Stopping the scourge of rape, domestic violence, acid attacks, and honor killings perpetrated against women internationally has been an important priority for Secretary Clinton, an unflagging advocate for women and girls. And the Senate Foreign Relations Committee took an important step toward advancing that priority yesterday when it approved the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA). 

IVAWA, drafted after consultations with more than 40 women's groups in developing countries and more than 100 experts and other organizations, will support local NGOs addressing the problem of violence against women and girls. The problem will be tackled through various means, such as services for survivors, economic-empowerment programs, girls' education, and legal and judicial training programs.

The act targets countries where violence against women and girls is rampant, but where three things are going for them, according to an op-ed by Ritu Sharma of Women Thrive Worlwide: The national government is receptive (or at least not opposed) to anti-violence efforts, local women's groups are active and ready to expand, and the United States has a positive relationship with the country.

As Clinton said last week at the TEDWomen conference, women's issues are a security issue. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, an original co-sponsor of IVAWA,  referred to that rationale when hailing the bill in a statement yesterday, stating:

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that one of the most effective forces for defeating extremism is female safety and education. Violence against women undermines the effectiveness of existing U.S. investments in global development and stability, whether fighting HIV/AIDS, increasing basic education, or creating stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The bill was approved with an amendment that constrains the funding the act would receive if passed. A news release from the Foreign Relations Committee states: "Chairman [John] Kerry offered an amendment in response to concerns raised by Republicans and some faith-based groups.  Among other things, the amendment reduces authorization levels to 'such sums' in order to focus on existing resources. While the use of new funds is possible, the focus is on transparency, accountability, inclusion, and longevity."

Sadly, too many lawmakers seem to have difficulty coughing up funds to help marginalized women in developing countries, while spending billions on pork-barrel projects. But supporting women benefits us all. As Clinton said at TEDWomen last week:

Give women equal rights, and entire nations are more stable and secure. Deny women equal rights, and the instability of nations is almost certain. The subjugation of women is, therefore, a threat to the common security of our world and to the national security of our country.

Next step for the bill: Get passed by the Senate and House by the end of the year.

Secretary Clinton has made it very clear that she won't serve a second term as secretary of state, telling Tavis Smiley in January, "It's a 24-7 job and I think at some point, I will be very happy to pass it on to someone else." And despite recent remarks from conservatives about Clinton running for president in 2012, Clinton has repeatedly said she doesn't plan to make a run for the White House, telling Smiley in the same January interview that she is "absolutely not interested."

So what will Clinton do after her State Department tenure? Last Friday, the Washington Post's Sally Quinn wrote, in all seriousness, that Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden should switch jobs. She writes:

There are no horror stories about her coming out of the State Department. Most notable, though, is that Bill Clinton has not been the problem that so many anticipated. He has been supportive of her and of Obama, and he has stayed out of the limelight and been discreet about his own life.

In short, the arguments against Hillary Clinton being Obama's vice president have pretty much evaporated.…

Given the combination of votes that she and Obama got in the 2008 primary campaign, they would be a near-unbeatable team.

Quinn lays out one way it could happen:

It would not be out of the question for Clinton and Biden to switch jobs sometime after the midterm elections.…. She could then immediately begin campaigning for Obama for 2012, and she would also have at least two years in the White House as vice president to give her unassailable experience, clout and credibility.

Wow, Clinton out of Foggy Bottom after the midterm elections? Sounds far-fetched to me, but Quinn says, "Take it seriously."

But there's an even wackier scenario: Clinton becomes defense secretary and then vice president. In a June 12 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Leslie Gelb, a former official in the State and Defense departments, describes a scenario in which Defense Secretary Robert Gates retires in the next year as "clouds darken" over Afghanistan and maybe Iraq. The only suitable Democratic candidate for defense secretary would be Clinton: 

Politically, no Democrat is better positioned. She has established herself as right of center or near conservative on national security. With Mr. Gates gone, Mr. Obama would need political cover, and Mrs. Clinton has the necessary hard-line standing in the country and in Congress. She'd give him more political protection for tough decisions on Afghanistan, for example, than would any other Democrat.

She also has terrific relations with the military brass, including Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and retired generals like the highly respected Army four-star Jack Keane. She knows defense issues from her days on the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator from Indiana, would then become secretary of state, and as the 2012 presidential election drew near, President Obama would announce Clinton as his running mate. And if Obama were reelected, Biden would become secretary of state for Obama's second term.

Now why in the world would Clinton want to leave the State Department for the Pentagon? Here's Gelb's answer:

[W]hile two women secretaries have preceded her at State, she would be the first female defense secretary. She'd like that.

Gelb goes on to say that whether or not Obama is reelected, Clinton would then be well positioned for a presidential run in 2016.

This all sounds very different from the type of life Clinton says she wants to have after she leaves Foggy Bottom. She told Smiley in January:

There are so many things I'm interested in, really going back to private life and spending time reading and writing and maybe teaching. Maybe some personal travel - not the kind of travel where you bring a couple of hundred people with you.

These VP and Pentagon scenarios seem implausible right now, but as Gelb writes, "The biggest political surprises often hide in plain sight."

At 1:30 p.m. Washington time today, Secretary Clinton will be unveiling the Obama administration's National Security Strategy. Watch everything live at the State Department's website.

FP's The Cable has obtained the text of the 52-page document. The Cable comments on it here.

Today, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak harshly condemned North Korea for the March torpedoing of the South Korean ship Cheonan, which killed 46 onboard. He said almost all trade between the two Koreas is being canceled, and he demanded an apology from North Korea (though the odds of that happening are zero).

Secretary Clinton, speaking in Beijing, said she and the United States fully back him up:

The United States fully supports President Lee's responsible handling of the Cheonan incident, and the objective investigation that followed, which we and other international observers joined. The measures that President Lee announced in his speech are both prudent and entirely appropriate.

The Republic of Korea can continue to count on the full support of the United States, as President Obama made clear when he spoke to President Lee last week.

First, we endorse President Lee's call on North Korea to come forward with the facts regarding this act of aggression and, above all, stop its belligerence and threatening behavior.

Second, our support for South Korea's defense is unequivocal, and President Obama has directed his military commanders to coordinate closely with their Korean counterparts to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression. As part of our ongoing dialogue, we will explore further enhancements to our joint posture on the Peninsula.

Third, we support President Lee's call to bring this issue to the United Nations Security Council. I will be working with Ambassador Rice and our Korean counterparts, as well as Japan, China, and other UN Security Council member states to reach agreement on a way forward in the Council.

Fourth, President Obama has directed U.S. Government agencies to review their existing authorities and policies related to North Korea, to ensure that we have adequate measures in place, and to identify areas where adjustments would be appropriate.  

In marking World Water Day on Monday at the National Geographic Society in Washington, Clinton said:

Experts predict … that by 2025, just 15 years from now, nearly two-thirds of the world's countries will be water-stressed. Many sources of freshwater will be under additional strain from climate change and population growth. And 2.4 billion people will face absolute water scarcity -- the point at which a lack of water threatens social and economic development. […]

Access to reliable supplies of clean water is a matter of human security. It's also a matter of national security. And that's why President Obama and I recognize that water issues are integral to the success of many of our major foreign-policy initiatives.

For more about water, check out this week's FP photo slide show, "The Big Thirsty," and last year's special quiz about water.