Albright's central metaphor was 'pathfinder' — the United States not as the world's policeman but as the nation 'able to show the way when others cannot.' She had traced the arc from Marshall's time to her own: after World War I, America withdrew, and 'the result in the heart of Europe was the rise of great evil.' After World War II, the Marshall generation 'was determined to build a lasting peace.' Now, in 1997, the challenge was different — 'no single galvanizing threat' but 'dangers less visible and more diverse: some as old as ethnic conflict, some as new as letter bombs, some as subtle as climate change, and some as deadly as nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands.' The 'pathfinder' role demanded not domination but example and partnership: 'America cannot do the job alone. We can point the way and find the path, but others must be willing to come along.'