American Secretaries of State: Condoleeza Rice

The 66th Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was appointed by President George W. Bush and served from January 26, 2005 – January 20, 2009. Dr. Rice was interviewed for the American Secretaries of State Project in February 2016 during which she noted, “I once told President Bush, ‘you know, if you change a comma in a statement on the Middle East, you’ve changed U.S. policy.’ In diplomacy, it’s about the words and making sure you can live with the words.” This focus on precision was prevalent in one of Dr. Rice’s most successful negotiations—the October 2008 signing of the U.S.-India Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, allowing civil nuclear trade between the two countries.