Neil Sudan

Ms. Wittman
Writing Seminar
6/6/16
Foreign Policy in Presidential Election
As the world grows increasingly unstable as a result of terrorism, fluctuating economies,
and tenuous international relations, knowledge of foreign policy is especially necessary in a
presidential candidate. Voters want someone capable of managing world affairs. Of all the
available candidates, only one is capable of being a world leader: Hillary Clinton. Hillary
Clinton has vast experience with foreign policy in Congress and as the former Secretary of State.
In addition, as a former First Lady, Clinton saw firsthand the skills necessary to be president.
Hillary Clintons experience clearly establishes her as the only acceptable presidential candidate.
As Secretary of State, Clinton had experiences with world affairs and developed
diplomatic skills that none of the other candidates possess. Hillary Clinton was the first
Secretary of State current President Obama appointed to his cabinet. Hillary Clinton was one of
the most active Secretaries of State in recent history. During her time as Secretary of State, she
saw the early stages of the Syrian Civil War and the invasion of Libya, defining moments for the
Obama administration. Clinton also did not shy away from controversial topics as evidence by
her actions with Benghazi. The scandal with Benghazi was that the Government was caught in a
lie. Secretary Clinton was highly criticized, over how her department handled this scandal. Her
department acted for the benefit of this nation by covertly assessing a dangerous situation. It was
in these key moments that Hillary Clinton developed the ability to operate effectively in a hostile

environment. Aaron David Miller, who worked under five different US Presidents negotiating
peace in the Middle East, said in a quote for Politico Magazine: President Obama is the most
controlling foreign policy president since Richard Nixon. In addition to the stress of working
with global issues, Miller is saying that President Obama constantly interfered with Clintons
work. While this lead to her eventual dismissal from the Cabinet, Hillary Clintons time as
Secretary of State was proved her ability to maintain composure in a high stress environment, a
useful quality in a leader.
Clintons experiences as a United States senator also contribute to her readiness to be a
powerful foreign policy president. Hillary Clinton spent her eight years dealing with the
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Iraq war. Even Senator Sanders
admitted to his shortcomings when comparing himself to Hillary Clinton in an interview with
The Guardian. In the interview, Sanders begins by saying experience is invaluable when
addressing Donald Trump, but quickly changes his view when he agrees that he is not as
proficient in Foreign Policy as Hillary Clinton. Sanders lack of experience has been proven to
be detrimental. During a debate earlier this year, Sanders stated the best way to fight Isis is to
build an international coalition against Isis similar to the format of NATO, which, at first, sounds
great; he later said he also wants to remove United States soldiers from conflict. Essentially, if
Sanders became President he would burn bridges with any remaining cooperating allies. On the
other hand, Clinton put to work her understanding of other world leaders and recognized the
gravity of alienating our allies and vehemently disagreed with Sanders plan. Clinton understood
the crisis and acted in a way that prevented another one.

Further, in many ways Clinton already knows how to be a successful foreign policy
president after having lived on the frontlines of her husbands presidency for eight years. Hillary
saw first hand how Bill acted during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how he handled the
North American Free Trade Agreement. She observed how to be an effective leader and has
applied it during her time as Secretary of State and will continue to apply it during her term in
the Oval office. While she is taking and applying the positive skills she observed, she can apply
her understanding of the Business of the White House to her already long list of credentials.
Essentially, through using her close observations, she can enter her term without requiring the
sharp learning curve that previous presidents needed.
We are at a crossroads in this nation. With Barack Obama entering the final months of
his last term, the election is coming down to three individuals: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders,
and Donald Trump. While Donald Trump was spending his time on reality television shows and
Bernie Sanders was debating over tax reform, Hillary Clinton was developing the skills that a
president needs. She has by far the most foreign policy experience, an indispensable quality in
our dangerous and turbulent world.