In January, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton advocated a new national security strategy entailing closer cooperation between the State Department, the military, government and civilian humanitarian agencies, and foreign allies. "Smart power," she called it.
Just a month later, U.S. smart power is becoming a reality in one of the world's most troubled regions. Off the coast of Somalia, a country that hasn't had a functional government in 18 years, a Navy-led international humanitarian and training mission has joined a new, firepower-heavy counterpiracy fleet, while State Department negotiators play a key supporting role. What has emerged is a complex, sophisticated and, yes, smart approach to fighting piracy. ...