In Iran Speech, Clinton Reveals Her Hawkish Tendencies

In Iran Speech, Clinton Reveals Her Hawkish Tendencies
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the Brookings Institution, Washington, Sept. 9, 2015 (AP photo by Carolyn Kaster).

One of the defining declarations of Barack Obama’s 2008 run for the White House was his pledge not only to end the war in Iraq, but also to change the mindset that got America involved in that disastrous war in the first place. In fits and starts, he has adopted that approach as president, particularly in his second term. Unfortunately it appears that Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state and now the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, still hasn’t gotten the memo.

Last week Clinton ventured to Washington’s Brookings Institution to talk about her views on the Iran nuclear deal. While she unsurprisingly had positive words about the agreement, the rest of her comments were more troubling. Seven years after losing the Democratic nomination to Obama, in part because of her support for the Iraq War, it seems she still can’t shake the impulse to talk like a foreign policy hawk.

In a speech dripping with contempt for Iran and its leaders that was militaristic to the point of high comedy, Clinton declared that her starting point for dealing with Iran will be one of “distrust.”

Keep reading for free!

Get instant access to the rest of this article by submitting your email address below. You'll also get access to three articles of your choice each month and our free newsletter:

Or, Subscribe now to get full access.

Already a subscriber? Log in here .

What you’ll get with an All-Access subscription to World Politics Review:

A WPR subscription is like no other resource — it’s like having a personal curator and expert analyst of global affairs news. Subscribe now, and you’ll get:

  • Immediate and instant access to the full searchable library of tens of thousands of articles.
  • Daily articles with original analysis, written by leading topic experts, delivered to you every weekday.
  • Regular in-depth articles with deep dives into important issues and countries.
  • The Daily Review email, with our take on the day’s most important news, the latest WPR analysis, what’s on our radar, and more.
  • The Weekly Review email, with quick summaries of the week’s most important coverage, and what’s to come.
  • Completely ad-free reading.

And all of this is available to you when you subscribe today.

More World Politics Review