Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “America's engagement in the Asia-Pacific,” Honolulu, Hawaii, October 28, 2010 – key passages and central ideas:

After many months of preparation, the Obama administration is starting to enjoy some gains from its ambitious attempt to reengage with the Asia-Pacific while simultaneously redefining the scope, objectives and means of that engagement, and in such a way as to cover the broad range of U.S. interests in economic, security and diplomatic affairs rather than proceeding from a military-heavy perspective, for instance.

The gathering of Latin American leaders in Cancun, Mexico on February 23 grabbed the headlines after its 32 participants pledged to create a Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The new alliance, which includes Cuba and excludes the United States and Canada, was conceived as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), a regional institution established in 1948 to fight communism and promote democracy and human rights.

In politics, as in everyday life, a convergence of circumstances can prove fateful -- gleefully so for the winners, and maddeningly unfair in the view of the defeated. This is one of the many observations one may divine from John Heilemann's and Mark Halperin's newly-released book on the 2008 U.S. presidential race, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime.

“I reject your reality and substitute my own.”
- Adam Savage, Mythbusters

Perhaps “reality” can be added to the list of products being produced in great quantities by China these days. In the past year, China talked boldly about their environmental leadership, military prowess and effectiveness in dealing with separatists within their own borders – all topics where the Chinese version of events sounds impressive, at least until you compare it with reality.

As a woman, I am proud to see smart and hard-working women elevated to the positions of power in the world. Below are the quotes of several world-famous female politicians, which I find to be funny and thought-provoking. Whether you like or dislike these particular women, there is no denying the fact that each of them has left her own distinct mark on the world affairs.    

Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States and a Democratic Political Activist:

"The sum of my experience is that reaching a two-state solution, Palestine and Israel living side by side in security and peace, is still possible, despite the dangers that we face and whose severity has increased recently." (Excerpt from the speech delivered by the Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas, announcing his decision not to seek re-election next year--Ramallah, November 5, 2009).

As I wrote in a piece for the World Policy Journal's blog, "2009 is an auspicious year: it marks the ninetieth anniversary of the student-led protests that led to the establishment of the communist movement, the fiftieth anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising, and the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests.

"The United States pledged an additional $110 million in aid to Pakistan on Tuesday, reflecting both the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Swat Valley and what the administration says is its growing confidence in Pakistan's efforts to combat the Taliban."