Hillary Clinton has been an outstanding secretary of state. During her tenure, Clinton has enjoyed high approval ratings nationally and has been welcomed with general acclaim by the international community. She has been innovative in guiding the trajectory of the U.S. State Department and has refocused it strategically to adapt to 21st century challenges. Hopefully, after she steps down in January, the next secretary of state will continue the innovation and progress that Clinton began.
Secretary Clinton has performed exceptionally as a senior advisor and has successfully implemented President Barack Obama’s “pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region. Equally important has been her success in accomplishing what her former senior advisor and Princeton U. professor Anne-Marie Slaughter refers to as a “pivot to the people.” No longer must diplomacy be relegated to the highest reaches of power. In the interconnected world of Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media, diplomacy can take place at the personal level.
The importance of this recognition cannot be overstated as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and Syria have shown the need for a more personal diplomacy. In Afghanistan, diplomacy means reaching tribal leaders and local councils to ensure humanitarian aid, education and health services are distributed properly. In many parts of the world, there may not be dialogue with those in power, but there is always an opportunity for dialogue with the people. The spread of technology has given the average person a voice like never before, and a State Department that recognizes these shifts in power and utilizes current technology is a State Department ready to meet the demands of this generation.
To this end, Clinton has undertaken a bureaucratic shake-up by creating the “super-office” of Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights. This office was the result of the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, or the QDDR, of the U.S. State Department — a review that was the brainchild of Clinton. Referencing their own findings, the QDDR stated, “The QDDR recognized the need to elevate civilian power, namely to strengthen institutions that address today’s transnational threats, promote stability and advance American national security.”
The work this super-office has done has been far-reaching and has included using social media to connect with citizens in hostile countries, partnering to create ways to anonymously report violence in Mexico and connecting young entrepreneurs in the North African countries to mentorship organizations and training, in addition to a host of other civilian-focused diplomacy. Stopping violence in Mexico involves more than extending counter-narcotic aid. It involves turning every citizen with a cell phone into a cop on the beat who can actively change his or her community. In places like North Africa, where the majority of the population is under 25, connecting young entrepreneurs to training empowers and develops the youth. A youth population with jobs and a future is a youth population less likely to turn to extremism. Clinton’s innovative policy has therefore increased U.S. diplomatic depth.
Part of this pivot to the people has been a concerted push for children and women’s rights, which has included reaching out to women and children in disparate places. This initiative has involved training teachers, openly advocating for women’s rights and working to reduce gaps between men and women in development assistance. The advancement of women’s rights is now at the core of U.S. foreign policy.
Speaking on the matter in a recent interview in The Economist, Clinton highlighted the tangible ties between growth parameters and women’s rights, commenting that “denial of basic rights [for women] means that the society as a whole fails to modernize, fails to progress.” Making women’s rights a centerpiece of international policy is an important step forward in diplomacy. You can easily guess the prosperity of a country by observing how women are treated in society.
Come January, Secretary Clinton will hang up her pantsuit and take a well-deserved break from the public sector. Over the last three years, she has set the State Department on a fantastic course. Whoever becomes the next secretary of state will have some big pumps to fill.