The Last Word: Madeleine Albright; Unintended consequences.(Interview)

Byline: Zvika Krieger

You wouldn't be alone if you thought the world was spinning out of control: war in Lebanon, North Korean missile launches, Iran's nuclear program, Iraq's civil war and real disagreements among world leaders at the G8. As secretary of State under Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright handled variations on many of these issues. Now serving as cochair of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, she spoke to NEWSWEEK's Zvika Krieger to give her take on events--and yes, it's as bad as she's ever seen it. Excerpts:

KRIEGER: First off, what do you think of the hostilities between Israel and Lebanon?

ALBRIGHT: It is very serious and I am very worried. While not everything is the United States' fault, our lack of attention to many of the issues in the Middle East, except for Iraq, has not helped the situ-ation. I am very worried about the interaction of all these different aspects, of spreading violence in the Middle East.

Do you see an Iranian role in this? Flexing their muscles in the region with Hizbullah?

I hope I'm wrong, but I am afraid that Iraq is going to turn out to be the greatest disaster in American foreign policy--worse than Vietnam, not in the number who died, but in terms of its unintended consequences and its reverberation throughout the region. I would say that Iran has gained a great deal out of the war in Iraq in terms of influence, particularly its ability to manipulate various other forces in the Middle East. Clearly, Hizbullah is a group that has been funded through some contributions by Iran. Also, Syria and Iran share a feeling that they've been isolated or squeezed out of any discussions in the Middle East, and are finding solace in each other. There is no question that this is a time when Iran is showing where it can have certain influences.

This all comes when the Bush administration's attitude toward foreign policy seems to be changing.