A lot of people think international relations is like a game of chess. But it's not a game of chess, where people sit quietly, thinking out their strategy, taking their time between moves. It's more like a game of billiards, with a bunch of balls clustered together.

I think that the Middle East is the largest piece of unfinished business that we all have. I happen to believe in the democratization process.

I can't see democracy occurring by force - after an Iraqi war, because of the fallout from that.

The interesting part is, that being the United States Secretary of State, most places I went didn't have a problem with me being a woman, because I was representing the United States.

What's the point of having this superb military you're always talking about if we can't use it?

Women are more than 50% of almost every country in the world. Countries rob themselves of the resources of women if they keep them as property. It isn't that women can't find work. It's just that women don't get paid for their work and are not recognized properly. It's something that has to be on the international agenda all the time.

I have had fun being who I became, so to speak.