Im in london with the global view. In a few days President Trump will unveil his new National Security strategy. And who better to speak about that than Madeline Albright. Americas former u. N. Ambassador and first female secretary of state. There is a special relationship between america and brit fiain. America is missing from the Climate Change summit. 50 World Leaders there, President Trump is not. How does that impact American Leadership. Albright says this question gets more pressing with each passing day and she joins me from washington to talk about it. Secretary albright welcome to the program. Good to be with you. Can i ask you what you make of u. S. Leadership today . I am asking because right now in paris, president macron seems to be relishing taking the lead. He has a Climate Summit going on the only country not there is the United States. All the other World Leaders are there. I believe we need to be in the lead. So for President Trump to have been really pulled, that he pulled out of this, its sts stu. And president macron is doing what he need to do. Now we see the chinese are trying to take the lead on Climate Change. I think, generally to your question, i so believe in American Leadership and partnership. And it is, i think very distressing to see the United States absent in so many ways because i dont think the world works if the u. S. Is not engaged properly. And so i am very troubled by our absence at the moment. And others being able to fill the vacuum. Can you assure americans who maybe doubtful that the deal doesnt harm them . Should they think that it does . Well i think it does harm thatell are not a part of a Major International agreement. Generally, i have to say, i am troubled by the fact that President Trump seems to feel that we are constantly the victims. That we have been taken advantage of. That, the world is making fun of us. I dont think that is something that makes america great. Or america first. It puts us on the back foot. There seems to be a crisis in the current state department. Rex tillerson seems to be undermined at every corner by President Trump. And also his dip lo dip low mdig fired, given early retirement, the latest, a woman wrote a letter, he has no leadership. He should walk out the door if he is not prepared to lead. Whats the danger . If the state department is about Diplomatic Solutions and we the military arrayed around President Trump is there a danger with that . Well i have been appalled in terms of what is happening with the state department. Fi first the budget pro pose e pro willing to cut 30 off the state Department Budget which wasnt very large in the first place. That in fact it is the military, secretary mattis talking about the fact that if the state department doesnt function he has to buy more ammunition. The Defense Department is the most protective of the state department. Even more than the secretary of state. Who when he went up to capitol hill and the members of congress wanted to give him more money said he didnt need it. I have never heard of anything like that in my life. I do think that there is a way of, of that this administration is treating diplomacy. And i am appalled by that. And the fact that President Trump seems to believe heave is the only when who counts. So i think it hurts america to, to be undermining the state department. And, and ive teach at georgetown. I know that there are a lot of students there who are preparing themselves for a life in enternatiinternational relat. A lot wonder if they should take the Foreign Service exam. Not only are we hurting the current diplomatic service. We are undercutting a pipeline of people that could represent america in the future. So i think it is appalling. I hope that something changes on this because we are weakening ourselves. What truly bothers me is President Trump is weakening america. And as a proud and grateful american, it, it its very depressing to see what is going on. The secretary of state has been talking to agencies employees today. And basically said diplomacy is really slow work, but gave a whole list of all the great stuff that they had done. What is your reaction to that . Well i heard that he was having a townhall. And that there was no press. So we have to figure out what he its really saying. I do think that diplomacy is not something that kind of is fireworks and all kind of things. You have to do work slowly, but you actually do need people to do it. You were the first United States official to meet with president putin when he first ka came on the stage. When he first became leader of russia. What immediate impression did you form . And what do you make of the fact that he too like the chinese is stepping all over americas traditional patch. Say in the middle east. In syria and in those areas right now. The first time i met president putin was at a meeting in asia. And he was very kind of small and and unclear who he was and what, tried very hard to ingratiate himself with everybody. When i want to prepare for a summit. It was very clear that he had begun to feel how much power he could have. He is very smart. There is no question about that. He was very well prepared. He did not have talking points and he took notes. And he was very determined. Then when i went there with president clinton, again, very clear, that he is smart, and dedicated to the cause. I think as one studies him and i have is i think we cant forget who he is. He is a kgb officer. He is very well trained. And he has identified himself with a lot of russians who felt that they had lost their kind of stature in the world after the end of the cold war. And he is very tactical in terms of what he has done and he plays a weak hand very well. And i think that what he, we have seen in him, in the last 48 hours, its is him taking a victory tour around the miffedle east. Having been kind of let into the process of being a partner in dealing with syria and he is going to take advantage, every time again that we move back, he fills the vacuum. You say take advantage. That was a democratic administration. That was president obama who allowed vladamir putin into that particular patch. Well i think there was an issue in terms of dealing with the chemical aspect of what, what bashir alassad was doing. I do think he has taken advantage of that. I happened to have a different view at the time. Ive really do think it is important to understand that the russians have wanted to have influence in the middle east forever. And, that they have regained it. For a number of different reasons. But partially, i am very worried about what they have done in terms of weaponizing information. They have put incredible pressure, not only on the United States, through information jiggling. They are also trying to do all kind of things in central and Eastern Europe and in the baltics. And they are using information to contain democracy. They want to undermine our system and we are dealing with somebody that knows how to deal with propaganda. Let me ask you it is not just the chemicals. You know very well at the u. N. General assembly during the Obama Administration when vladamir putin announced to the world that he was going to get involved militarily in syria. And he was allowed to do that. More to the point do you think in retrospect, president obama should have called putin out publicly. And actually taken action against him, instead of telling him to cut it out. When he knew, or was getting intelligence, that putin was involved in precisely what you are talking about. The information wars, interference in the American Democratic system. That was the chance to stop it at the source. I think that president obama was trying very hard not to make it a huge political issue. And i think that they handled that very well. What i am concerned about in a different way is i do think, no president comes in with a clean slate. And president obama was elected because of the the the American People were tired with the wars in the middle east. And that, that was not for us to be doing. And the iraq war was a mistake. And so, i think some of the points in terms of the russians getting involved in, in initially in syria. And us trying to get out has a lot to do with why president obama was elected. I was disappointed in some, in many ways, in terms of, not doing more initially about what the russians were doing in ukraine. And there was careful analysis. Every administration from knowledge take is a step that they happen to believe is, is why they were elected. Its what bothers me at the moment is in fact that, that the question its how is how, what i overall strategy . Some of the actions by the Trump Administration are basically ad hoc and we dont know what the overall strategy is. Those of us that study this are waiting for the National Security strategy to come out, to see, what, what President Trump really does think he needs to accomplish. Why we dont know more about who i is carrying it out. How the policy works. We have been operating one step at a time during the first year and thats been complicated and hurtful to the power of the United States and to securing what the American People need. So now i want to shift lenses slightly, shift gears. The me too movement it has swept the world really, right now. And, it is having all sort of domino effect. You very famously said, you know that there is a special place in hell for women who dont help other women. And you were lambasted for that during the last round of primary elections. Do you feel vindicated today . I do believe women need to help each other. By the way everybody is picking up this idea about a special place in hell. The bottom line is, everybody that is being damned to hell it will be crowded they need to turn the heat up very quickly. I do think that what is happening is that women do need to support women. That i really think the me too movement is a very important one. And where the women are speaking and are being supported by other women, and by some men, in terms of trying to figure out what this power game is about. What is happening. And we cannot stop now. I think that it is, an essential aspect, now of looking at what is happening and not only our society but others also. And by the way, so many women in, in the developing world, various places are treated terribly. We cant forget about that. That this isnt just about american women but also about women everywhere that are being raped, or thrown out of windows or, or suffering in some way or another. Actually, you know one way to make perfect sense of all of this for, for the whole population including men, is to make it a part of dollars and cents. More women in the work place. More gender equity. Actually raises every countrys gdp. I want to ask you, you have been at the table for a long time. Often as the only woman. What was it like . Did you ever feel you had to keep quiet to, you know go along to get along . What was it like . How did you finally find your voice . I think part of what happened with me is it took me a long time to get credentials together. I didnt have a fulltime job until i was 39 years old. I had gone to get my graduate degree and taken care of my children and done an awful lot of volunteer work. So i really was ten years older than everybody. And i was the only woman in the room. And so the kinds of things against me were probably more subtle, although equally, you know, they were irritating. In terms of being told that i was too emotional when i spoke out that we had to do something about bosnia. Or, sitting around with them while they told most disgusting dirty joke stories and trying not to act like a prude. And just being embarrassed. I fortunately was not harassed with the kind of things we are reading about now. Not easy to be the only woman in the room. One of the reasons that i made my statement initially about a special place in hell is that we need to help to get more than one woman in the room. Get more women elected. Because it is very important to have that kind of a support system. And know that the men, when, i mean, i am sure that so many of your viewers know if you are the only woman you think you are going to Say Something in a meeting. Then you think well this will sound stupid. Then some man says it and everybody thinks it is brilliant. You are mad at yourself. Because the men say, you know, as the joe said. I need to be in a meeting and say as cristiane said. A support system. We need to help each other. What is that pin you are wearing . Always ask you, you have some reason for wearing the pin or your lapel. What is that one . This is the colors for the suffragettes, as my suffragette pin. This is the time to stand up so we cannot only vote, but par tis patriot and be respected and, and n participate and be respected and thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you, good luck. We are all waiting for the new National Security strategy to be unveiled. As the i mentioned earlier. We eare going to dig deeper int russia now. As we discussed, president vladamir putin coming off a victory lap, through syria, egypt and turkey. Further evidence of russias strategic prominence in the region. Even as demonstrators there burn american flags, protesting, President Trumps unilateral recognition of jerusalem as israels capital. So, how does russia consistently outplay the United States . If it does . Despite holding a weak hand . Jewel gentlem julia joffe has the detailed exploration of the question in atlantic magazine her article its what putin really wants. She is joining me now from washington. Julia joffe, welcome to the program. Thank you for having me. So the first question its what does putin really want. You are on the spot now . Well, basically he wants what most dictators want. Stay in power a week, a year. He wants to not die at the end of an angry mob, the way his friend Moammar Gadhafi did. Pretty much everything he does is informed by this hunger to survive to keep the regime, the country to gegether for another year. Another two years. And to avoid, you know, state collapse, which, which, he saw firsthand in 1991. So, julia, you were born, i think in russia. You have done an enormous amount of work on this subject. I am stunned to hear you call the head of what was a global super power, a tin pot dictator. Assume you meant that. You meant it. Well, he its, here is the thing. He is smarter. He has a bigger country. More strategic country. A country with more nuclear weapons. More resources. And, with, with, history of being a global sucher pow es. When you look inside russia, it is rusted through. Not that much better than it was in the late soviet period. The economy is stagnant. And for the last five years, it was shrinking. So this is an improvement to go to stagnation. The institutions of state of government are completely personalized and beholden to him. The courts, the police, the the army, the secret services, the the political political even the opposition Political Parties are, are on his payroll. So, the reason i called, tin pot dictator its that, these guys are all very similar. And i think he he identifies with them. And in this way. Because the once theyre afraid of going and that, you know after them comes the flood that the whole thing falls apart it is personalized. That way he is similar. And he does identify with people like Saddam Hussein, moammar ka gadhafi, and al assad. We are told he wants to aindividuavoid that fate. So does kim jongun. Let me ask you, because in your, new article in the atlantic, you say, several things. That, americas strategic carelessness with regard to russia has stoked putins fears. Pushes him to hypigher levels o antagonism. You say he does have sort of a, kind of a, i dont know about paranoid, some kind of Conspiracy Theory complex about russia. Yes. So i think that the american the americans, like the russians, assume that the rest of the world is just look them. And that everybody understand their aims. So, americans cant understand how cynical russians are, how deeply cynical people in power are. Every day russians are. And russians cant understand how idealistic americans are. So when americans say, no, no, no. We are trying to spread democracy. We want the countries to develop. We want you to develop. Wantup to be a democratic country it is better for you. They think that its all a fig leaf, for regime change. They saw it, they think what happened in 2003 with the u. S. Ousting Saddam Hussein in iraq. That that its exactly what happened in the arab spring. That thats what happened in georgia in 2003 in the ukraine in 2004. 2014. And in 2005. He just doesnt buy this rhetoric of democracy promotion. And spreading our val usues, wh is why putin and trump have an ideological sinner geynergy. Thats music to put spins eain. The former soviet states arrayed around russia right now. I want to pick of on a similar synergy. I also wondered whether you picked out for instance what Madeline Albright said. President trumps constant lament that america is being outsmarted around the world, that america is being laughed at. Ptd p do you see a similar mind set between the two . Thats an excellent point. I think putin is obsessed with humiliation and with avoiding it at all costs. I think that one of the, you know, this its minds far smarter than mine have described the moment when he is in dresden, east germany and the berlin wall is falling. Protesters outside the kgb residence, he doesnt know what to do with the protesters. He calls mols cow, moscow, is silent. He is shoveling sensitive documents into a furnace in dresden. To him it was a moment, not just of state collapse, which is tragic for him. Because he is such a status. But also of humiliation. Profound personal humiliation. National humiliation. That is all tied up with the idea of state of preventing its collapse. You are right. See yourself as victims. Countries as victims. All of it its to, to, kind of deflect that feeling. And to make people think that actually, theyre stronger than they are. Its extraordinary, the two most strong countries in the world, including china. Let me just take that a little further. I want to play devils advocate here. Obviously you talk, you have written something that we do know. That, putin is often said in 2007, a world order controlled by a single country has nothing in common with democracy. And he notes, the current order was both unacceptable and ineffective. He didnt like the fact that the u. S. Was now the only super power. But, dont you think he is actually been very successful, in marshaling the rest of the world, which also has a problem with america being the dominant force. Including, under president bush, and now under President Trump, you know he is suddenly become the sort of savior of the, of the, of the worlds outside americas influence. I dont know that he has become the savior of it. I dont think. The standard bearer. I would say the chinese are more the standard bearers of that. They actually have a kind of infrastructure, and an idea you can rally around. And theyre in, in these places, building things. Developing things. Where as the the russians are more they, theyre doing this at a more rhetorical level. Rhetorical and tactical. They havent been able to exhibit the kind of organizational Strategic Vision that, that is necessary for that. And they keep bouncing from one, one action and its blow back to the next. What is next from putin now that they have been banned . It is unprecedented ban of a country from the Winter Olympics because of this doping scandal. The Winter Olympics are really russian olympics. The russians went into syria and in part to bring themselves in from the cold, from the isolation from the western world. Which was brought on their head after they invaded ukraine. Then they found themselves again in the out house because of their interference in the, american elections, the french elections, german elections, the dutch elections, and, and, now theyre in the out house again, or sorry in the doghouse again with, with, with, the olympic ban. And putin up for reelection in march. Government poll numbers are starting to sag. Needs to be a rally around the flag, something. The fear is among russia watchers, he has Something Else up his sleeve. The kremlin wants 70 Election Results for him. Julia joffe. Fear is he will lash out. Well be watching to see what the lashout looks like. Thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you. Final note. New york senator, Kirsten Gillibrand was my guest on last nights show. She told me the allegations of Sexual Misconduct against President Trump are credible and numerous. He should resign. Then trump tweeted this in response. Lightweight senator Kirsten Gillibrand, total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office begging for Campaign Contributions not so long ago and would do anything for them is now in the ring fighting against trump. Very disroyal to bill, crooked, used. This is how gillibrand replied to that. You cannot silence me or the millions of women who have gotten off the sidelines to speak out about the unfitness and shame that you have brought to the oval office. Thats it for our program tonight. Thank you for watching amanpour on pbs. Join us again tomorrow night. Today, on americas test kitchen. 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