Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/National security
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See what Hillary Clinton and the 2016 Democratic Party Platform said about national security below.
Clinton on national security
- On September 27, 2016, The Washington Free Beacon published audio of Hillary Clinton discussing the U.S. nuclear weapons program during a private fundraiser in February, in which she said she would be “inclined” to cancel an upgrade of the Long Range Stand-Off missile program. “The last thing we need are sophisticated cruise missiles that are nuclear armed,” she said.[2]
- On September 7, 2016, Clinton participated in a forum hosted by Matt Lauer on NBC News focused on national security and foreign policy. She made the following comments about military interventions in the Middle East and the Iran nuclear agreement:[3]
- On supporting military action in Iraq, Clinton said, “Look, I think that the decision to go to war in Iraq was a mistake. And I have said that my voting to give President Bush that authority was, from my perspective, my mistake. I also believe that it is imperative that we learn from the mistakes, like after- action reports are supposed to do, and so we must learn what led us down that path so that it never happens again. I think I’m in the best possible position to be able to understand that and prevent it.”
- Discussing support for military action in Libya, Clinton said, “With respect to Libya, again, there’s no difference between my opponent and myself. He’s on record extensively supporting intervention in Libya, when Gadhafi was threatening to massacre his population. I put together a coalition that included NATO, included the Arab League, and we were able to save lives. We did not lose a single American in that action. And I think taking that action was the right decision. Not taking it, and permitting there to be an ongoing civil war in Libya, would have been as dangerous and threatening as what we are now seeing in Syria.”
- Asked whether Iran should be trusted, Clinton said, “On the nuclear issue, no. I think we have enough insight into what they’re doing to be able to say we have to distrust but verify. What I am focused on is all the other malicious activities of the Iranians — ballistic missiles, support for terrorists, being involved in Syria, Yemen, and other places, supporting Hezbollah, Hamas.”
- On July 25, 2016, during a speech at the V.F.W. Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Clinton contrasted her approach to national security to Donald Trump’s without actually naming him. She said, “I believe in standing with our allies. Generations of American troops fought and died to secure those bonds. They knew we were safer with more friends and partners. … You will never hear me say I will only listen to myself on national security. … One thing you will never hear from me: praise for dictators and strongmen who have no love for America.” Clinton also said that she would never “order troops to commit war crimes,” as Trump suggested he would by reinstituting waterboarding and targeting families of suspected terrorists.[4]
- Clinton released a statement regarding the terrorist attack at an airport in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 28, 2016, that left at least 36 people dead and injured 147 people. She said, “Today’s attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world. And it reminds us that the United States cannot retreat. We must deepen our cooperation with our allies and partners in the Middle East and Europe to take on this threat.”[5]
- During a roundtable in Los Angeles on March 24, 2016, Clinton warned against the use of “hot rhetoric and...demagoguery” in counterterrorism discussion, describing it as “not only often offensive, but dangerous.” She continued, “We cannot allow our nation to be pitting groups of people against one another, we cannot give in to panic and fear. It's not in keeping with our values, it's not effective in protecting us and it plays into the hands of terrorists who want nothing more than to intimidate and terrorize people, turn against each other--which leads to radicalizing more people and creating even greater problems for us.”[6]
- After condemning the terrorist attacks in Brussels on the morning of March 22, 2016, Clinton cautioned that it would be “unrealistic to say we're going to completely shut down our borders to everyone. But we have to do a much better job in coordination with the Europeans on tracking and following anyone who has any connection with terrorist activity or terrorism." She also rejected waterboarding as an effective counterterrorism tactic. “As to waterboarding, you know, our country’s most experienced and bravest military leaders will tell you that torture is not effective. It does put our own soldiers and increasingly our own civilians at risk,” she said.[7][8]
- After President Obama announced his plan to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay in February 2016, Clinton said, "I support President Obama’s plan today to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and finally close the door on this chapter of our history. Over the years, Guantanamo has inspired more terrorists than it has imprisoned. It has not strengthened our national security; it has damaged it."[9]
- At the third Democratic primary debate on December 19, 2015, Hillary Clinton discussed regime change in Libya: “We offered a lot more [help]. We also got rid of their chemical weapons, which was a big help, and we also went after a lot of the shoulder-fired missiles to round them up. You know, we can't -- if we're not going to send American troops, which there was never any idea of doing that, then to try to send trainers, to try to send experts, is something we offered, Europeans offered, the U.N. offered, and there wasn't a lot of responsiveness at first. I think a lot of the Libyans who had been forced out of their country by Gadhafi who came back to try to be part of a new government, believed they knew what to do and it turned out that they were no match for some of the militaristic forces inside that country. But I'm not giving up on Libya and I don't think anybody should. We've been at this a couple of years."[10]
- At the third Democratic primary debate on December 19, 2015, Clinton discussed her support for establishing a no-fly zone in Syria: “[O]ne of the reasons why I have advocated for a no-fly zone is in order to create those safe refuges within Syria, to try to protect people on the ground both from Assad's forces, who are continuing to drop barrel bombs, and from ISIS. And of course, it has to be de-conflicted with the Russians, who are also flying in that space. I'm hoping that because of the very recent announcement of the agreement at the Security Council, which embodies actually an agreement that I negotiated back in Geneva in June of 2012, we're going to get a diplomatic effort in Syria to begin to try to make a transition. A no-fly zone would prevent the outflow of refugees and give us a chance to have some safe spaces.”[11]
- During first Democratic primary debate, on October 13, 2015, Clinton weighed in on Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to increase that nation's military engagement in Syria. Clinton said, “There's no doubt that when Putin came back in and said he was going to be President, that did change the relationship. We have to stand up to his bullying, and specifically in Syria, it is important -- and I applaud the administration because they are engaged in talks right now with the Russians to make it clear that they've got to be part of the solution to try to end that bloody conflict. And, to -- provide safe zones so that people are not going to have to be flooding out of Syria at the rate they are. And, I think it's important too that the United States make it very clear to Putin that it's not acceptable for him to be in Syria creating more chaos, bombing people on behalf of Assad, and we can't do that if we don't take more of a leadership position, which is what I'm advocating.”[12]
- On October 1, 2015, Clinton advocated "for a no-fly zone and humanitarian corridors to try to stop the carnage on the ground and from the air" in Syria following Russia's military intervention in the country.[13]
- In July 2015, Clinton criticized the legislative effort by Congress to combat cyberterrorism through info-sharing, saying it "doesn't go far enough to try to have better coordination between the public and private sector." After noting that China, Russia, North Korea and Iran have sponsored hacking in some form, Clinton said there were "cumbersome procurement and bureaucratic obstacles within the federal government" preventing more responsive cybersecurity.[14]
- According to Michael Crowley, "As Secretary of State, Clinton backed a bold escalation of the Afghanistan war. She pressed Obama to arm the Syrian rebels, and later endorsed air strikes against the Assad regime. She backed intervention in Libya, and her State Department helped enable Obama’s expansion of lethal drone strikes. In fact, Clinton may have been the administration’s most reliable advocate for military action. On at least three crucial issues—Afghanistan, Libya, and the bin Laden raid—Clinton took a more aggressive line than Gates, a Bush-appointed Republican."[15]
- During an August 2014 interview with The Atlantic, Hillary Clinton argued that not getting involved in the early stages of the Syrian uprising led to ISIS' expansion. She said, “The failure to help build up a credible fighting force of the people (of Syria) who were the originators of the protests against Assad—there were Islamists, there were secularists, there was everything in the middle—the failure to do that left a big vacuum, which the jihadists have now filled."[16]
- According to Jeffrey Goldberg, Clinton "suggested that she finds his [Obama's] approach to foreign policy overly cautious, and she made the case that America needs a leader who believes that the country, despite its various missteps, is an indispensable force for good."[16]
- In response to President Barack Obama's "foreign-policy doctrine:...'Don’t do stupid stuff,'" Clinton said, “Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.”[16]
- In 2012, Clinton and former C.I.A. Director David H. Petraeus created "a plan to arm the Syrian resistance." According to The New York Times, "The idea was to vet the rebel groups and train fighters, who would be supplied with weapons. The plan had risks, but it also offered the potential reward of creating Syrian allies with whom the United States could work, both during the conflict and after President Bashar al-Assad’s eventual removal. ...But with the White House worried about the risks, and with President Obama in the midst of a re-election bid, they were rebuffed."[17]
- Clinton opposed the Iraq troop surge in 2007.[18]
- In 2007, according to The Washington Post, "Clinton called Iran a danger to the U.S. and one of Israel's greatest threats." She said, "We need to use every tool at our disposal, including diplomatic and economic in addition to the threat and use of military force... I have advocated engagement with our enemies and Israel's enemies. I believe we can gain valuable knowledge and leverage from being part of a process again that enables us to get a better idea of how to take on and defeat our adversaries. U.S. policy must be clear and unequivocal: We cannot, we should not, we must not permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons. In dealing with this threat ... no option can be taken off the table."[19]
- In 2006, according to The Washington Post, "Clinton said that a nuclear Iran would be a threat to the state of Israel and that U.S. policy must be clear and unequivocal. To prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, she said, 'we must have more support vigorously and publicly expressed by China and Russia, and we must move as quickly as feasible for sanctions in the United Nations.'"[20]
- Clinton voted for the Patriot Act in 2001 and again in 2005.[21]
- Clinton voted for HJ Res 114 - Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. It became law on October 16, 2002.[22]
- Read what other 2016 presidential candidates said about national security.
| The 2016 Democratic Party Platform on national security | ||||||
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See also
- Hillary Clinton
- Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
- 2016 presidential candidates on foreign affairs
Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Hillary Clinton launches second presidential bid," April 12, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Free Beacon, "Clinton Privately Opposed Major U.S. Nuclear Upgrade," September 27, 2016
- ↑ TIME, "Read Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s Remarks at a Military Forum," September 7, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Throws a Foreign Policy Counterpunch at Donald Trump," July 25, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton Urge End to Terrorism After Istanbul Attack," June 28, 2016
- ↑ Emily Schultheis, CBS News, "Hillary Clinton: Divisive rhetoric on Muslims 'offensive,' 'dangerous'," March 24, 2016
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "Clinton On Brussels Attack: Waterboarding Is Not The Answer," March 22, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Vows to 'Defeat Terrorism' But Cautions about Closing Borders and Torture," March 22, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Clinton backs Obama's Gitmo plan," February 23, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "3rd Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," December 19, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "3rd Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," December 19, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated," October 13, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Hillary Clinton calls for no-fly zone in Syria," October 1, 2015
- ↑ National Journal, "Hillary Clinton: Cyber Legislation in Congress Is 'Not Enough' to Stop Foreign Hackers," July 7, 2015
- ↑ Time, “Hillary Clinton’s Unapologetically Hawkish Record Faces 2016 Test," January 14, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 The Atlantic, "Hillary Clinton: 'Failure' to Help Syrian Rebels Led to the Rise of ISIS," accessed February 3, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, “Backstage Glimpses of Clinton as Dogged Diplomat, Win or Lose," February 2, 2013
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, “Gates: Clinton’s Comment on Iraq Surge an ‘Anomaly’," January 13, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Romney Says Sen. Clinton 'Timid' on Iran," accessed January 29, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, “Sen. Clinton Urges U.N. Sanctions Against Iran," January 20, 2006
- ↑ Senate.gov, “Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the USA Patriot Act Reauthorization Conference Report," December 16, 2005
- ↑ Congress.gov, “H.J.Res.114 - the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002,” accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 24, 2016
