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Hillary Clinton on Iraq and Foreign Policy
"I believe in coercive diplomacy. I think that you try to figure out how to move bad actors in a direction that you prefer in order to avoid more dire consequences."
We believe in fighting terror and other threats to our security by cooperating with others whenever we can and acting alone only when we are forced to. Republicans believe just the reverse -- in acting alone whenever they can, and cooperating only when there is no alternative. So for five and a half years, they have controlled the White House and the Congress, and they have succeeded in concentrating wealth and power, in resisting accountability, in ignoring evidence, and going it alone in the world.
Annual 2006 Take Back America Conference Jun 14, 2006
Q: What about American troops in Darfur? CLINTON: I agree completely that what we need to do is start acting instead of talking. That means accelerating the UN peacekeeping forces along with the African Union. It means moving more quickly on divestment and sanctions on the Sudanese government, including trying to use the diplomacy to get China involved. And, finally, it does mean a no-fly zone. We can do it in a way that doesn't endanger humanitarian relief. Q: How about American troops on the ground? CLINTON: I think NATO has to be there with the no-fly zone, and I think that only the US can provide the logistical support and the air lift to make a no-fly zone and the actual delivery of humanitarian aid work. Q: Does that mean no American ground troops? CLINTON: American ground troops I don't think belong in Darfur at this time. I think we need to focus on the UN peacekeeping troops and the African Union troops.
2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC Jul 23, 2007
"I want to see full fledged diplomatic engagement, I want to see aggressive diplomacy with Iran. For two years I have been saying talk to Iran."
Q: Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba & N.Korea? CLINTON: I will not promise to meet with the leaders of these countries during my first year. I will promise a very vigorous diplomatic effort but not a high level meeting before you know what the intentions are. I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes. But I certainly agree that we need to get back to diplomacy, which has been turned into a bad word by this administration. I will use a lot of high-level presidential envoys to test the waters, to feel the way. But certainly, we're not going to just have our president meet with Fidel Castro & Hugo Chavez & the president of North Korea, Iran & Syria until we know better what the way forward would be.
2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC Jul 23, 2007
Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Richardson on Wednesday urged the Bush administration to continue a dialogue with Iran as the U.S. tries to thwart the country's pursuit of nuclear weapons. Associated Press Newswires 06/27/2007
Though her advocacy (NYT) for Palestinian statehood in the 1990s drew criticism from American Jewish groups at the time, Sen. Clinton (D-NY) generally has aligned herself with pro-Israeli interests throughout her political career. In a February 2007 speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Clinton said Hamas, which took control of the Palestinian Authority in January 2006 and formed a coalition government with Fatah in February 2007, should not be recognized "until it renounces violence and terror and recognizes Israel's right to exist." Clinton also supports Israel's "security wall," which divides Israel from the West Bank with the declared purpose of preventing terrorist attacks. Clinton cosponsored the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006. She also sponsored a Senate resolution in 2007 "calling for the immediate and unconditional release of soldiers of Israel held captive by Hamas and Hezbollah." That resolution was approved. Since taking office in 2000, she has regularly supported military and financial aid packages to Israel.
Hillary Clinton said she would oppose lifting the embargo against Cuba until democracy took root there.
Dean Murphy, NY Times Oct 20, 2000
And while aligning herself with her husband on many issues, she called for a broader foreign policy mandate that, for instance, considers disease fighting a national security issue and deems the rights of women a priority. "I think it has become increasingly clear that our efforts to ensure democracy and human rights cannot be considered marginal but are indeed central to our foreign policy objectives this century," Mrs. Clinton said. Taking out a more internationalist position than many of her fellow Democrats, Clinton called for expanding the definition of American interests beyond the loss of American lives and the protection of American dollars to include such things as women’s and human rights, environmental protection and the spread of deadly diseases.
Dean Murphy, NY Times Oct 20, 2000
"I will immediately work with the UN and the humanitarian programs to try to have in place resources to be able to help those who might be victimized [after US troops leave Iraq]."
My first observation is simple but it must govern all that we do: The United Nations is an indispensable organization to all of us - despite its flaws and inefficiencies. This means quite simply, that everyone here today, and governments everywhere, must decide that our global interests are best served by strengthening the U.N., by reforming it, by cleaning up its obvious bureaucratic and managerial shortcomings, and by improving its responsiveness to crises, from humanitarian to political. My second point is equally simple, but directed primarily at my own nation: The U.S. benefits from a stronger, more effective U.N.
I do not want to commit to an exact figure, because I just do not feel comfortable doing that. But I will commit to you that I will certainly reduce our arsenal. I am also strongly against their efforts to have a new generation of nuclear weapons.
"I've been very clear in saying that I will begin to withdraw troops in 60 days. I believe that it will take me one to two brigades a month, depending on how many troops we have there, and that nearly all of them should be out within a year."
"we are going to being withdrawing our troops at a rate about 1-2 combat brigades per month."
We need to begin moving our troops out, and we have to do it carefully and responsibly. Moving troops out cannot happen without careful planning, which is why I've been pushing the Pentagon to make sure they're actually planning because they've been resistant to doing so.
2007 Democratic primary debate on "This Week" Aug 19, 2007
Since the election of 2006, the Democrats have tried repeatedly to win Republican support with a simple proposition that we need to set a timeline to begin bringing our troops home now. I happen to agree that there is no military solution, and the Iraqis refuse to pursue the political solutions. In fact, I asked the Pentagon a simple question: Have you prepared for withdrawing our troops? In response, I got a letter accusing me of being unpatriotic; that I shouldn't be asking questions.
2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC Jul 23, 2007
I introduced legislation called "Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act." Under it, we would begin re-deployment of our troops out of Iraq in 90 days. I have been pushing this plan for almost two years.
Virtual Town Hall on Iraq, sponsored by MoveOn.org Apr 10, 2007
Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008
US Policy in Iraq Resolution; Bill S.J.Res.9 ; vote number 2007-075 on Mar 15, 2007
Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007
Kerry Amendment to National Defense Authorization Act; Bill S.Amdt. 4442 to S. 2766 ; vote number 2006-181 on Jun 22, 2006
"[T]he president...has more troops in Iraq than ever and the Iraqi government is more fractured and ineffective than ever."
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the increase in U.S. troops in Iraq over the last year has "not accomplished its goals" in a speech this morning touting her plans to end the war in Iraq and criticizing the war positions of President Bush, John McCain and Barack Obama. "By the middle of this summer, when the additional surge forces have been sent home, we'll be right back at square one: 130,000 or more troops on the ground in Iraq," Clinton said...
It appears general, that the strategy being put forth here inspires skepticism for good reason...This escalation, despite the rhetoric about other goals, places primary emphasis on American military involvement not Iraqi institutions...I among others on this committee have put forwards ideas about disapproving the escalation, not because we in any way embrace failure or defeat, but because we are trying to get the attention of our government and the government of Iraq.
Clinton opposed Bush's plan in January 2007 to temporarily boost U.S. troop levels in Iraq to combat sectarian violence and give Iraqis more time to achieve independence.
Sen. Clinton takes a similar approach and promises to begin withdrawing combat troops within 60 days of assuming the presidency. Lee Feinstein, the Clinton campaign's national security director, says "the principal focus" of the remaining U.S. forces will be fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq. U.S. forces would no longer patrol Iraqi streets and towns or seek to prevent sectarian strife between Shiites and Sunnis, or between Arabs and Kurds, he said. "Our troops will not be there to patrol a civil war," Mr. Feinstein said. Mr. Feinstein declined to say how many troops Sen. Clinton wanted to leave in Iraq, but said that they would be there "in sufficient numbers to carry out the more limited set of missions."
We do not plan a permanent occupation or permanent bases, but there may be a continuing mission to protect America's vital interests, and to support an Iraqi government that we hope to be an ally going forward, assuming they are acting responsibly.
Virtual Town Hall on Iraq, sponsored by MoveOn.org Apr 10, 2007
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton foresees a "remaining military as well as political mission" in Iraq, and says that if elected president, she would keep a reduced military force there to fight Al Qaeda, deter Iranian aggression, protect the Kurds and possibly support the Iraqi military.
Here is senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in December 2003: "Now that we're [in Iraq], we have no choice. We own this issue. There is no doubt that we're going to be there for years,"