Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state, said on Sunday that the latest national security strategy contains “unnecessary division” with Washington’s partners.
Speaking at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Clinton said the strategy signals a major US shift away from the alliances that have long defined its foreign policy, which, she argued, were key to the country’s global influence.
“So if you look at it, there’s a very strong indictment of Europe and, in particular, the openness of Europe and the composition of the population of Europe.
“And that to me is an unnecessary division between us and countries with whom we have a lot in common and a lot that is necessary to our security,” she noted.
The 33-page strategy, released late Thursday, emphasizes expanding US military presence in the Western hemisphere, rebalancing global trade, and strengthening border security.
It also comprised contentious observations about Europe, claiming that the continent’s economic decline is eclipsed by the “real and more stark prospect of civilizational erasure” within the next 20 years.
Clinton expressed concern that US President Donald Trump, since the beginning of his second term, has put “a very heavy emphasis on moving away” from what she called were “core American values.”
She claimed that Trump “very rarely” criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for the war in Ukraine and then pressured Ukraine to accept a negotiated ceasefire and peace deal that “would be, by any objective measure, leaving them vulnerable to further Russian activity.”
“I’m angry about what happened on October 7th (2023) in Israel and what happened in Gaza. I’m angry about what Russia’s doing in Ukraine. I’m angry about Sudan. I’m angry about the Eastern Congo.
“I think we should be all looking at the tragedies and the conflicts that are bringing about so much suffering and be dealing with them.
“That’s why the national security strategy is not to my liking,” the former secretary of state stressed.
Washington has a key role to play in resolving these conflicts, easing suffering, and giving people a chance at peaceful, prosperous lives, she said, adding that it is in America’s interests.
About the Middle East, she said the two-state solution remains “the only realistic” way forward, adding, however, that people’s awareness of the historical perspectives must be raised first.
“We are not going to implement the 20-point peace plan or any other peace plan unless people come with some sense of historical perspective and empathy about how we’re going to move people toward what I still believe is the only realistic outcome, a two-state solution,” Clinton added.
