Hillary Clinton Keeps Her Promise To Champion Women's Rights

For the first time in our nation’s history, we have an impassioned feminist at the helm of United States Foreign Policy. Her name is Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Following her confirmation hearing for the post of Secretary of State, Clinton’s thoughtful and comprehensive approach to global conflict resolution is already being hailed as ”Smart Power”. That comes as no surprise to those who have been following this superwoman’s career and have long admired her brilliance.

Hillary Clinton doesn’t just have a head for leadership, she has the heart for it, too. In describing her approach to foreign policy, she is inspired by the ancient Roman poet Terence who, though born a slave, rose to become one of the great voices of his time. He said, “In every endeavor, the seemly course for wise men is to try persuasion first”. Hillary reflected, “The same truth binds wise women as well”.

While some foreign policy conflicts might be open to negotiation, Hillary’s view of the crimes against women around the world is uncompromising. Unlike predecessors who might have delicately avoided or even accommodated such traditions as ones we should not presume to judge, Hillary’s condemnation is bold and clear. She decries the practice of acid burnings in Pakistan and the punishment of women for divorce. She promises that under her watch, The Office of Human Trafficking and the Women’s Office will have a place of special emphasis and the mistreatment of women will not be relegated to “auxiliary” status in her State Department.

She said of the Taliban fighters who targeted girls for attending school: “This is not a culture. This is not a custom. This is criminal.” She denounces those who commit the atrocities and says “They want to maintain an attitude that keeps women unhealthy, unfed, uneducated.” Clinton says their actions ”result all too often in violence against these young women.”

Hillary Clinton vows that protecting women and their human rights will not be an adjunct, but central to her foreign policy. As Secretary of State, she hopes to persuade other governments that “we cannot have a free, prosperous, peaceful, progressive world if women are treated in such a discriminatory and violent way”. She embraces it as a ”pledge” and considers it a matter of national security.

In 1995 in China, Hillary Clinton said the famous words, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights”. Now, as Secretary of State, she will be able to make her vision of a better world for women part of America’s 21st Century global initiative.

“Our foreign policy must reflect our deep commitment to the cause of making human rights a reality for millions of oppressed people around the world. Of particular concern to me is the plight of women and girls, who comprise the majority of the world’s unhealthy, unschooled, unfed, and unpaid. If half of the world’s population remains vulnerable to economic, political, legal, and social marginalization, our hope of advancing democracy and prosperity will remain in serious jeopardy. We still have a long way to go, and the United States must remain an unambiguous and unequivocal voice in support of women’s rights in every country, every region, on every continent.”

~Hillary Rodham Clinton Testimony at Her Confirmation Hearing for Secretary of State~


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