During a speech at the Saban Forum, Hillary Clinton pledged her support for Israel if elected president. She spoke about ISIS and its threat to the world and Israeli security moving forward. Two major points to Israeli security include the nuclear agreement with Iran and working toward a negotiated peace between Israel and Palestine. Clinton is optimistic, but cautious, about the agreement with Iran saying that the world will need to strictly monitor and enforce the terms of the agreement. Clinton concluded her speech by praising Israel for its strength and resolve. Following her speech, Clinton answered questions from the audience, including questions about using the military to enforce the nuclear agreement with Iran, and how she would work to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. A full video of her speech and Q&A secession is above.
Yesterday, Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled her energy plan after coming out against the Keystone XL Pipeline earlier this week. In a blog post on Medium, Clinton announced her plan to make the United States “the clean energy superpower of the 21st century”. Her plan calls for a series of infrastructure improvements including repairing and replacing outdated oil and gas lines, increase safety of railroad transpiration, and enhancing the security of the current energy grid. She is also calling for new resources including a National Infrastructure Bank, grants, accelerated federal investment, and innovation. She is also proposing the creation of a North American Climate Compact to encourage the US, Canada, and Mexico to work together to reduce their impact on the environment and combat climate change. Full details of Clinton’s plan can be viewed on The Briefing.
In her blog post, Clinton outlined this and explained why she opposes the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Her full post is below:
When I was secretary of state, the department began reviewing an application to build a pipeline that would bring Canadian oil sands crude across the border, run more than a thousand miles through the American heartland, and terminate in Nebraska — Keystone XL.
As the secretary who initiated the review, I refrained from commenting on the pipeline after I left the federal government. I didn’t want to get ahead of President Obama while the process was still underway — because the decision was and is his to make.
Since the application was filed, the effects of climate change have grown more acute. More than 8 million acres have burned in the United States so far this wildfire season. California is in the fourth year of a historic drought scientists say has been made worse by climate change. More severe storms and extreme heat waves have wreaked havoc around the world.
I have come to feel I can’t stay silent on an issue that matters so much to so many. Though I wanted to give the president space to make a decision, the process has taken far longer than I expected. I want the American people to know where I stand. That’s why I am making it clear:
I am opposed to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
We shouldn’t be building a pipeline dedicated to moving North America’s dirtiest fuel through our communities — we should be focused on what it will take to make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century. For too long, the Keystone XL pipeline has been a distraction from the real challenges facing our energy sector — and the job-creating investments that we should be making to meet them. Building a clean, secure, and affordable North American energy future is bigger than Keystone XL or any other single project. That’s what I will focus on as president.
That’s why today I am announcing a comprehensive strategy to modernize American energy infrastructure and forge a new partnership with Canada and Mexico to combat climate change across the continent, unleashing billions in investment, delivering reliable and affordable energy, protecting the health of our families and communities, and creating good-paying jobs and careers.
The United States trades as much energy with Canada and Mexico each year as with all other countries combined, through a deeply integrated pipeline network, rail system, and electrical grid. As President, I will immediately launch negotiations with Canada and Mexico to forge a North American Climate Compact that sets strong national targets to cut carbon pollution, so all three countries demonstrate a commitment to climate action; provides accountability measures, so each country has confidence that the others are living up to their end of the bargain; and creates certainty for investors and confidence in the future of our climate, so we can all marshal resources equal to the challenges we face.
In recent years, American communities have endured toxic pipeline spills and rail car explosions. We have yet to harness new technologies that reduce costs and increase consumer choice or to sufficiently protect the grid against the growing threat of cyber-attack. Even as states and the Obama administration have worked to accelerate clean energy deployment, we need to do more. Simply put, our infrastructure has not kept pace with the changing energy sector.
To help unleash the investment we need, I will create a national infrastructure bank that leverages public and private capital, and work with Congress to close corporate tax loopholes and increase transportation funding to cut commute times, oil consumption, and pollution. Along with my Clean Energy Challenge to boost low-carbon electricity, improve building efficiency, and make our cars and trucks cheaper to fuel and cleaner to operate, these steps will create jobs and opportunity across the country.
Our more than 2 million miles of oil and natural gas pipes are in disrepair, resulting in oil spills, chronic methane leaks, and even devastating explosions. I will strengthen national pipeline safety regulations and partner with pipeline operators, local regulators, and technology providers in repairing and replacing thousands of miles of the country’s oldest pipes.
Over the past five years, a 20-fold increase in the amount of oil shipped by rail has led to devastating accidents. My plan speeds up the retirement of the oldest and riskiest train cars, repairs track defects, and guarantees first responders and the public have better information about oil and hazardous materials passing through their communities.
We must also invest in grid security and resilience. My plan creates a new threat assessment team to improve coordination and protect our grid from cyberattack, and strengthens the grid to reliably and affordably meet both base load and peak demand.
American energy policy is about more than a single pipeline to transport Canada’s dirtiest fuel across our country. It’s about building our future — a future where the United States will once again lead the world by constructing state-of-the-art infrastructure, creating new jobs and new markets, accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy, and improving the health, safety, and security of all Americans.
This morning, Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a highly anticipated speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. After being introduced by Brookings president Strobe Talbott, she voiced her support for the agreement between the United States and Iran, and took a strong stance on enforcement of the oversight introduced by the agreement and ensuring that Iran does not break the agreement. The key to ensuring safety in the region is limiting Iran’s nuclear capabilities and ensuring oversight by the IAEA. Clinton’s primary focus was a continuing diplomatic approach to Iran, but she did not rule out a stronger response if Iran broke the agreement.
Clinton did not shy away from her skepticism of Iran and understands why many world leaders and politicians are skeptical as well. But a lot of work has gone in to getting Iran to the negotiating table and, while the agreement may not be perfect, it is a start. She addressed her success as Secretary of State of putting together a global sanctions package against Iran. As a result, many countries cut back its use of Iranian oil and cut off financial ties. This was successful because it was global, and the sanctions persuaded Iran to come to the negotiating table that ultimately led to this agreement.
Clinton admitted several times that the agreement isn’t perfect, and that continued work and strong enforcement are necessary to make it better over time. But it is better to have the oversight the agreement provides. It is up to the United States to ensure the deal is enforced by the global community. As president, she said that her strategy with Iran would be “distrust and verify,” and that if they cheated the deal, the United States and the world would respond swiftly and with strength.
She voiced her support for Israel and her understanding for the skepticism that has been voiced by Israeli leaders. As president, she would strongly support Israel, and ensuring the security of Israel is one of the primary pillars of Clinton’s foreign policy plan. She’s confident that Israel will be safer with this deal, and the oversight of Iran’s nuclear program, then without it.
Following her address, Clinton had a brief conversation with Martin Indyk, executive vice president of Brookings, in which she went in to more detail about the agreement and how to go about implementing it. The floor was then opened to the audience to ask questions. The full video from the event is above.
Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at Georgetown University at an event sponsored by Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (GIWPS); Harvard’s Institute for Inclusive Security; and the Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings Initiative. Her speech was entitled “Smart Power: Security Through Inclusive Leadership” and focused on women participating in the peace process throughout the world. The event featured a panel discussion following Clinton’s speech. Also speaking at the event was the Minister of Defense for the Kingdom of Norway Ine Eriksen Søreide.
Clinton spoke about women involved in peace process throughout the world and the diplomatic role many women have taken on. She said, “This is what we call Smart Power, using every possible tool…leaving no one on the sidelines, showing respect even for one’s enemies, trying to understand, and insofar as is psychologically possible, empathize with their perspective and point of view, helping to define the problems [and] determine a solution, that is what we believe in the 21st century will change the prospect for peace.”
Those taking part in the panel included: Ambassador Marriët Schuurman, special representative to the NATO Secretary General for Women, Peace and Security; Maj. Gen. Adrian Foster, deputy military adviser for the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations; Akihiko Tanaka, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency; Lt. Gen. Daniel Leaf, director of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies; Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General (via video); and Staffan de Mistura, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria (via video).
The event was captured live on Ustream and the video is still available by CLICKING HERE.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 