Secretary Clinton will be giving a speech on Middle East policy at 8 p.m. this evening at the Brookings Institution here in D.C. The speech will be part of the forum on "U.S.-Israeli Relations: Facing Hard Choices," to be put on by the think tank's Saban Center for Middle East Policy.

The State Department's news release states that the fourm "will focus on the critical decisions that American and Israeli leaders will confront in the coming year to move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward, as well as deal with Iran's nuclear challenge."

Sadly, the Middle East peace process is deadlocked, though Clinton met with chief Israeli negotiator Yitzhak Molho yesterday to get "a perspective on the Israeli side of how to move forward," according to State Department spokesman Philip Crowley.

It'll be interesting to see what she says after this rough week for the peace process.

Update, Dec. 14, 2010, 4:40 p.m.: The video of Clinton's speech is below. Overall, it was a lot of the bland same-old, same-old. Clinton used the word "unwavering" twice to describe the United States' commitment to Israel. She reiterated that the United States "[does] not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity." Nothing new.

•9:00 a.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with Chief Israeli Negotiator Yitzhak Molho, at the Department of State.

See: "Clinton meets Israeli pointman on Mideast deadlock"

•10:00 a.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with the Assistant Secretaries of the Regional Bureaus, at the Department of State.

•10:30 a.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with Save the Children Board Chair Anne Mulcahy, at the Department of State.

•11:00 a.m.  Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Albanian Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto, at the Department of State:

Remarks and video are here.

•1:00 p.m.  Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Henry Odein Ajumogobia, at the Department of State:

Remarks are here.

•3:00 p.m.  Secretary Clinton delivers remarks at the 2010 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Mid-Year Conference, at the Department of State.

Remarks are here.

•5:00 p.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with the Department of State's Employee Affinity Groups, at the Department of State.

Secretary Clinton was a surprise speaker at the TEDWomen conference in D.C. yesterday. I haven't seen a transcript of her talk yet, but according to the @TEDWomen Twitter feed she said, "Give women equal rights, and an entire nation is more stable, more secure." Here are a couple of other Clinton-related tweets from @TEDWomen:

• Hillary Clinton: Women's issues are a vital interest of the US. It is a security issue, a prosperity issue, a peace issue
• In reviewing a key US defense & diplomacy policy, Hillary Clinton made sure women were represented throughout

Update, Dec. 14, 2010, 5:31 p.m.: Click here for an amusing anecdote Clinton told about how a cow can change a girl's life.

To mark "International Anti-Corruption Day" on Dec. 9, Secretary Clinton released a statement yesterday in which she said, "Corruption stunts economic growth, damages confidence in democracy, and fosters a culture of graft and impunity that undermines the ability to operate in our interconnected world. Every country has a role to play as we work to advance our collective anticorruption agenda and institutionalize the highest standards of transparency."

The complete statement:

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I join with our partners around the world to recognize December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day. As we continue our common fight against corruption and recommit ourselves to the work ahead, we also recognize the significant achievements of the past year.

Last month, G20 Leaders adopted a landmark Anti-Corruption Action Plan to promote an open, rules-based environment worldwide. Implementing this plan will require cooperative efforts among our G20 partners, the private sector, and civil society organizations. The participation of emerging G20 economies is particularly important as they lay the foundation for generations of sustainable growth and prosperity.

The United States has made unprecedented strides over the past year to enforce our anticorruption laws and ensure our companies do not practice bribery or unfair practices in countries where they operate. This year, the States Parties of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) also launched a process to review implementation of the treaty. The United States is proud to be among the first nations to undergo a peer review, and we look forward to working with our partners in the UNCAC process to translate this global commitment to root out corruption from promise to practice.

Corruption stunts economic growth, damages confidence in democracy, and fosters a culture of graft and impunity that undermines the ability to operate in our interconnected world. Every country has a role to play as we work to advance our collective anticorruption agenda and institutionalize the highest standards of transparency. Together, we can ensure the integrity of our markets, improve our government institutions, and increase opportunity and prosperity for all our citizens.

Secretary Clinton has most likely just finished speaking (she was scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m.) at the TEDWomen conference here in D.C., where according to the @TEDWomen Twitter feed, she said, "Give women equal rights, and an entire nation is more stable, more secure."

In recognition all the varying degress of challenges that women and girls across the world face, here are a few recent links pertaining to the subject:

•"Ending child marriage helps communities across the developing world" (Washington Post op-ed by Desmond Tutu and Mary Robinon)

•"'Second Shift' Pressure High on Indian Working Women" (Wall Street Journal)

•"Poll Shows Support for Afghan Women's Rights - But What Comes Next?" (Huffington Post)

•"Pakistan woman recounts ordeal under Taliban" (Associated Press)

•"Bruni gives hope to pregnant women with HIV" (Hindustan Times)

•"Iran president, clerics battle over women's sports" (Associated Press, on Washington Post website)

Secretary Clinton today expressed her sadness over the death of Elizabeth Edwards, a health-care advocate who supported her politician husband John Edwards in two attempts at the U.S. presidency. In a statement alluding to Edwards's death after a multiyear battle with cancer, Clinton described her as "a passionate advocate for building a more humane and just society, for reforming our health care system, and for finding a cure for cancer once and for all." Clinton also stated, "She made her mark on America, and she will not be forgotten."

The complete statement is below:

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Elizabeth Edwards. America has lost a passionate advocate for building a more humane and just society, for reforming our health care system, and for finding a cure for cancer once and for all. But the Edwards family and her legion of friends have lost so much more -- a loving mother, constant guardian, and wise counselor. Our thoughts are with the Edwards family at this time, and with all those people across the country who met Elizabeth over the years and found an instant friend--someone who shared their experiences and offered empathy, understanding and hope. She made her mark on America, and she will not be forgotten.

Secretary Clinton is meeting both individually and jointly with the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers today to devise a strategy to deal with increasingly hostile North Korea, which late last month killed two South Korean soldiers and two South Korean civilians in the first attack on a civilian area of South Korea since the end of the Korean War.

At the beginning of the trilateral meeting, Clinton said:

This is a landmark trilateral meeting between three strong partners. This meeting takes place at a time of grave concern in Northeast Asia amid the provocative attacks from North Korea.

She also requested a moment of silence for the victims of the shelling (see the video below starting at 1:11.)

(It remains to be seen whether a cable about the bilateral and trilateral meetings will be WikiLeaked.)

Update, 5:28 p.m., Dec. 6, 2010: The original photo was updated to a similar one, but of higher resolution.

Secretary Clinton had some fun Saturday night, hosting a reception for the five recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, including Oprah and Paul McCartney. In her speech, the secretary of state even joked about WikiLeaks. After saying how extraordinary it was to meet such a breadth of talented artists, she said:

I am writing a cable about it, which I'm sure you'll find soon on your closest website.

In the photo above, Clinton poses with, from top left going clockwise: Michael M. Kaiser, president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; singer and songwriter Merle Haggard; dancer, choreographer, and director Bill T. Jones; songwriter and musician Paul McCartney; David M. Rubenstein, chairman of the Kennedy Center; George Stevens Jr., creator of the Kennedy Center Honors; producer, television host, and actress Oprah Winfrey; and composer and lyricist Jerry Herman.