Hillary

Clinton says she thinks Pakistan's nuclear weapons are secure and protected. In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel on Monday, she said: "… the nuclear arsenal that Pakistan has, I believe is secure. I think that the government and the military have taken adequate steps to protect that."

I really hope Clinton is right, because the prospect of nukes getting into the hands of Islamist extremists is frightening. As Clinton herself acknowledged in the interview, "… the safe haven that al Qaeda has found in Pakistan is very troubling. They are still actively engaged with the elements of the Pakistani Taliban that are threatening the state of Pakistan."

If the state of Pakistan is indeed threatened, then it seems that doesn't bode well for the security of the nuclear arms.

British politician Harriet Harman, deputy leader of Britain's Labour Party and minister for women and equality, wants Secretary Clinton and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to join her in group of women leaders who will meet regularly to advance gender equality. In a speech to EU leaders, Harman said, "'There is, as yet, no international architecture which serves effectively to bring together women leaders who are working for progress along the same lines in each of our own countries. We need to look at how this could be done."

Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Secretary Clinton is in the Philippines today, where she has expressed support for the country's efforts to fight Islamist militants and recover from three massive storms that struck in the last six weeks.

She visited a flood-stricken high school (seen in the photos above and below) in Marikina, east of Manila. There, she announced a $5 million in U.S. relief aid, in addition to the $14 million that has already been provided, to help with recovery from the devastating storms.

One sensitive issue Clinton addressed during her visit was the several hundred U.S. military personnel who are in the Philippines to advise and train Filipino troops on counterinsurgency (al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants are present in some parts of the country). Many leftist and nationalist Filipinos want the U.S. forces out.

At a news conference with Filipino Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, Clinton said, "I would just reiterate that the United States stands ready to assist our friends in the Philippines who are seeking to counter terrorism and the threat of extremism. … And we will be willing to support them in any way that is appropriate that they request. But the relationship between our countries and between our militaries is very strong and cooperative, and we look forward to continuing that."

The Filipino foreign minister stressed that U.S. troops are not involved in combat in the Philippines and just "assist, advise, and train." He also pointed out that there is a humanitarian component to their presence, such as recent assistance with typhoon recovery. "They deployed military personnel, equipment, helicopters, boats, forklifts, and bulldozers to immediately assist our people," he said.

Still, with the Philippines' being a former colony of the United States, it's easy to understand why many Filipinos bristle at the U.S. troop presence.

Photos: TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images

While speaking today at a news conference in Singapore (where, as seen above, she's attending the APEC summit), Secretary Clinton urged Burma to plan for "free, fair, and credible" elections in 2010. She also pointed out that it's in other countries' interests to have a stable Burma, saying, "Any country that does business in Burma wants to be sure that their investments and their business are safe, and the best way to ensure that is to move toward democracy and the kind of stability that democracy creates."

At a news conference today, Clinton also said yesterday's naval skirmish between North and South Korea will not not affect U.S. plans to send an envoy to North Korea to try to restart nuclear talks. Clinton said, "This does not in any way affect the decision to send Ambassador [Stephen] Bosworth. We think that this is an important step that stands on its own."

A couple of other Clinton tidbits:

•Clinton has been urging Iran to accept a U.N. proposal that lets the country ship low-enriched uranium abroad (to Russia and France) to be further enriched for a Tehran reactor that makes medical isotopes. She also stated on The Charlie Rose Show that, "It is not in Iran's interest to have a nuclear arms race in the Gulf, where they would be less secure than they are today. It is not in Iran's interest, to the Iranian people's interest, to be subjected to very onerous sanctions."

•Clinton was a star guest at Starbucks today, though she didn't order anything to drink. She sat for about 30 minutes at a table outside the Starbucks in Singapore's Suntec convention center. She was joined by U.S. Congressman Sander Levin (D-Mich.) while four diplomatic security agents monitored from a distance. Three of the four ordered lattes and cappuccinos. The manager said, "They came by very quietly. … Suddenly, this branch has become historic, an icon. I feel lucky."

Photo: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Secretary Clinton is on a new continent today -- Asia. She arrived in Singapore late today (yes, it's already late today in most of the world, while only early afternoon here in Washington) for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. (Above, she shakes hands with Singaporean Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo in Thailand this July.)

On Thursday, she'll head to the Philippines, where apparently some people plan to protest her (well, not so much her personally, but the United States more broadly). They are angered by the "indefinite" presence of U.S. troops in their country, with one leader of a leftist political coalition there saying in a statement, "[T]he United States is determined to strengthen and expand its presence in the Philippines. [Clinton's] trip is definitely not a goodwill or solidarity visit for typhoon victims. She's here for U.S. security interests, more than anything else." Well, I'm sure Clinton will take it in stride.

On Friday, Clinton will be back in Singapore to join President Obama for more APEC summit. Then they'll be in China Nov. 15 to 18.

Photo: PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images

Yesterday evening at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Secretary Clinton once again declared that the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall should serve as a "call to action" to "advance freedom" for the millions of people around the world who still face obstacles and lack opportunity. In her remarks, she said:

Two decades later, we remember. But it is also a call to action. There are still millions across our world who are separated -- maybe not by walls, maybe not by barbed wire, although that still exists -- but who are separated from loved ones, who are kept down and behind, unable to fulfill their own destinies. So as beneficiaries of this great bequest we inherited in 1989, those of us gathered here tonight, leaders and citizens alike, we must pledge ourselves to work together to advance freedom beyond its current frontiers so that people everywhere are afforded the opportunities to pursue their dreams and live up to their God-given potential.

Above: Clinton reviews an honor guard carrying torches at Bellevue Palace -- the home of the German president -- in Berlin. 

Below: Clinton appears on the big screens that flanked the Brandenburg Gate yesterday. In front are some of the 1,000 giant dominoes that were toppled to symbolize the fall of the Berlin Wall. (Check out this cool video of the dominoes falling.)

Photos, top to bottom: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images, WOLFGANG RATTAY/AFP/Getty Images

It looks cold and rainy in Berlin right now, but Clinton is there in full force:

Clinton delivers a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate during celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (left), French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, German President Horst Köhler, Berlin's Mayor Klaus Wowereit, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attend celebrations near the Brandenburg Gate for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Approximately 1,000 giant foam dominoes, painted by children and artists from around the world, are meant to symbolically represent the fall of communism across Eastern Europe and are the highlight of the celebrations.

Woman power: Earlier in the day, Merkel (the most powerful woman in the world) greeted Clinton (the 36th most powerful, according to Forbes) prior to bilateral talks. 

Photos, top to bottom: WOLFGANG RATTAY/AFP/Getty Images, Hennig Schacht-Pool/Getty Images, MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images

Last night at a gala banquet in Berlin, Secretary Clinton received an Atlantic Council Freedom Award on behalf of the American people. Above, she holds the award while posing with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, an Atlantic Council board member who introduced Clinton.

In delivering the evening's keynote address, Clinton said the festivities surrounding the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall "should be a call to action, not just a commemoration of past actions. That call should spur us to continue our cooperation and to look for new ways that we can meet the challenges that freedom faces now."

She went on to say:

We need to form an even stronger partnership to bring down the walls of the 21st century and to confront those who hide behind them: the suicide bombers, those who murder and maim girls whose only wish is to go to school, leaders who choose their own fortunes over the fortunes of their people."

Very inspiring words indeed -- calling for people to use the spirit that animated the wall's fall to fight terrorism and authoritarian regimes. Hopefully it will move people to action, but Thomas Carothers, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is skeptical that Europeans will buy into the Bush-era "trope" of linking the Cold War and extremism. He told Agence France-Presse via e-mail:

Facing difficult pressures on Afghanistan, the Obama administration marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by revving up a rhetorical trope that President Bush favored. … Europeans and others never found it very convincing under Bush. … I suspect they won't like it much better now."

But between Clinton's star power and President Obama's hope-oriented charisma, the new U.S. administration has an inspiring and influential presence that Bush never had. Sometimes you just need the right messenger for your message.

Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images