Hillary Doctrine

“The Hillary Doctrine” is a term used to describe the agenda of former American First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “The Hillary Doctrine” was used in many articles discussing talks given by Clinton arguing that women’s rights both at home and abroad (especially in the Middle East) should be considered issues of national security.

In a Newsweek article published in March 2011 by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon , Clinton is quoted as saying that she believes “that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century” . To strengthen her argument for women’s rights, Clinton often situates this issue within the context of national security, in that “where women are disempowered and dehumanized, you are more likely to see not just antidemocratic forces, but extremism that leads to security challenges”. Lemmon traces the lineage of Clinton’s political career from standing in the shadow of her husband, Bill Clinton, as First Lady, to being put in the public spotlight due to a speech she gave at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 in Beijing. In this speech, Clinton made the important point that “if there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all”. This statement could be pointed to as a pivotal moment and starting point in the formation of what we now know as “The Hillary Doctrine.”

Another article on “The Hillary Doctrine,” this time published in The Atlantic on 25 January 2013 by David Rohde, explains “The Hillary Doctrine” in terms of exchanges between Hillary and other American politicians within discussions of dilemmas concerning the United States in various countries on the continent of Africa. This time, Clinton explicitly called out actions taken by the United States abroad, and argued that “a lot of the challenges we face are not immediately – or sustainably – solved by military action alone”. Further, while “The Hillary Doctrine” focuses on populations, such as women and children, that are typically ignored within discussions of national security, Clinton also makes an effort to push for including places that have historically been ignored within these discussions, as well.

In another article from The Atlantic, this one also written by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, published on the 8th of April, 2013, “The Hillary Doctrine” is elucidated yet again. Lemmon cites a speech given by then Secretary Clinton in which she reflects upon the case she made for women’s rights in the past and argues that “too many otherwise thoughtful people continue to see the fortunes of women and girls as somehow separate from society at large”. Further, Clinton explains how extremists rely upon this ignorance to keep women from being liberated within their larger motivations of keeping entire societies from achieving liberation. However, rather than speaking in abstract terms of “extremists” and “societies,” Clinton concretely identifies countries that she wants to see treat their women better, namely: Egypt, Pakistan, India, and America . To conclude, Lemmon speculates whether “The Hillary Doctrine” will be transformed into a political platform upon which Clinton can run for President in 2015. However, regardless of speculation on Clinton’s actions in the future, for now, “The Hillary Doctrine” stands as an important contribution to national security discussions around the world.