The views are those of the author.
Reflecting on her work as Secretary, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) said, "I think she's represented our nation well..." "She is extremely well respected throughout the world, handles herself in a very classy way and has a work ethic second to none." Her former colleague Defense Secretary Robert Gates had this to say about her in his memoir Duty, "I found her smart, idealistic but pragmatic, tough-minded, indefatigable, funny, a very valuable colleague, and a superb representative of the United States all over the world." Yves Leterme, the well regarded former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium, said he appreciated how well prepared and engaged she was in his meetings with her.
These accolades were the result of her exceptional work ethic and her legacy of significant accomplishments. In examining her record, Russia is a good place to begin. There has been unfounded criticism about a Russian reset during the first Obama term, referring to an effort to find common ground with the Russians on issues of mutual interest. Secretary Clinton did find common ground, and the facts bear this out.
She accomplished several things with Russia. The most prominent was the negotiation of the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Under the terms of New START, there was an agreement to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and launchers that the United States and Russia deploy, and establish a new verification mechanism. Lessening the threat of a nuclear launch makes the world a safer place. Not only did she do a good job negotiating with the Russians, she was also able to get 71 Senators to agree to the ratification of the Treaty, no small feat in the polarized political world of Washington.
She was also able to work with Russia and other US allies to pass the toughest UN sanctions against Iran's effort to build a nuclear weapon. These multilateral sanctions helped lay the groundwork for tougher EU sanctions, and buttressed strict US bilateral sanctions against Iran as well. The combination of sanctions--domestic and international--which would not have happened without her involvement, got the Iranians to the bargaining table, and paved the way for the Iran nuclear deal that was negotiated during President Obama's second term. Even Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu acknowledged in 2012 that sanctions were having an impact on the Iranian economy. Her toughness with Iran gave the P5+1 negotiators the leverage they needed that resulted in the nuclear agreement with Iran.
When looking at the reset, it is also important to remember who was president of Russia at the time. The reset was with then Russian President Dmitri Medvedev not Vladimir Putin. Medvedev had a more open approach to working with the United States, unlike Putin. This was not lost on Secretary Clinton, who expressed serious misgivings about Putin when he was reelected president in 2012 at the end of her term as Secretary. Putin's reelection was more "back to the future" than a reset, as the last several years have proven.
Secretary Clinton has been unfairly criticized about US policy toward the Middle East, in particular Iraq and Libya. The rise of ISIS has been blamed on the President's decision to withdraw US troops from Iraq. This ignores the facts. The withdrawal was negotiated by President George W. Bush, and was supported by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The Prime Minister did not want US troops in Iraq and would not give them the legal protections necessary to allow them to remain. It would have been wrong to ask US troops to remain in a country that did not want them and would not protect them legally.
The myth that somehow the Obama Administration is responsible for the creation of ISIS is ridiculous. The legacy of ISIS began with Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which was formed during the Iraq war begun under President George W. Bush. AQI established a presence in Syria during the Syrian civil war, calling itself Al Nusrah. It became ISIS after there was a split in Al Nusrah. It established a base of operation in Syria and later Iraq because of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brutality and Maliki's mismanagement of the Iraqi military and political scene. They are the ones responsible for the present battle against ISIS. With respect to Syria, press accounts indicate that Secretary Clinton was supportive of the US taking a more proactive role in order to prevent the kind of humanitarian and political crisis we are witnessing in the region today.
Her support of US counter terrorism efforts helped lead to the capture of Osama bin Laden after a decade long search. That successful mission took a great deal of courage on the part of the President in particular but also those who supported him like Secretary Clinton and then CIA Director Panetta. As Secretary she also established a robust diplomatic effort to combat terrorism. She worked with friends and allies globally, focusing on how to counter violent extremism.
US involvement in Libya, which Secretary Clinton supported, was the right thing to do. It is important to remember that among other things, Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi was directly responsible for the 1988 terrorist attack on Pan Am 103 in which 270 people were killed, including 189 Americans, many of whom were college students coming home for the holidays. He ran Libya like a fiefdom and was ultimately the one responsible for the present state of chaos in Libya--there was no system of governance or national cohesion under Gadhafi. It is also important to remember that the EU, Arab League and others were determined to stop Gadhafi from attacking his own people. US involvement protected innocent Libyan civilians, and helped prevent a prolonged war.
There was an effort to help the Libyans after the fall of Gadhafi. In his excellent book on President Obama's foreign policy, The Long Game, national security expert Derek Chollet discusses what was done, "The United States and its partners diligently worked with the new leadership in Tripoli to help with reforms in key areas like energy, justice and security." As Chollet points out, the effort to have Libyans "own" the rebuilding process made it very difficult and complicated, although there was some success. This included the first democratic elections in Libya in half a century, as well as working with the Libyans to eliminate chemical weapons stockpiles and securing shoulder-fired surface to air missiles.
Regarding Benghazi, Secretary Clinton testified on the Hill, most recently for 11 hours, as to what happened. Ten Congressional committees have participated in Benghazi investigations, and while the death of the four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens was a tragedy, none found it to be Secretary Clinton's fault. What she did do was immediately set up an Accountability Review Board (ARB) headed by two distinguished public servants, Ambassador Thomas Pickering and Admiral Michael Mullen. The ARB made 29 recommendations, 24 of them unclassified. Secretary Clinton accepted them all. They focused on improving security and overall coordination, and included a need for additional funding, which must come from Congress.
What is also often ignored or overlooked is the positive role she played in bringing about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in November 2012. It was Secretary Clinton's diplomatic push, working with the Egyptians, the UN and of course, Israel and the Palestinians, that brought about the cease-fire.
The pivot to Asia happened under Secretary Clinton's watch. This included a more substantive dialogue with the Chinese, which laid the groundwork for achievements like the Paris Treaty on Climate Change. Although relations with China were a fundamental part of US foreign policy when she was Secretary of State, she was not soft on China. A good example is her diplomatic high wire act that paved the way for Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng to leave China and come to the United States. The opening of diplomatic relations with Myanmar also happened while she was Secretary.
Secretary Clinton had a number of other accomplishments from emphasizing women's issues, to taking a creative approach to development, by focusing on things like eliminating wood stoves in the developing world. These initiatives did not always make the headlines, but they had a positive impact on people's lives. History will remember her as an effective and influential Secretary of State. Let the record show all the good that she did, which should silence those who criticize her and ignore the facts in order to make a political point.