Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. needs to lead the world in crushing the Islamic State, giving a hawkish-sounding, sharply worded speech Thursday that amplifies the president’s current foreign policy strategy but does not deter from it.
“Only the United States can mobilize common action on a global scale, and that’s exactly what we need. The entire world must be part of this fight, but we must lead it,” Mrs. Clinton said during a speech delivered at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York.
Mrs. Clinton put forth a three-pronged strategy to defeat the Islamic State that includes better engaging with our Arab partners, disrupting the terror organization’s online and financial networks, and by building up American defense and security capabilities across the world.
The Democratic presidential front-runner and former secretary of state said the U.S. should be prepared to do more special operations in Syria, which require ground troops, than the 50 the president has proposed. She also wants the Iraqi government to embrace and arm more Sunni and Kurdish groups to help fight in the war — something her GOP rivals have advocated. She also called for a no-fly zone in Syria, saying, “We should retool and ramp up our efforts to equip viable Syrian opposition efforts.”
Still, Mrs. Clinton’s strategy isn’t too drastically different than the president’s.
“Sounds great doesn’t it? Kinda like Barack Obama says all the right things,” said Republican presidential contender Carly Fiorina on Fox News, in critique of Mrs. Clinton’s foreign policy rollout. “Unfortunately she’s done all the wrong things. She declared victory in Iraq and withdrew precipitously for political expediency, instead of listening to our generals on the ground.”
SEE ALSO: David Bowers off Hillary Clinton’s campaign team after Syrian refugees statement
Other Republican groups were quick to slam Mrs. Clinton as well, saying she played an instrumental role in developing the president’s foreign policy strategy while serving as secretary of state, and those policies have ultimately failed — leading to the rise of the Islamic State.
“From Libya to Russia to China, Hillary Rodham Clinton has been the chief architect of the Obama administration’s failed policy of coddling adversaries, disrespecting allies and leading from behind,” Steven Law, the CEO of American Crossroads, said in a statement. “We will continue do whatever is necessary to demonstrate to voters how Clinton’s disastrous record as Secretary of State makes her unfit for the presidency.”
Mrs. Clinton also stood by her convictions that the U.S. should be resettling Syrian refugees, despite polls showing most Americans want the U.S. to halt the program amid fears of terrorist infiltrations. All Republican presidential candidates, and many governors and lawmakers, want to freeze refugee acceptance until enhanced screening measures can be put in place.
Although Mrs. Clinton said this is not a time to be “scoring political points,” she did manage to take a few shots at her GOP presidential rivals.
“We cannot allow terrorists to intimidate us into abandoning our values and our humanitarian obligations,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Turning away orphans, applying a religious test, discriminating against Muslims, slamming the door on every Syrian refugee, that is just not who we are. We are better than that.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt this week he would close the door to all refugees, including orphans, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has introduced a bill that allows only Christian refugees into the United States.
SEE ALSO: Carly Fiorina: Arguing with GOP is only thing that fires up Obama
Mrs. Clinton said insistence on saying “clash of civilizations” like how Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has explained the U.S.’s war with the Islamic Satate or the GOP’s general use of “radical Islam” gives “these criminals, these murderers too much standing.”
“Let’s be clear: Islam is not our adversary,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.”
For some, Mrs. Clinton’s speech highlighted her national security resume and proved her to be the most able of fending off the Islamic State in the presidential field.
“@HillaryClinton speech today the most strategic+comprehensive of any American leader on ISIS,” tweeted Nicholas Burns, a professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.