Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Hillary Clinton has criticized Emmanuel Macron’s policy towards Russia – the French leader should take it as a compliment

Hillary Clinton has criticized Emmanuel Macron’s policy towards Russia – the French leader should take it as a compliment

If the warmongering American chastises you for seeking diplomacy, you know you’re doing something right
Former US Secretary of State, First Lady, Senator, and failed presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, passed through Paris last week, and seized an opportunity to chastise French President Emmanuel Macron on his own turf.

Clinton was interviewed on state broadcaster Radio France by Christine Ockrent – the journalist wife of former French foreign affairs minister, Bernard Kouchner – who asked about Clinton’s view of Macron’s recent controversial remarks. “We must not humiliate Russia so that the day the fighting stops, we can build a way out through diplomatic channels,” Macron had told the French regional press. “I am convinced that it is the role of France, to be a mediating power.” Clinton replied: “When we say that we don’t want to humiliate Russia, quite frankly, that seems a bit outdated to me. Putin crossed the red line a long time ago.” Clinton added: “I think the ultimate success would be defeating Putin. And in this, I can only agree with what President Zelensky and his government are asking for, that is, a total withdrawal from the occupied territories in Ukraine.”

Clinton perfectly captures the ideological mindset that plagues the Washington foreign policy establishment. We’re a far cry from the statesmanship and realpolitik foreign policy realism of her predecessor, former diplomat Henry Kissinger. He recently told the Davos World Economic Forum that peace in Ukraine should be negotiated within two months and should involve leaving the newly-seceded territories in the East, whose Russophone populations have suffered years of Kiev-led attacks and harassment, under the control of their pro-Russian authorities.

Clinton embodies the prevailing “us versus them” thinking on foreign policy matters. Everything is viewed through the narrow lens of the interests of a precious few American elites, with little care for what might be best for the average American citizen, let alone those of other nations, including Washington’s allies.

Clinton is also part of the Democratic Party old guard that blame Russian President Vladimir Putin when they stub their toe. In just the latest example, President Joe Biden said last week: “We've never seen anything like Putin’s tax on both food and gas,” in addressing the inflation that has spiked under Biden’s watch and policies. Putin isn’t taxing anyone in America, just like he didn’t “steal” the 2016 presidential election from Hillary Clinton. But Clinton has publicly blamed “Russian WikiLeaks” for her loss to Donald Trump, referring to WikiLeaks’ release of her campaign manager’s emails (and also “misogyny”), which revealed a cozy, arguably collusive, relationship between the Clinton campaign and the press to Trump’s detriment.

Instead of soul searching about why that might have turned off voters who don’t appreciate being manipulated, or acknowledging the complexities and challenges of technical attribution for any such breaches, it’s no doubt easier to just blame Putin.

Clinton really doesn’t risk much in doing so. Hollywood loves a good villain and Washington can always capitalize on a dramatic narrative that simplifies complex diplomacy into good versus evil. As Secretary of State, Clinton oversaw the NATO bombing of Libya, the migration blowback from which Europe is still feeling.

“We came, we saw, he died,” Clinton jubilated on the set of an interview when she found out that Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi had been liquidated in what was essentially a NATO-backed coup. Clinton reacted to Gaddafi’s death like her team had just won the Super Bowl, rather than treating it like a major geopolitical event with serious and lasting repercussions for regional stability.

Clinton was equally reckless towards Syria in her role as top diplomat, as she cheered the failed US-backed regime-change war against President Bashar Assad through the use of Pentagon and CIA-backed “Syrian rebels.” “We think Assad must go,” Clinton told ABC News. “The sooner the better for everyone concerned.”

Russia was ultimately left to clean up the mess that she helped cause, lest a “Big Bang” of jihadists disperse and find their way to Eurasia. But Clinton clearly couldn’t see past the end of her nose in assessing a potential fallout.

So it’s not exactly shocking that Clinton is now advocating in favor of Putin’s removal from office and the prolongation of the Ukraine conflict. It’s certainly not Clinton who’s going to be paying any kind of price in the event that her misguided advice is pursued, but rather the average Ukrainian, European, and Russian whose interests she’s treating like pawns. And if Emmanuel Macron needed any convincing that his recent stance in favor of peace sooner rather than later in Ukraine – along with the normalization of relations with Russia – is indeed the right path, the fact that Clinton is against it should be reassuring.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×