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Hillary pledges 'smart power'
Source: Agencies |
January 14, 2009, Wednesday
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SECRETARY of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed yesterday to renew United States leadership through a "smart power" mix of diplomacy and defense.
Addressing her Senate confirmation hearing, Clinton also promised to push for stronger US alliances around the globe.
"We must build a world with more partners and fewer adversaries," said the woman President-elect Barack Obama took for his administration's leading diplomatic job.
"America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own," Clinton said, "and the world cannot solve them without America."
Borrowing a phrase meant to signal a move away from the militarization of US foreign policy, Clinton said: "We must use what has been called 'smart power,' the full range of tools at our disposal," she said. "With 'smart power,' diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy."
She credited Secretary of Defense Robert Gates with stimulating debate about the role of diplomacy and other civilian institutions' roles in fighting the global war on terror, endorsing his call for providing the State Department with more resources and a bigger budget.
She assured the committee that, if confirmed, the State Department "will be firing on all cylinders" - applying pressure when needed and looking for opportunities to advancing US interests.
Clinton, with daughter Chelsea in attendance, appeared set to sail smoothly through her hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, despite concerns among some politicians that the global fund-raising of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, could pose ethical conflicts for her.
Senator John Kerry, a Democrat and committee chairman, said he welcomed Clinton's nomination, calling her "extraordinarily capable and smart."
In his opening remarks, Senator Richard Lugar, the panel's top Republican, praised Clinton, calling her "the epitome of a big leaguer."
But he raised questions about Bill Clinton's fund-raising work and its relation to her wife's new post.
"The Clinton Foundation exists as a temptation for any foreign entity or government that believes it could curry favor through a donation," he said.
Addressing her Senate confirmation hearing, Clinton also promised to push for stronger US alliances around the globe.
"We must build a world with more partners and fewer adversaries," said the woman President-elect Barack Obama took for his administration's leading diplomatic job.
"America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own," Clinton said, "and the world cannot solve them without America."
Borrowing a phrase meant to signal a move away from the militarization of US foreign policy, Clinton said: "We must use what has been called 'smart power,' the full range of tools at our disposal," she said. "With 'smart power,' diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy."
She credited Secretary of Defense Robert Gates with stimulating debate about the role of diplomacy and other civilian institutions' roles in fighting the global war on terror, endorsing his call for providing the State Department with more resources and a bigger budget.
She assured the committee that, if confirmed, the State Department "will be firing on all cylinders" - applying pressure when needed and looking for opportunities to advancing US interests.
Clinton, with daughter Chelsea in attendance, appeared set to sail smoothly through her hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, despite concerns among some politicians that the global fund-raising of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, could pose ethical conflicts for her.
Senator John Kerry, a Democrat and committee chairman, said he welcomed Clinton's nomination, calling her "extraordinarily capable and smart."
In his opening remarks, Senator Richard Lugar, the panel's top Republican, praised Clinton, calling her "the epitome of a big leaguer."
But he raised questions about Bill Clinton's fund-raising work and its relation to her wife's new post.
"The Clinton Foundation exists as a temptation for any foreign entity or government that believes it could curry favor through a donation," he said.
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