Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton: on Foreign Policy
Hillary Clinton:
Political restraint against Iran's Ahmadinejad was a mistake
Mrs. Clinton said the Obama administration's decision to offer a muted response to the political demonstrations that broke out against former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009 was a mistake:
"In retrospect, I'm not sure our restraint was the right choice.
It did not stop the regime from ruthlessly crushing the Green Movement, which was exceedingly painful to watch. More strident messages from the United States would probably not have prevented the
outcome and might even have hastened it, but there's no way of knowing now if we could have made a difference." (Page 423)
Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton
Jun 17, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
2011: we abandoned Egypt's Mubarak too readily
Mrs. Clinton argues the White House moved too quickly to pull U.S. support for former Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011:
"Like many other young people around the world, some of President Obama's aides in the White House were swept up in the drama and idealism of the moment as they watched the pictures from Tahrir Square on television.
I shared the feeling. It was a thrilling moment. But along with Vice President Biden, Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon,
I was concerned that we not be seen as pushing a longtime partner out the door, leaving Egypt, Israel, Jordan and the region to an uncertain, dangerous future. (Pages 339-340)
Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton
Jun 17, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
2012: Take a harder line with Russia's Putin
Clinton said she urged Obama to take a tougher line with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly before she left office in 2012: "With all this in mind, I suggested we set a new course. The reset had allowed us to pick off the low-hanging fruit in terms
of bilateral cooperation. And there was no need to blow up our collaboration on Iran or Afghanistan. But we should hit the pause button on new efforts. Don't appear too eager to work together. Don't flatter Putin with high-level attention." (Page 244)
Source: Wall Street Journal on Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton
Jun 17, 2014
Barack Obama:
2009: Chose Japan PM as first visitor to emphasize alliance
Japan was still one of the largest economies in the world and a key partner in responding to the global financial crisis. I chose Tokyo as my first destination to underscore that our new administration saw the alliance as a cornerstone of our strategy
in the region. President Obama would also welcome Prime Minister Taro Aso to Washington later that month, the first foreign leader to meet with him in the Oval Office.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 47-8
Jun 10, 2014
Bill Clinton:
2009: Rescue mission to North Korea to free 2 US journalists
How to help the imprisoned journalists? We heard that Kim Jong Il would let the women go only if he received a personal visit and request from a high-ranking US delegation. The North Koreans already had a particular visitor in mind: my husband, Bill.
It was a surprising request. Kim apparently had had a soft spot for my husband ever since Bill sent a condolence letter after the death of his father Kim Il-sung in 1994. And of course he also wanted the global attention that would come from a rescue
mission led by a former President.More than a few people in the White House argued against the trip. Most were simply reluctant to reward Kim's bad behavior with such a high-profile trip. I thought it was worth trying.
Although it was considered
a "private mission," Bill and the small team he would take along were well briefed before departing. After 20 hours on the ground in North Korea and a face-to-face meeting with Kim, he succeeded in winning the journalists' immediate release.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 55-6
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
2009: Chose Japan as first destination to emphasize alliance
I first visited Japan with Bill as part of a trade delegation from Arkansas during his governorship. The country then was an object of growing anxiety in the US. Japan's "Economic Miracle" came to symbolize deep-seated fears about US stagnation and
decline.In those days there were legitimate concerns about America's economic future. [But by our visit in] summer 1993, we could already see that America was regaining its economic strength. Japan, by contrast, faced a "Lost Decade" after its assets
and credit bubble burst, leaving banks and other businesses loaded down with bad debt. Its economy, once feared by Americans, slowed to an anemic pace--which caused a whole different set of concerns for them and us. Japan was still one of the largest
economies in the world and a key partner in responding to the global financial crisis. I chose Tokyo as my first destination to underscore that our new administration saw the alliance as a cornerstone of our strategy in the region.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 47-8
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Some world leaders are still misogynistic
At Ewha Woman's University in Seoul, South Korea, I saw how reaching out to young people was going to take me into territory beyond traditional foreign policy concerns. As I stepped onto the stage at Ewha, the audience erupted in cheers.
Then the young women lined up at the microphone to ask me some highly personal questions--respectfully, but eagerly."Is it difficult to deal with misogynistic leaders around the world?"
I responded that I would guess that many leaders choose to ignore the fact that they're dealing with a woman when they're dealing with me. But I try not to let them get away with that. (Nonetheless, it is an unfortunate reality that
women in public life still face an unfair double standard. Even leaders like former Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia have faced outrageous sexism, which shouldn't be tolerated in any country.)
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 50
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Get China involved with North Korea diplomacy
Many of North Korea's 25 million people live in abject poverty. Yet the regime devotes most of its limited resources to supporting its military, developing nuclear weapons, and antagonizing its neighbors.In my public remarks [in Feb. 2009] in Seoul
I extended an invitation to the North Koreans. If they would completely and verifiably eliminate their nuclear weapons program, we would be willing to normalize relations, and assist in meeting the economic and humanitarian needs of the
North Korean people. If not, the regime's isolation would continue. It was an opening gambit that was not one I thought likely to succeed. But we started off with the offer of engagement knowing it would be easier to get other nations to pressure North
Korea if and when the offer was rejected. It was particularly important for China, a longtime patron and protector of the regime in Pyongyang, to be part of a united international front. [The opening failed, as have numerous others since then].
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 53-4
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
China never fits neatly into category like friend or rival
The US-China relationship is still full of challenges. We are two large, complex nations with profoundly different histories, political systems, and outlooks, whose economies and futures have become deeply entwined.
This isn't a relationship that fits neatly into categories like friend or rival, and it may never. We are sailing in uncharted waters.
[In 1998], I came home from the trip convinced that if China over time embraces reform and modernization, it could become a constructive world power and an important partner for the US.
But it was not going to be easy, and America would have to be smart and vigilant in how we engaged this growing nation.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 65-6
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
China never fits neatly into category like friend or rival
The US-China relationship is still full of challenges. We are two large, complex nations with profoundly different histories, political systems, and outlooks, whose economies and futures have become deeply entwined. This isn't a relationship that fits
neatly into categories like friend or rival, and it may never. We are sailing in uncharted waters.[In my 1998 China trip as First Lady], I came home from the trip convinced that if China over time embraces reform and modernization, it could become a
constructive world power and an important partner for the US.
I returned to China as Secretary in February 2009 with the goal of building a relationship durable enough to weather the inevitable disputes and crises that would arise. I also wanted to
embed the China relationship in our broader Asia strategy, engaging Beijing in the region's multilateral institutions [based on] agreed-upon rules. [But] we would not sacrifice our values or our traditional allies in order to win better terms with China.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 65-7
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Embed China within broader Asia strategy
I returned to China as Secretary in February 2009 with the goal of building a relationship durable enough to weather the inevitable disputes and crises that would arise. I also wanted to embed the
China relationship in our broader Asia strategy, engaging Beijing in the region's multilateral institutions in ways that would encourage it to work with its neighbors according to agreed-upon rules. At the same time,
I wanted China to know that it was not the sole focus of our attention in Asia. We would not sacrifice our values or our traditional allies in order to win better terms with China. Despite its impressive economic growth and advances in military capacity,
it had not yet come close to surpassing the US as the most powerful nation in the Asia-Pacific. We were prepared to engage from a position of strength.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 66-7
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
1998: organized women's peace conference in Northern Ireland
In 1995, Bill became the 1st US President to visit Northern Ireland when he and I traveled to Belfast, and turned on the lights of Belfast's Christmas tree in front of a vast crowd. I returned to Northern Ireland nearly every year for the rest of the
decade and stayed actively involved as a Senator in the years that followed. In 1998 I helped organize the Vital Voices Conference of women in Belfast who were pressing for a peace agreement.
Their whispers of "Enough!" had become a rallying cry that could no longer be ignored. As I spoke from the podium, I looked up and saw Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, and other leaders of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army,
sitting in the front row of the balcony. Behind them I saw leading Unionists who refused to talk with Sinn Fein. The fact that they were both there--at a women's conference for peace--exemplified their openness to compromise.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p.224
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
2009: Northern Ireland shows any adversaries can make good
I urged Northern Ireland's leaders to continue disarmament by paramilitary groups and take the final steps of devolution, especially on putting the vital areas of policing and justice under the control of the Northern Irish government.Addressing a
full session of the Northern Ireland Assembly, I reminded them, "There have been many moments in Northern Ireland's peace journey when progress seemed difficult, when every route forward was blocked, and there seemed to be nowhere to go.
But you have always found a way to do what you believed was right for the people of Northern Ireland." Because of this perseverance, "Northern Ireland stands as an example to the world of how even the staunchest adversaries can overcome differences
to work together for the common and greater good. So I encourage you to move forward now with that same spirit of unstoppable grit and resolve. And I pledge that the US will be behind you all the way, as you work toward peace and stability that lasts."
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p.225
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Putin's annexing Crimea plays outdated zero-sum game
Putin's worldview is shaped by Russia's long-standing interest in controlling the nations on its borders, and his personal determination that his country never again appear weak or at the mercy of the West, as he believes it was after the collapse of the
Soviet Union. To achieve these goals, he seeks to reduce the influence of the US in areas that he considers part of Russia's sphere. All of that helps explain why Putin first pressured Ukraine to walk away from closer ties with the European Union in late
2013, and why Putin invaded and annexed Crimea. Putin sees geopolitics as a zero-sum game in which, if someone is winning, then someone else has to be losing. That's an outdated but still dangerous concept, one that requires the US to show both
strength and patience. To manage our relationship with the Russians, we should work with them on specific issues when possible, and rally other nations to work with us to prevent or limit their negative behavior when needed.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p.227-8
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Push Russia on press freedom; they've killed 20 journalists
Among the most egregious developments in the new Russia were the attacks on the press. Newspapers, TV stations, and bloggers faced intense pressure to toe the Kremlin line. Since 2000, Russia has been the 4th most dangerous place in the world to be a
journalist--not as bad as Iraq but worse than Somalia or Pakistan. Between 2000 and 2009 nearly 20 journalists were killed in Russia, and in only one case was the killer convicted.When I visited Moscow in 2009, I thought it important to speak out in
support of press freedoms and against the official campaign of intimidation. I met with journalists, lawyers, and other civil society leaders, including one activist who told me that he had been badly beaten by unidentified thugs. These Russians had seen
friends and colleagues harassed, intimidated, even killed, yet they went on working, writing, and speaking, refusing to be silenced. I assured them that the US would publicly and privately raise human rights concerns with the Russian government.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p.229
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Integrate with Latin America but focus on income inequality
[In 2009], economic inequality in Latin America was still among the worst in the world. I argued that a key challenge in the years ahead would be to make sure that the benefits of economic growth were broadly shared and that the region's democracies
delivered concrete results for their citizens. "Rather than defining economic progress simply by profit margins and GDP, our yardstick must be the quality of human lives," I suggested, so we should be measuring "whether families have enough food on the
table, whether young people have access to schooling, whether workers have safe conditions on the job."A number of Latin American countries, notably Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, had already found success in reducing inequality and lifting people out of
poverty. [Some successful policies include] "conditional cash transfer" programs; cooperation on energy and climate change; and on linking different national and regional electrical grids from northern Canada all the way down to the tip of Chile.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p.254-5
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Idealistic realism: embody hybrid rather than categorizing
[In the] running debate between so-called realists and idealists, the former place national security ahead of human rights, while the latter do the opposite. Those are categories that I find overly simplistic. No one should have any illusions about the
gravity of the security threats America faces, and as Secretary I had no higher responsibility than to protect our citizens and our country. But at the same time, upholding universal values and human rights is at the core of what it means to be American.
If we sacrifice those values or let our policies diverge too far from our ideals, our influence will wane.There are times when we do have to make difficult compromises. Our challenge is to be clear-eyed about the world as it is while never losing
sight of the world as we want it to become. That's why I don't mind that I've been called both an idealist & a realist over the years. I prefer being considered a hybrid, perhaps an idealistic realist. Because I, like our country, embody both tendencies.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p.566
Jun 10, 2014
Richard Nixon:
1972 China trip: "The week that changed the world"
Like many Americans, my first real look at China came in 1972, when President Richard Nixon made his historic trip across the Pacific. We tuned in every night to watch scenes of a country that had been blocked from view for our entire lives.
I was riveted and proud of what America accomplished during what President Nixon called "the week that changed the world."
Looking back, it's clear that both sides had taken enormous risks. They were venturing into the unknown, during the height of the Cold War no less.
There could have been serious political consequences at home for leaders on both sides for appearing weak or, in our case, "soft on Communism." But the men who negotiated the trip calculated that the potential benefits outweighed the risks.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, p. 65
Jun 10, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Russian reset: Pushed Obama to keep Putin at a distance
Clinton writes about the memo she sent Obama in her final days at State on how to handle Russia going forward. "The reset had allowed us to pick off the low-hanging fruit in terms of bilateral cooperation. And there was no need to blow up our
collaboration on Iran or Afghanistan. But we should hit the pause button on new efforts. Don't appear too eager to work together. Don't flatter [Russian president Vladimir] Putin with high-level attention. Decline his invitation for a presidential-level
summit in Moscow in September."This was months before Obama ultimately turned away from meeting with Putin, as Russia harbored NSA leaker Snowden. But by including this memo, she reminds readers that Clinton--who became the face of the Russian
reset as the top spokesperson for the Obama administration--was more hawkish on Putin than others in the administration.
It's helpful to her at a time when Republicans have been lambasting her over Russian's aggression against Ukraine.
Source: Politico.com on Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton
Jun 7, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Arab Spring: Egyptian uprising had destabilizing impact
Clinton writes that one of her envoys who she sent to deal with then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak displeased the White House when he said publicly that Mubarak should remain in power to "oversee a transition." Clinton was not among Obama advisers
who wanted to side with the uprising instantly, and saw a potentially destabilizing impact if Mubarak left immediately."The President called me to express his unhappiness about the 'mixed messages' we were sending," she
writes. "That's a diplomatic way of saying he took me to the woodshed."
There are some other instances throughout the book in which Clinton was in a different place than Obama,
but this is the one of the only times in which she describes the president as genuinely unhappy with something that the State Department did.
Source: Politico.com on Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton
Jun 7, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
End the Cuban embargo; that will shift onus to Castros
Hillary Clinton says she has urged President Obama to lift the US embargo against Cuba, arguing the policy has hurt citizens of both nations. "Since 1960, the United States had maintained an embargo against the island in hopes of squeezing
Castro from power, but it only succeeded in giving him a foil to blame for Cuba's economic woes," Clinton writes in an excerpt from her new book.Clinton said she told Obama the embargo "wasn't achieving its goals" and "was holding back our broader
agenda across Latin America."
"I thought we should shift the onus onto the Castros to explain why they remained undemocratic and abusive," Clinton writes. But President Obama ultimately decided to maintain the economic restrictions, she said.
In 2011, the White House said it would allow students seeking academic credit and churches making religious trips to visit the island. Additionally, the administration expanded the number of US airports permitted to offer charter service to the island.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, A.P. pre-release excerpts
Jun 6, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Eastern Europe in NATO keeps Putin from moving beyond Crimea
In the wake of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in early 2014, some have argued that NATO expansion either caused or exacerbated Russia's aggression. I disagree with that argument, but the most convincing voices refuting it are those
European leaders and people who express their gratitude for NATO membership.[Those making that argument] should ponder how much more serious the crisis would be--and how much more difficult it would be--to contain further
Russian aggression if Eastern and Central European nations were not now NATO allies. The NATO door should remain open, and we should be clear and tough-minded in dealing with Russia.
If Putin is restrained and doesn't push beyond
Crimea into eastern Ukraine it will not be because he has lost his appetite for more power, territory and influence.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, CBS pre-release excerpts
Jun 6, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Smart power: combine civil society & traditional diplomacy
I approached my work with confidence in our country's enduring strengths and purpose, and humility about how much remains beyond our knowledge and control. I worked to reorient American foreign policy around what I call "smart power."
To succeed in the 21st century, we need to integrate the traditional tools of foreign policy--diplomacy, development assistance, and military force--while also tapping the energy and ideas of the private sector and empowering citizens,
especially the activists, organizers, and problem solvers we call civil society, to meet their own challenges and shape their own futures.
We have to use all of America's strengths to build a world with more partners and fewer adversaries, more shared responsibility and fewer conflicts, more good jobs and less poverty, more broadly based prosperity with less damage to our environment.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, pre-release excerpts
May 25, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Does US still have what it takes to lead? Yes!
I wrote this book to honor the exceptional diplomats and development experts whom I had the honor of leading as America's 67th Secretary of State. I wrote it for anyone anywhere who wonders whether the United States still has what it takes to lead.
For me, the answer is a resounding "Yes." Talk of America's decline has become commonplace, but my faith in our future has never been greater. While there are few problems in today's world that the US can solve alone, there are even fewer that can be
solved without the US. Everything that I have done and seen has convinced me that America remains the "indispensable nation." I am just as convinced, however, that our leadership is not a birthright. It must be earned by every generation.And it will
be--so long as we stay true to our values and remember that, before we are Republicans or Democrats, liberals or conservatives, or any of the other labels that divide us as often as define us, we are Americans, all with a personal stake in our country.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, pre-release excerpts
May 25, 2014
Hillary Clinton:
Distinguish inherited problems from new ones & opportunities
As Secretary of State I thought of our choices and challenges in three categories: The problems we inherited, including two wars and a global financial crisis; the new, often unexpected events and emerging threats, from the shifting sands of the Middle
East to the turbulent waters of the Pacific to the uncharted terrain of cyberspace; and the opportunities presented by an increasingly networked world that could help lay the foundation for American prosperity and leadership in the 21st century.
Source: Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, pre-release excerpts
May 25, 2014
Page last updated: Jun 17, 2015