WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright compared credit unions to a popular academy-award winning movie star during her keynote address Tuesday at CUNA's Governmental Affairs Conference here.
"To my mind, credit unions are like the Tom Hanks of the banking world," Albright quipped. "They're likable, everywhere and not misbehaving in the 'Wolf of Wall Street.' I am a fan."
Before delivering her keynote, which focused on managing in a world of change, Albright said she was chatting with CUNA President Bill Cheney backstage about the global scope of the CU community.
About four years ago, Albright was traveling through Kenya and was touring the biggest slum in Nairobi. She said vendors from the various stands came up to her to let her know they had formed their own credit union.
"We all put money in, and we trust each other, so we figure out who needs what," Albright recalled one of the vendors telling her at the time.
And that, she noted, is a great example of the international reach of the credit union community.
Turning to other topics, she noted that "Given what's happening across the globe, we have a lot to talk about."
Comparing international relations to a game of pool rather than chess, Albright identified three forces — which she calls "mega trends" — that could profoundly impact the world.
The first is globalization.
"We are as interdependent as never before," she said. "Trouble can spread far beyond its original force." Albright pointed to the recent political upheaval in the Ukraine, which began over a trade dispute with Europe and is now resulting in unpredictable consequences in U.S and Russian foreign relations.
She also noted that polio is re-emerging in Afghanistan because the Taliban is refusing to let international aid agencies distribute much-needed vaccines.
The second megatrend has to do with information technology.
"Technology has transformed the way we live, work and communicate," Albright noted. "In many ways that's been a wonderful thing for some in the world because it can help a farmer in rural Africa get a fair price for his crops."
But technology also allows the world's poor to see what the rich have. "It's apparent to everyone that people are starving in one country while diet books are best sellers in others," she said.
And that can make some regions of the world more vulnerable to radicals and extremists, according to Albright.
Finally, she pointed to the rise of power of non-state actors, such as non-governmental organizations, multi-nationals and groups like credit unions that can make their own decisions and help shape the international terrain.
The Coca-Cola Co. operates in more than 200 countries, Albright noted. "The international system has not yet adjusted to these agents of change."
In many places it seems like the social contract is broken, she added, if it ever existed in the first place.
"But even as people lose faith in their governments, they're not sure where they can place their trust," Albright said.
How to people get from Egypt's Tahir Square to responsible government is a major challenge, she said, noting, "You cannot simply tweet your way to democracy, civility and peace."
