She was the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. She helped in shaping the Western foreign policy in the aftermath of the Cold War.
She also joined the National Security Council in the White House of President Jimmy Carter. She was named as US ambassador to the United Nations by Clinton in 1993 and served until 1997. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama in May 2012.