Hillary Clinton is an advocate of something she calls “Smart Power,” which she presumably exercised during her time as Secretary of State and will, again, should she become president.
And what, exactly is “Smart Power?”
Glad you asked, says Lanny Davis, long time spear carrier (and catcher) for the Clintons. Writing in The Hill Davis explains the concept by quoting from a recent Clinton speech on Iran:
“We want to give space for diplomacy to work,” she said (soft power). “If it does not, then we can always and we will, put on additional sanctions … and yes, we will explore every other option. And let’s be clear, every other option does remain on the table.” (hard power).
And just in case you don’t get it, Davis reduces it to simple arithmetic:
In short, soft + hard = smart
And says:
… it could be one of Clinton’s most enduring doctrines and legacies of her leadership at the State Department in the early years of the 21st century.
Right.
