Diplomacy

In a recent Time magazine article, journalist Joe Klein lists three qualities that could make Clinton "a memorable Secretary of State":

1. "She brings a vision of departmental reform -- the need to elevate foreign aid programs to the same status and rigorous scrutiny as diplomacy -- that could change striped pants into chinos in the developing world."

2. She is also the first elected politician to hold the office since Edmund Muskie briefly did during the Carter Administration, which has enabled her to better understand and interact with the politicians who run places like Afghanistan and Pakistan."

3. "But most important, she is an international celebrity with a much higher profile than any of her recent predecessors and the ability -- second only to the President's -- to change negative attitudes about the U.S. abroad."

And change negative attitudes she has. During her recent visit to Pakistan, she visited a Sufi mosque that been attacked by Sunni extremists. It made quite an impression on many moderate Pakistani Muslims, including one who told Klein, "We saw her praying there, and, for the first time, I'm thinking, 'The Americans have hearts.'"

Clinton also made herself available for students, talk-show hosts, and Pashtun elders, who asked her all sorts of difficult questions, and as Klein puts it, "her candor, her willingness to listen to and acknowledge criticism, had begun to undermine the prevailing Pakistani image of the U.S. as arrogant and bossy." A government spokeswoman and member of Parliament told Klein:

In the past, when the Americans came, they would talk to the generals and go home. … Clinton's willingness to meet with everyone, hostile or not, has made a big impression -- and because she's Hillary Clinton, with a real history of affinity for this country, it means so much more."

Although Klein offers constructive criticism for Clinton (saying that the controversy she sparked about settlements shows she needs "a few lessons in Middle East Haggling 101"), he does praise her as "the second most popular American in the world, an eternally compelling and supremely talented character, … a walking headline."

Klein writes that with her "three qualities," Clinton could become a memorable secretary of state. But for her fans worldwide, she already has become one.

Photo: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

Secretary Clinton was supposed to just witness the signing of a Turkish-Armenian accord in Switzerland this weekend, but she ended up having to do frantic, high-level diplomacy to save the day when the agreement appeared on the verge of unraveling at the last minute.

The Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers --whose countries have a long history of enmity for reasons described in this recent FP article -- got in a dispute over the final statements they would make after the signing. That's where Clinton stepped in to save the day. In frantic, last-minute diplomacy, she spoke by phone from her sedan in the hotel parking lot, talking with the Armenian side three times and the Turkish side four times. After two hours of phone calls, she met with the Armenian foreign minister in the hotel. She also contacted President Obama several times from the hotel and the University of Zurich, the venue for the signing ceremony. [Update, Oct. 13: For a photo of Clinton working the photos in the back of the vehicle, click here.]

In the end, as a result of Clinton's astute diplomatic skills, the signing of the historic accord took place only three hours late (vs. not at all), and no spoken statements were made. The agreement is expected to be ratified by Turkey's and Armenia's parliaments, and the border between the two countries -- which has been closed for 16 years -- could reopen within two months.

For Clinton, it was all just part of another day's work. "It's just what you sign up for," she told reporters later in the day.

Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Secretary Clinton is in diplomat overdrive at the U.N. General Assembly this week. Yesterday, she announced a new way forward with Burma: engagement. Speaking to the U.N. Group of Friends on Burma, she said:

To help achieve democratic reform, we will be engaging directly with Burmese authorities. … We believe that sanctions remain important as part of our policy, but by themselves, they have not produced the results that had been hoped for on behalf of the people of Burma."

Clinton said that if Burma's military rulers started behaving better, it could lead to a lifting of sanctions:

We will be willing to discuss the easing of sanctions in response to significant actions on the part of Burma's generals that address the core human rights and democracy issues that are inhibiting Burma's progress."

I suppose if sanctions haven't worked all these years, then it's time to add something new. The plan -- which got a thumbs-up from pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- emerges from an almost-complete policy review started in January, so there must be something to it. (And by the way, Clinton has also suggested kicking Burma out of ASEAN if it doesn't release Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.)

Photo: Hiroko Masuike/Getty Images

Secretary Clinton had another busy day in New York. Above, she listens attentively during a bilateral meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (in purple tie) at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

A couple of amusing tidbits about Clinton in the news:

•In the just-published book, Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage, author Christopher Andersen claims that Michelle Obama was crucial in Barack Obama's decision not to select Clinton as his running mate during last year's presidential election. Michelle reportedly told Barack, "Do you really want Bill and Hillary just down the hall from you in the White House? … Could you live with that?"

•In the soon-to-be-published book The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch discusses how late Russian President Boris Yeltsin was found drunk and in search of a pizza on Pennsylvania Avenue during a 1995 visit to Washington. Yeltsin's former head of security says the alleged incident is a lie and blamed it on Clinton: "I think this book was written with the participation of Hillary Clinton who never had much sympathy for Yeltsin."

Photo: Olivier Doulier-Pool/Getty Images

It looks like Secretary Clinton will finally be back in the office tomorrow, after her well-deserved vacation. Topping her agenda is an important meeting: a discussion of the Honduras situation with Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted from the Honduran presidency on June 28.

The State Department has already stopped most visa services in Honduras, and $135 million in U.S. aid for Honduras is in jeopardy.

Secretary Clinton has been making "minor gaffes" recently by wandering off her scripted talking points and speaking off the cuff, the Washington Times reports.

You Hillary fans aren't going to like the article, but I thought I'd bring it to your attention. A flavor of it:

[Administration officials] explained that it is [Clinton's] genuine desire to give real answers to questions, rather than stick to scripted talking points -- the practice of her predecessor, Condoleezza Rice.

Thomas R. Pickering, former undersecretary of state for political affairs in the [Bill] Clinton administration and a retired career diplomat, said that the desire described by Mrs. Clinton's aides sometimes clashes with her limited diplomatic experience in previous jobs.

"Her talking points might have assumed she knew more than she did, and she added on to buttress her credentials," Mr. Pickering said.

In her superb foreign-policy speech today at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Secretary Clinton (with her right arm free from a sling) presented an "ambitious agenda" that included the call for a different "global architecture" and announced that the United States was ready for engagement with Iran, though only for a limited window of time.

Hopefully now, all the talk of Clinton in the shadows has been put to rest.

Paraphrasing from my notes:

On global governance: No nation can solve the world's problems on its own. Most countries worry about the same threats. These two facts demand a different global architecture -- an architecture of cooperation. Not only are multilateral institutions important, but so are partnerships with people, including outreach through educational and entrepreneurial programs and connecting through technology.

On the new approach: The "you're with us or against us" approach is "global malpractice."

On Iran's election: Clinton said she was "appalled" by the way in which the Iranian government responded to protesters after June 12's disputed election.

On engaging Iran: Clinton said direct talks were the best way to get through to Iran on nuclear arms. However, she said the opportunity for talks would not remain open indefinitely. (Clinton did not say when that window of opportunity would close, though.)

On foreign aid: In keeping with the idea of "smart power," foreign assistance should be provided in an efficient manner to implement country-driven solutions. Development must focus on women as drivers of economic growth and a key to stability.

On the Taliban: Clinton talked about accepting members of the Taliban who reject al Qaeda and lay down their arms. (Perhaps this came from the lessons learned from de-Baathification in Iraq?)

Perhaps alluding to a "reset" in how the United States does foreign policy, Clinton quoted Thomas Paine: "We have it in our power to start the world again."

As a side note, when introducing her, CFR President Richard Haass noted that six other secretaries of state have gone on to become U.S. presidents. Clinton smiled and shook her head at him while the audience laughed.

Two points I'd like to know more about:

•When does the opportunity for dialogue with Iran, which Clinton warned was not "indefinite," close exactly?

•What prompted her to talk of accepting Taliban members who reject al Qaeda and lay down their arms? In the question-and-answer session, she even said it could apply to other organizations.

Photo: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

Secretary Clinton has helped usher in a breakthrough on the crisis in Honduras. After meeting with ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya yesterday, Clinton announced that Costa Rican President Óscar Arias -- winner of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for working on peace accords in Central America -- will mediate the conflict in Honduras.

When asked in a press briefing whether Zelaya should be restored to power, Clinton said:

Now that we have a mediation process that we hope can begin shortly, I don’t want to prejudge what the parties themselves will agree to. There are many different issues that will have to be discussed and resolved. But I think it’s fair to let the parties themselves, with President Arias’ assistance, sort out all of these issues.

Regarding nonhumanitarian U.S. aid that is conditioned on Honduras's remaining a democracy, Clinton said:

[W]e have paused in the aid that we think would be affected by the letter of the statute. There is humanitarian aid, and that is a concern for us – the well-being of the people of Honduras. But we’ve made the decision to basically pause on any further aid.

The breakthrough with bringing Arias in as mediator is a peacemaking achievement Clinton can add to her many accomplishments.

Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images