February 1, 2013

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton completes her term as America’s top diplomat today, amid widespread speculation about a possible future as a presidential candidate in 2016. Since her appointment in 2009,  Clinton has traveled to more countries than any other U.S. secretary of state, logging nearly 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers). As secretary of state, she emphasized women’s rights, gay rights, global food security, and climate change. She also worked to confront international terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to limit Iran’s nuclear programs.

Although Clinton has frequently come under severe criticism by conservative politicians and media, she is leaving office with a 70-percent approval rating, the second highest of any U.S. secretary of state since 1948, after Colin Powell. Clinton has also been named the most admired woman in the world 17 years in a row in a poll of Americans by the Gallup public opinion research organization. She will be succeeded by former United States Senator John Kerry, who was confirmed by the Senate earlier this week.

Hillary Rodham Clinton served as secretary of state of the United States from 2009 to 2013. (U.S. Department of State)

President Barack Obama surprised nearly everyone–including Clinton herself–by asking her to take the post at the State Department. Clinton and then-Senator Obama had fought a bitter battle for the 2008 Democratic presidental nomination. After Obama won the nomination, however, Clinton campaigned enthusiastically for her former rival. Incoming President Obama then chose Clinton to help repair the image of the United States abroad, after nearly a decade of war in the Middle East. As first lady from 1993 to 2001, she had traveled extensively to represent the administration of her husband, President Bill Clinton, and had developed close ties with many world leaders.

Clinton was one of the most active and politically engaged first ladies in U.S. history. In 1993, she was the chief author of a plan to guarantee low-cost health care to all Americans. Congress chose not to act on the plan. Many people thought it would give the government too large a role in the health care system.  But in 1996, Congress passed a bill that included key elements of the plan.

In 2000, Clinton became the only first lady ever elected to public office. A Democrat, she won election to the U.S. Senate from New York and was reelected in 2006.

September 12, 2012

The United States ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. Libyan Ambassador John Christopher Stevens and the other victims died as rioters attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire. In Cairo, the capital of Egypt, an angry mob also scaled the wall of the U.S. embassy and pulled down and burned the American flag. Initial reports linked the violence in both Libya and Egypt to a film highly critical of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. However, later reports and some U.S. officials suggested the assault was a well planned and well organized attack by heavily armed militants.

A statement issued by President Barack Obama said, in part,  “I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants.” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also condemned what she called a “vicious and violent attack.”

Libya and Egypt are part of the Arab world, areas where most people speak Arabic as their native language. (World Book map)

The film linked to the violence, Innocence of Muslims, was reportedly written and produced by one Sam Bacile, identified in some news reports as an Israeli filmmaker living in California. However, there were some conflicting reports suggesting that Bacile was a pseudonym for an anti-Muslim zealot who appeared to have intentionally stoked fury in the Arab world. A 13-minute trailer for the film was posted on the video-sharing website YouTube.

Additional World Book articles:

• Diplomatic corp
• Foreign Service
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)