The former US Secretary of State has often referenced her experience that ostensibly makes her particularly fit to be America's next commander in chief. Indeed, Clinton's extensive foreign policy record speaks for itself, but the picture it paints is far more complex and troubling. It is this record that prompted journalist Diana Johnstone to crown Hillary "the queen of chaos."
"As President Obama likes to say, Hillary Clinton has more national security experience than perhaps any previous nominee. But that is no endorsement because she is responsible in part for the global disorder that has broken out on Mr. Obama's watch," the WSJ asserted.
Jonathan Cristol made the same point in July, saying that "the truth is that President Obama's foreign policy failures are numerous – Libya, Russia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, post-deal Iran – while successes have been few. … As secretary of state, Clinton was a key player in many of these failures."
In addition, Clinton has long called for a more muscular foreign policy, particularly in Syria, fueling concerns that the US will launch a large-scale military operation in the war-torn Arab country if she moves into the White House on January 20, 2017.
"In the case of Clinton there hasn't been a major foreign policy decision in the Middle East she pushed for that didn't end up being a disaster both at home and the countries she advocated meddling in," analyst Adam Johnson wrote in January, adding that the Democratic hopeful "has only grown more bellicose and hawkish" since the Iraq vote.
"Even if Mrs. Clinton wants to restore US global leadership, she might not have the means given her desire to continue Mr. Obama's fiscal priorities. She wants to expand domestic spending and entitlements in a way that would inevitably starve defense," the WSJ observed. "Her likeliest path as President is continuing to retreat at a somewhat slower pace."
