Hillary Clinton's views on foreign policy issues

SCENARIOS-
21 Nov 2008 21:09:51 GMT
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Sen. Hillary Clinton has accepted an offer from President-elect Barack Obama to become U.S. secretary of state, the New York Times said on Friday.

Here are some views on foreign policy issues expressed by Clinton, who lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Obama this year, and is the wife of former President Bill Clinton.

IRAQ

"Ending the war in Iraq is the first step toward restoring the United States' global leadership," Clinton wrote a year ago in an article in Foreign Affairs magazine. U.S. troops had to be brought home safely and stability restored to the region, she said.

But on the campaign trail, Clinton was more reluctant than Obama to commit to a firm timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. She refused to apologize for her 2002 Senate vote authorizing the war, but did say she would like to have that vote back to do over.

AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN AND AL QAEDA

During the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the United States should focus more on improving security in Afghanistan. She has called for greater U.S. troop deployments there.

She also has suggested appointing a U.S. envoy who could shuttle between Afghanistan and Pakistan to help their leaders in the fight against a resurgent Taliban and an al Qaeda presence.

IRAN

A big question for Obama's secretary of state will be how to approach Iran. The Bush administration, which accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb and helping militant groups in Iraq, has generally shunned contacts with Tehran.

During the Democratic presidential primary campaign, Clinton charged that Obama's willingness to meet leaders of Iran, Syria and North Korea was evidence of his naivete about foreign policy. She has threatened to "obliterate" Iran if it uses nuclear weapons against Israel.

But Clinton also has argued for engaging Iran, Syria and other countries of the region in talks about the future of Iraq. And one of her top foreign policy advisers, Richard Holbrooke, a former assistant secretary of state in the Clinton administration, suggested recently that U.S. contacts with Iran should start through private and confidential channels to determine if there is a basis for continuing.

MIDDLE EAST

Clinton stresses the need for Arab-Israeli peace, but is considered a favorite of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States.

She says the fundamentals are a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank in return for a declaration that the conflict is over, recognition of Israel's right to exist, guarantees of Israeli security, diplomatic recognition of Israel and normalization of its relations with Arab states.

"U.S. diplomacy is critical in helping to resolve this conflict," she said in her article in Foreign Affairs in November-December 2007. She said the United States should help get Arab support for a Palestinian leadership that is willing to engage in a dialogue with the Israelis.

RUSSIA AND ARMS CONTROL

"I think she would probably be tough-minded toward Russia," said Kim Holmes, vice president of foreign and defense policy studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "She has a reputation of being tough-minded generally, she is known and respected for that."

Clinton has, however, criticized the Bush administration's "obsessive" focus on "expensive and unproven missile defense technology" -- one of the major points of contention recently in the U.S. relationship with Russia.

She favors further reducing U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, and also favors U.S. Senate approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

CHINA AND NORTH KOREA

Clinton has said the U.S. relationship with China will be the most important bilateral relationship in the world this century. Noting China's support was important in reaching a multilateral deal to disable North Korea's nuclear facilities, she said "we should build on this framework to establish a northeast Asian security regime."

TRADE

Like Obama, Clinton has said the United States should renegotiate or "opt out" of the North American Free Trade Agreement that was reached with Canada and Mexico during her husband's administration. She also has called for a "timeout" from new trade agreements and a top-to-bottom review of trade policy. (Editing by Xavier Briand)