Page 194 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

LEADERSHIP SECRETS IN ACTION

President-elect Obama has called the central front in the
fight against terrorism. We need to deepen our engage-
ment with these and other countries in the region and pur-
sue policies that improve the lives of the Afghan and
Pakistani people.
As we focus on Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, we must
also actively pursue a strategy of smart power in the Mid-
dle East that addresses the security needs of Israel and the
legitimate political and economic aspirations of the Pales-
tinians; that effectively challenges Iran to end its nuclear
weapons program and sponsorship of terror, and persuades
both Iran and Syria to abandon their dangerous behavior
and become constructive regional actors; that strengthens
our relationships with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, other
Arab states, with Turkey, and with our partners in the Gulf
to involve them in securing a lasting peace in the region.
As intractable as the Middle East’s problems may
seem—and many presidents, including my husband, have
spent years trying to help work out a resolution—we can-
not give up on peace. The president-elect and I understand
and are deeply sympathetic to Israel’s desire to defend itself
under the current conditions, and to be free of shelling by
Hamas rockets.
However, we have also been reminded of the tragic
humanitarian costs of conflict in the Middle East, and
pained by the suffering of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
This must only increase our determination to seek a just

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