Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs

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Hillary Clinton announced her presidential run on April 12, 2015.[1]



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Hillary Clinton
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The overview of the issue below was current as of the 2016 election.
In polls conducted during the 2016 campaign, voters ranked foreign affairs as a less important campaign issue than the economy, jobs, healthcare, terrorism, and immigration.[2] Nevertheless, a number of serious continuing and developing foreign policy challenges were discussed throughout the election: the continuing threat of ISIS, North Korea's missile testing, U.S.-China relations, Iran, and Russian aggression.[3]

Read below what Hillary Clinton and the 2016 Democratic Platform said about foreign affairs below.

Democratic Party Clinton on foreign affairs

  • Hillary Clinton delivered a speech focused on American exceptionalism at the American Legion national convention in Ohio on August 31, 2016. She said, “When we say America is exceptional, it doesn't mean that people from other places don't feel deep national pride just like we do. It means that we recognize America's unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity. … And it’s not just that we have the greatest military or that our economy is larger than any on Earth. It’s also the strength of our values, the strength of the American people. Everyone who works harder, dreams bigger and never, ever stops trying to make our country and the world a better place. And part of what makes America an exceptional nation, is that we are also an indispensable nation. In fact, we are the indispensable nation.”[4]
  • Clinton approved of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and rebel group FARC on August 25, 2016. "As president, I'll ensure that the United States remains their partner in that process. The people of Colombia deserve nothing less. And the safety and security of our hemisphere and world will be strengthened by Colombia's success,” she said in a statement.[5]
  • In August 2016, the Associated Press published a profile of Clinton's handling of U.S.-Russia relations while secretary of state, chronicling her success in pushing for a nuclear arms control treaty and missteps with Syria. “Russia outmaneuvered her in negotiations over a complicated Syria peace plan, dealing her what was arguably her worst diplomatic defeat. While Clinton hailed it as a triumph, the war only escalated. And while her aides still insist she came out on top, the blueprint effectively gave Syria's Moscow-backed president, Bashar Assad, a veto over any transition government, hampering all mediation efforts still,” the Associated Press reported.[6]
  • Commenting on the attempted coup in Turkey on the night of July 15, 2016, Clinton released the following statement: “I am following the fast-moving developments in Turkey tonight with great concern. We should all urge calm and respect for laws, institutions, and basic human rights and freedoms — and support for the democratically elected civilian government. All parties should work to avoid further violence and bloodshed, and the safety of American citizens and diplomatic missions must be ensured.”[7]
  • Following a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague finding that China had no legal basis for claiming rights to certain parts of the South China Sea, Clinton released the following statement on July 12, 2016: “It is important that all claimants abide by this ruling and continue to pursue peaceful, multilateral means to resolve disputes among them. U.S. leadership – building on the Obama administration's pivot to Asia – will be key in supporting our partners and allies in these efforts."[8]
  • Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the ninth Democratic debate on April 14, 2016, Clinton said, “I negotiated the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in November of 2012. I did it in concert with...President Abbas of the Palestinian authority based in Ramallah, I did it with the then Muslim Brotherhood President, Morsi, based in Cairo, working closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli cabinet. I can tell you right now I have been there with Israeli officials going back more than 25 years that they do not seek this kind of attacks. They do not invite the rockets raining down on their towns and villages. They do not believe that there should be a constant incitement by Hamas aided and abetted by Iran against Israel. And, so when it came time after they had taken the incoming rockets, taken the assaults and ambushes on their soldiers and they called and told me, I was in Cambodia, that they were getting ready to have to invade Gaza again because they couldn’t find anybody to talk to tell them to stop it, I flew all night, I got there, I negotiated that. So, I don’t know how you run a country when you are under constant threat, terrorist tact [sic], rockets coming at you. You have a right to defend yourself. … That does not mean — that does not mean that you don’t take appropriate precautions. And, I understand that there’s always second guessing anytime there is a war. It also does not mean that we should not continue to do everything we can to try to reach a two-state solution, which would give the Palestinians the rights and… The rights and the autonomy that they deserve. And, let me say this, if Yasser Arafat had agreed with my husband at Camp David in the Late 1990s to the offer then Prime Minister Barat put on the table, we would have had a Palestinian state for 15 years.”[9]
  • During the ninth Democratic debate on April 14, 2016, Clinton was asked about the United States’ involvement with NATO. She said, “I support our continuing involvement in NATO. And it is important to ask for our NATO allies to pay more of the cost. There is a requirement that they should be doing so, and I believe that needs to be enforced. But there’s a larger question here. NATO has been the most successful military alliance in probably human history. It has bound together across the Atlantic countries that are democracies, that have many of the same values and interests, and now we need to modernize it and move it into the 21st century to serve as that head of our defense operations in Europe when it comes to terrorism and other threats that we face. So... yes, of course they should be paying more, but that doesn’t mean if they don’t we leave, because I don’t think that’s in America’s interests. … I will stay in NATO. I will stay in NATO, and we will continue to look for missions and other kinds of programs that they will support. Remember, NATO was with us in Afghanistan. Most of the member countries also lost soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan. They came to our rallying defense after 9/11. That meant a lot. And, yes, we have to work out the financial aspects of it, but let’s not forget what’s really happening. With Russia being more aggressive, making all kinds of intimidating moves toward the Baltic countries, we’ve seen what they’ve done in Eastern Ukraine, we know how they want to rewrite the map of Europe, it is not in our interests. Think of how much it would cost if Russia’s aggression were not deterred because NATO was there on the front lines making it clear they could not move forward.”[9]
  • During an interview on April 10, 2016, Clinton told CNN's Jake Tapper that she supported “Israel’s right to self-defense” and believed that “Hamas provokes Israel.” [10]
  • Clinton delivered a wide-ranging speech on counterterrorism at Stanford University on March 23, 2016. Discussing ground strategy in the Middle East, Clinton said, “It would be a serious mistake to stumble into another costly ground war in the Middle East. If we’ve learned anything from Iraq and Afghanistan it’s that people and nations have to secure their own communities.” On the topic of carpet-bombing, she said, "It would also be a serious mistake to begin carpet-bombing populated areas into oblivion. Proposing that doesn't make you sound tough. It makes you sound like you are in over your head. Slogans aren't a strategy. Loose cannons tend to misfire.” Clinton also talked about European alliances. She said, "On 9/11, NATO treated an attack against one as an attack against all. Now it is our turn to stand with Europe. We cherish the same values and face the same adversaries so we must share the same determination." Clinton also mentioned Trump’s foreign policy. She said, “If Mr. Trump gets his way, it will be like Christmas in the Kremlin.”[11][12]
  • At the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference on March 21, 2016, Clinton expressed her support for a two-state solution, saying, “It may be difficult to imagine progress in this current climate when many Israelis doubt that a willing and capable partner for peace even exists. But inaction cannot be an option. Israelis deserve a secure homeland for the Jewish people. Palestinians should be able to govern themselves in their own state, in peace and dignity. And only a negotiated two-state agreement can survive those outcomes.” She also commented on U.S.-Israeli relations, saying, “Indeed, at a time of unprecedented chaos and conflict in the region, America needs an Israel strong enough to deter and defend against its enemies, strong enough to work with us to tackle shared challenges and strong enough to take bold steps in the pursuit of peace. That’s why I believe we must take our alliance to the next level. I hope a new 10-year defense memorandum of understanding is concluded as soon as possible to meet Israel’s security needs far into the future. That will also send a clear message to Israel’s enemies that the United States and Israel stand together united.”[13]
  • Clinton wrote an op-ed in The Jewish Journal on January 6, 2016, to promote the importance of stronger U.S.-Israel relations. She stated that “the United States and Israel need to work together to address three converging trends: the rise of ISIS and the struggle against radical jihadism, Iran’s increasingly aggressive regional ambitions, and the growing effort around the world to isolate and delegitimize Israel.” She also advocated for the end of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.[14]
  • In an op-ed Clinton wrote for Forward on November 4, 2015, she discussed how she would handle relations between the United States and Israel. Clinton wrote, “As president I will never stop working to advance the goal of two states for two peoples living in peace, security and dignity. I will do everything I can to enhance our strategic partnership and strengthen America’s security commitment to Israel, ensuring that it always has the qualitative military edge to defend itself. That includes immediately dispatching a delegation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to meet with senior Israeli commanders. I would also invite the Israeli prime minister to the White House in my first month in office.”[15]
  • Clinton tweeted on September 27, 2015, that Chinese President Xi Jinping was “shameless” for “hosting a meeting on women’s rights at the UN while persecuting feminists” in his country.[16]
  • On September 20, 2015, Clinton said the United States should increase sanctions against Russia if it aided Hezbollah in Syria.[17]
  • In response to the global refugee crisis across Europe resulting from the spread of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Clinton said in September 2015, “There should be an emergency global gathering where the U.N. literally tries to get commitments. I obviously want the United States to do our part.” In an interview later that month, Clinton called for the United States to take in 65,000 refugees rather than 10,000 and to develop "the mechanisms for vetting" them.[17][18]
  • In a July 2, 2015, letter to Israeli-American businessman Haim Saban, Clinton expressed her opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel. She added, "I am also very concerned by attempts to compare Israel to South African apartheid. Israel is a vibrant democracy in a region dominated by autocracy, and it faces existential threats to its survival. Particularly at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world—especially in Europe—we need to repudiate forceful efforts to malign and undermine Israel and the Jewish people."[19]
  • In July 2014, after Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down, Clinton advocated tougher sanctions on Russia and more U.S. support for Ukrainians. She said, "One, toughen their (Russia's) own sanctions. Make it very clear there has to be a price to pay. Number two, immediately accelerate efforts and announce they are doing so to find alternatives to Gazprom. And thirdly, do more in concert with us to support the Ukrainians. There has to be more help on their borders in order to prevent this porous border allowing Russians to go back and forth, insurgents to do the same."[20]
  • Wall Street Journal reporter Michael O'Hanlon praised Clinton's approach to dealing with China in her actions as secretary of state and in her book Hard Choices. He wrote, "There is a firmness in Hillary Clinton’s thinking about China that provides a good guide to policy and that is less well articulated by the current Obama team. She makes issues easy to understand. The clarity of her thinking, respect for China and awareness of how assertive it can be—and the stakes for the U.S.–bode well for how she would handle Beijing as president."[21]
  • In a November 2001 op-ed, Clinton wrote, "President and Mrs. Bush have properly highlighted the mistreatment of Afghan women by the Taliban and insist that women play a role in Afghanistan's future. We can help in Congress by completing our work on legislation to provide educational and health care assistance to Afghan women and children and promote the training of women to aid in the development of democracy and a civil society."[22]
  • In 2000, Clinton supported maintaining the embargo against Cuba.[23] She later changed her mind. According to The Washington Times, Clinton "wrote that near the end of her tenure, she recommended that Mr. Obama take another look at the U.S. embargo against Cuba." Clinton also praised Obama's willingness to work with Cuba. She said, “Despite good intentions, our decades-long policy of isolation has only strengthened the Castro regime’s grip on power. As I have said, the best way to bring change to Cuba is to expose its people to the values, information and material comforts of the outside world.”[24]
  • In 1999, Clinton advocated for declaring Jerusalem the "indivisible eternal capital of Israel."[25] In 2011, Clinton reversed her position and filed a brief with the Supreme Court, which opposed the U.S. recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. According to The New York Sun, "Mrs. Clinton’s brief alleges that any American action that 'symbolically or concretely' signals it recognizes Jerusalem being in Israel would 'critically compromise the ability of the United States to work with Israelis, Palestinians and others in the region to further the peace process.' The brief contends that American policy is to remain neutral over all sovereignty issues, leaving them to negotiations, and that the U.S. thus 'does not recognize Palestinian claims to current sovereignty' in the West Bank or Gaza either."[26]

Recent news

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Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs - Google News

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ CNN, "Hillary Clinton launches second presidential bid," April 12, 2015
  2. ↑ PollingReport.com, "Problems and Priorities," accessed September 13, 2016
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WSJ
  4. ↑ Time, "Read Hillary Clinton’s Speech Touting ‘American Exceptionalism’," August 31, 2016
  5. ↑ Yahoo, "Democrat Clinton vows to support Colombia-FARC peace deal," August 25, 2016
  6. ↑ Associated Press, "Putin's return to power ended Clinton's 'Moscow Spring,'" August 8, 2016
  7. ↑ The Hill, "Clinton urges support for Turkish government amid coup effort," July 15, 2016
  8. ↑ Reuters, "U.S. urges all countries to adhere to South China Sea ruling," July 12, 2016
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 The New York Times, "Transcript: Democratic Presidential Debate in Brooklyn," April 15, 2016
  10. ↑ CNN, "Clinton: I will have the delegates required to win," April 10, 2016
  11. ↑ Dan Merica, CNN, "Clinton: Trump win would be like Christmas for the Kremlin," March 23, 2016
  12. ↑ The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Dismisses Rivals for 'Reckless Actions' in Foreign Policy," March 23, 2016
  13. ↑ The Washington Post, "Hillary Clinton gets to Donald Trump’s right on Israel," March 21, 2016
  14. ↑ The Jewish Journal, "Hillary Clinton: Taking the U.S.-Israel relationship to the next level," January 6, 2016
  15. ↑ Forward, "How I Would Reaffirm Unbreakable Bond With Israel — and Benjamin Netanyahu," November 4, 2015
  16. ↑ The Washington Post, "Hillary Clinton called Xi’s speech ‘shameless,’ and the Web went wild," September 28, 2015
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 The Huffington Post, "Hillary Clinton Calls On United States To Accept 65,000 Syrian Refugees," September 20, 2015
  18. ↑ The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Says U.S. Should Lead Effort to Help Syrian Migrants," September 9, 2015
  19. ↑ Salon, "Hillary joins the chorus against BDS: On Israel, she aligns herself with the right, and people like Sheldon Adelson," July 8, 2015
  20. ↑ Telegraph, “Hillary Clinton: Europe should toughen sanctions on Russia after MH17 crash," July 18, 2014
  21. ↑ Wall Street Journal, “A Closer Look at Hillary Clinton’s Approach to China," July 28, 2014
  22. ↑ Time, “New Hope For Afghanistan's Women," November 24, 2001
  23. ↑ Council on Foreign Relations, “The Candidates on Cuba Policy," July 17, 2008
  24. ↑ Washington Times, "Hillary Clinton supports Obama on Cuba," accessed January 29, 2015
  25. ↑ The New York Sun, “Clinton Reminds Voters Of Commitment to Israel," September 17, 2007
  26. ↑ NY Sun, “Clinton, in a Sharp Turnaround, Warns Against Even Symbolically Recognizing Jerusalem as Capital of Israel," September 27, 2011
  27. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  28. ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 24, 2016
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