NJ: In your latest book, Memo To The President-Elect, you write that John F. Kennedy was a hero to people all over the world. How do you think the global perception of Obama compares to that of JFK?

Albright: I thought about this a lot. John Kennedy kind of built up his reputation. People didn't know much about him when he became president, internationally, and in fact some of his early international activities were not received well -- the Bay of Pigs and then his meeting with [Nikita] Khrushchev in Vienna -- and so it was something that was built.

What has happened with Obama is that because of his very unique story and his approach and personality, people around the world already began to like him. And frankly, the contrast with President Bush was so very clear that there also then was a sense that he would be a very terrific president. And the sign of that was the crowds in Berlin, for instance. So he comes onto the international stage with already a huge reputation, whereas Kennedy -- it was something that evolved.

NJ: What parts of the world will be most difficult for Obama to work with and garner support from?

Albright: Ultimately he is going to have to figure out how to deal with China and Russia, and to some extent the Europeans. I think he is not going to be able to assume that people will make it easy for him, because other countries have their national interests, too. You can't expect that we all have the same national interests. And I think he is, and will have to continue to be, realistic about the fact that there are issues on which we will not agree.

He clearly has to deal with what's going on in Pakistan, and Iran, and North Korea and the Middle East, and the issues in Africa, and questions about what's happening in Latin America. So every part of the world, in some form or another, will make its voice heard....

I was just involved in a debate with the former French foreign minister [Hubert Vedrine], and he said, "You have to remember that diplomacy was invented so that you could talk to people you don't like." So I think that's one of the reasons that [Obama] and Secretary [Hillary Rodham] Clinton are going to be emphasizing diplomacy -- because they know that they're going to have to get support from parts of the world that won't automatically say, "Gee, you're terrific and we'll do everything you want us to do."

NJ: How does re-engaging in the world specifically help our mission in Afghanistan?

Albright: The whole issue of Afghanistan, Pakistan, the whole region, is a very, very difficult one, and one that initially was undertaken as a response to the attack on the U.S. on 9/11. Then the Bush administration got diverted and went to Iraq, and Afghanistan was put on the back burner. But it was supported by the U.N. and by NATO. I think that what is going to happen now, according to what I've heard, is that the U.S. will add troops but also that there will be more asked of the NATO allies and also internationally in terms of reconstruction in Afghanistan, in order to show that this is not just an American issue, but it has a lot to do with NATO and how it operates and the United Nations and various aspects of the international community.

NJ: What do you foresee as Obama's biggest foreign policy challenge?

Albright: Well, it's hard, I have to tell you, because there are some very, very serious issues out there, and I sometimes say it's kind of like, "what's the worst place in the world today?" I do think that Pakistan has everything that gives you an international migraine. I mean, it has nuclear weapons, extremism, poverty, corruption and a very weak government in a very, very difficult area. I think that's a tough one. I think Iran is difficult. I think the Middle East is difficult.

President Obama is the kind of person that will be able to deal with these very difficult issues. And he knows they're difficult. My sense in my discussions with him is that he's going into this with very, very open eyes, no rose-colored glasses, just very determined to put America back where it belongs, which is in a leadership place with a respect for other countries.