Though her personal website is free of a list of her accomplishments in the role, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been exceptionally busy since her appointment as Secretary of State on January 21, 2009.

Mrs. Clinton’s appointment was much more than a show of good faith by her recent democratic rival Barack Obama; to her position at the head of the State Department she brings a wealth of international, diplomatic contacts acquired over her 8 years serving as First Lady. Traveling the world alongside former US President Bill Clinton involved much work pertinent to her current endeavors and is proving to be invaluable as her duties evolve.

In her trip to Japan (February 16-18), her first trip abroad since coming into office, Secretary Clinton discussed, with senior Japanese government officials in Japan, the strategic bilateral alliance and cooperation with Japan on regional and global issues. One such issue was, not surprisingly, the economy: Japan’s economy is the second largest in the world and parallels were drawn between the stimulus put forward by the US Government and potential solutions in Japan.

Secretary Clinton stressed in an interview with CBS, when talking about a possible solution between the US and Japan, “that we don’t build walls between us, that we don’t engage in activity that will worsen the financial situation”, adding that both countries were aware of that. As has been reiterated before on many an occasion, the current policy for handling the recent financial crisis is that once national affairs are in a comfortable state, international bonds will be forged to simultaneously bolster the markets. When questions about the ‘Buy American’ clause arose, Secretary Clinton articulated that no existing international agreements would be violated for the sake of self preservation.

In Jakarta (February 18-19), consultations were held with senior Indonesian officials covering the “close and growing partnership” with Indonesia and perspectives on common interests in Southeast Asia. When asked what the motivation was behind creating such strong ties with Indonesia, Secretary Clinton cited how the example the country had set in establishing a “vibrant, dynamic, democracy” was exemplary of her long term goals in her capacity. Secretary Clinton made clear that in the estimations of the US ” the progress that Indonesia has shown in and of itself is very noteworthy”.

“In Seoul, Secretary Clinton met with senior leaders to discuss America’s expanding global cooperative partnership with their ally, the Republic of Korea” on the 19th and 20th of February, the State Department’s website says.

The talk of both Secretary Clinton and President Obama of “aggressively crack[ing] down on China.” which filled the democratic primaries was scarcely heard, and Mrs. Clinton stressed that in the current economic climate careful cooperation is important. As in other capitals during the trip, February 20-22 saw the Secretary discussing new global approaches to a range of subjects: financial markets turmoil, humanitarian issues, security and climate change were amongst them.

At this moment in time, there is no difference between our joint commitment to try to work our way through this economic crisis. -Hillary Rodham Clinton

In spite of setting aside differences for the duration of the trip, Mrs. Clinton did make clear in a report what she thought of China’s human rights record, proving that even in extenuating circumstances certain things are intolerable. Critics are interested to see the plans the Secretary of State has in store for resolving these differences, once the current financial crisis is resolved, whenever that may be.

Secretary Clinton is currently visiting the Middle East and Europe between March 1-7, a trip which began with participation in the donor’s conference for Gaza recovery held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchel was amongst the many high-level world representatives present when the US pledged $900 million to the cause of rebuilding Gaza strip. The strip has been destroyed by days of fighting between Fatah and Hamas caused by refusal to establish a Palestinian state. The money, as well as scheduled talks, are also put forward to find a possible solution to the issue; Clinton has vowed to strive towards peace in the Middle East.

The United States, Britain, the European Union, and the six member states of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) contributed combined sums far beyond the $2.8 billion initially hoped for by the Palestinian Authority. Following the conference, Clinton met with senior officials from Egypt, Israel, and Palestinian Territories for discussions.

Today, March 5th, Secretary Clinton attended a NATO meeting in Brussels with other foreign ministers as a preparatory discussion for the NATO summit scheduled to be held April 3-4th. In conjunction with this meeting, individual meetings were held during which transatlantic bonds, such as with Russia, were deliberated on. Tomorrow, the talks with Russia will continue in reference to the dire conditions in Afghanistan and how the two countries plan to work together to achieve common international goals.

The European visit will conclude on March 7th with a visit to the Turkish capital, Ankara, where key Turkish officials will engage in discussions with the Secretary similar to those held in other countries over the trip.

This week’s agenda, as it appears on the State Department website:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton prepares to lay a wreath next to the Eternal Flame during a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, Tuesday, March 3, 2009. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is traveling to Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Belgium, Switzerland, and Turkey from March 1-7, 2009.

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