Relaxed, smiling and easily distanced from active politics, Hillary Clinton offered this friday Barcelona a panoramic view great world affairs that he was the hero for many years. By hurling a veiled self-criticism, former US Secretary of State He acknowledged the West’s reluctance to confront. Vladimir Putin who have warned for years about their intentions with Russian intervention in Georgia in 2008 or annexation of Crimea Ukraine in 2014. occupation of Ukraine. “No one wanted to accept that Putin would become Europe’s aggressor in order to jeopardize the order established after World War II and the autonomy of the former Soviet republics,” he said during the meeting, which lasted a little over an hour. “We’re committed to imposing some sanction and rhetorically criticizing it. There was no appetite for more.”
Hillary was the star of the match. 50th anniversary of CIDOB (Barcelona Center for International Affairs), one of the main laboratories of dedicated ideas international relations in Spain, a country where it is not abundant. He had visited the Catalan capital for the first time in his 75-year life, where he arrived on Thursday, after spending a few days in Madrid, always in the company of the ambassador. Julissa Reynoso, maintaining a close friendship. Accustomed to arousing mixed feelings in the United States, where many Republicans have made demonization a way of life, Hillary found nothing but applause at the meeting. MACBA chapelfull to the brim.
During his time at the head of US diplomacy, Clinton had to deal directly with Putin, whom he described as “”.dictator reminiscent of tsars and dreams of restoring the Russian empire”. According to him, the Kremlin autocrat miscalculated in Ukraine. it was so donald trump He promised to remove the United States from NATO if he was re-elected in 2020. john boltonRepublican Secretary of State, a United Front in the West. “Western solidarity or some sanctions are too harshmassive military aid to Ukraine and above all led Volodymyr Zelensky and the courage of the Ukrainians,” said Hillary.
The future of the world order
destiny international relations, stressed that it is played in the tortured Slavic country. “What kind of decision will Ukraine make? world order we have the ability to build,” he said during the conversation with the solemnity that sometimes permeates. “We must support Ukraine because not only the integrity of its neighbors is at stake, but also the integrity of the country. Western democracy”.
Also former First Lady and former senator from New York, Russian military debacleBesides the violent reaction of the West, it had a tremendous impact on him. Chinese and your neighborhood. “xi (Jinping) expected a quick victory for Russia.” A result that, he said, will help Beijing reflect its growth more firmly. hegemony in Asia. And maybe to hit taiwan. Before referring to increased military spending in Japan or the Philippines’ rapprochement with Washington, “Putin’s aggressive behavior in Ukraine has caused Asian countries to rethink their security.”
Clinton has kept a low profile since quitting active politics in 2016 after losing the election to Trump. In addition to lecturing, Clinton foundation And Forward TogetherAnother organization he founded in 2017, progressive causes. He also started to teach International Relations classes last February. Columbia University.
Betting on Biden’s victory
“One smart demagogue, like all demagogues”, he rightly said. He was, of course, tasked with remembering that he had won more than three million votes in the elections he lost. embers, a puya that makes the audience laugh. and blamed republicans to engage in any kind of work dirty traps to make sure they can win, even if they keep losing the popular vote electoral vote Opening the doors of the White House. “I’m sure Biden will win re-election if we can count the votes, like the rest of the world,” he said.
One of these days was his fourth visit to Turkey. SpainHe said he had to take the lead. rapprochement with Latin America. Hillary acknowledged that both Europeans and Americans neglected the area as they had Africa, which had largely turned its back on the Western Front in Ukraine to defeat Putin’s troops.