “We are all the same. People everywhere around the want to make decisions about their own lives. While democracy is complicated, I don’t think there’s a place that isn’t ready.” Though not everyone understands the political jargon used in the Commission on Global Security, Justice, and Governance, I walked away with the fundamentals: we must keep our eyes and ears out for the needs of the world, and use our access to a thriving civil society to instigate real action.

Drs. Albright and Gambari via Mia Lindheimer