Hillary Clinton Reviving American Leadership

Mrs Clinton talks about "advancing American interests and values" with US civilian power. Excerpts from Mrs Clinton's article in Foreign Affairs:

"And they cannot be solved unless a nation is willing to accept the responsibility of mobilizing action. The United States is that nation.

Congress has already appropriated funds for 1,108 new Foreign Service and Civil Service officers to strengthen the State Department's capacity to pursue American interests and advance American values.

But we must do more. We must not only rebuild – but also rethink, reform, and recalibrate.

The two Ds in the QDDR reflect the world as the State Department sees it today and as it envisions it in the future.

Diplomacy has long been the backbone of U.S. foreign policy. It remains so today.

Although traditional diplomacy will always be critical to advancing the United States’ agenda, it is not enough.

Public diplomacy must start at the top.

We are shifting away from traditional platforms and instead are building connections to foreign publics in regions once considered beyond the United States’ reach. It makes no sense to allocate the greatest amount of resources to parts of the world where the United States’ ties are already strong and secure and to minimize efforts where engaging the public is critical to success.

We can also leverage civilian power by connecting businesses, philanthropists, and citizens’ groups with partner governments to perform tasks that governments alone cannot. Technology, in particular, provides new tools of engagement.

When the diverse elements of U.S. civilian power work cohesively – as in many embassies around the world, and on the best days in Washington – the potential impact of a global civilian service becomes evident.

I am sometimes asked why development matters to U.S. foreign policy and why the United States should spend money on people overseas when it has economic challenges at home. As counterintuitive as it may seem, the answer is that development, when done effectively, is one of the best tools to enhance the United States’ stability and prosperity. It can strengthen fragile or failing states, support the rise of capable partners that can help solve regional and global problems, and advance democracy and human rights.

At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that although the world’s problems are vast, the United States’ resources are not.

American civilians have long operated in conflict zones and fragile states. But now, U.S. diplomats and development experts are being asked to undertake missions of a scale and a scope never seen before.

On the positive side, civilian power has worked effectively with military forces to impede conflict and to contribute to stability.

With the right balance of civilian and military power, the United States can advance its interests and values, lead and support other nations in solving global problems, and forge strong diplomatic and development partnerships with traditional allies and newly emerging powers. And we can rise to the challenges of the world in the twenty-first century and meet the tests of America’s global leadership."

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/66799/hillary-rodham-clinton/leading-through-civilian-power