Clinton Leaves to Applause, Mixed Record on Middle East
Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mastered the memes of 21st century diplomacy but her substantive legacy, especially on the Middle East, is thin.
One more day, one more standing ovation. Hillary Clinton received the accolades of the Council on Foreign Relations Thursday in her last major public appearance before leaving office Friday [Feb. 1] as secretary of state.
Clinton asserted that the US was far “stronger at home and more respected in the world” than when she and President Barack Obama took office four years ago.
She described a changing mix of institutions and techniques she has embraced to exert influence in the 21st century and compared them to a building by architect Frank Gehry. The institutions created after World War II — the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, NATO and the United Nations – were more like the ancient Greek Parthenon, she said.
But if Clinton has mastered the lingo and the memes — the Twitter feeds and town halls that are now required tools for top diplomats — her substantive legacy remains thin, especially when it comes to the Middle East.
