21,200 miles later, Hillary comes home after African tour.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, walksa with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Monrovia, Liberia Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Clinton offered strong support Thursday for embattled President Sirleaf. Liberia is the sixth leg of Clinton's seven-nation tour of Africa aimed at promoting democracy and development.(AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)

Hillary Clinton has completed an arduous 21,200 mile, 11-day, seven-country tour of Africa. With the exception of an embarrassing over-reaction to a town hall question that was misinterpreted to be about her husband, Bill Clinton, by all measures her trip was an unqualified success.

In another international test, Hillary has demonstrated her intelligence, a sensitivity to international concerns, and a fierce determination to chance perceptions of the U.S. and its foreign policy.

Here’s a breakdown of her trip country-by-country from Christian Science Monitor contributor, Tracey D. Samuelson:

From massive oil-producing Nigeria to the tiny island-nation of Cape Verde, Secretary Clinton’s trip highlighted the many sides of the diverse continent. Her seven-country tour was as much about securing US interests in resource-heavy lands as it was about supporting African development. Following are summaries of her visit in each country:

Kenya

A primary goal of Clinton’s 11-day trip was to reiterate the message of transparent and corruption-free governance that President Obama urged during his trip to Ghana last month. This reiteration began at the first stop, Kenya.

Indeed, the birthplace of Mr. Obama’s father was not spared criticism for its shortcomings. “The absence of strong and democratic institutions has permitted ongoing corruption, impunity, politically motivated violence, human rights abuses, lack of respect for the rule of law,” Clinton said at a news conference after meeting with President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Discussions also included trade, agricultural development, and the instability of neighboring Somalia. In addition, Clinton met with Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, president of Somalia’s transitional government, to offer reassurance of US support.

South Africa

Clinton’s time in South Africa, a country often known as the continent’s economic powerhouse, focused on strengthening relations that had soured and stalled during the administrations of former Presidents George W. Bush and Thabo Mbeki.

“In both countries, there are two new administrations which are taking that relationship a level higher,” South African President Jacob Zuma said after meeting with Clinton.

Clinton also stressed that South Africa should be a leader for the continent and toured an HIV/AIDS clinic outside of Johannesburg that is partially funded by the United States.

Angola

Oil-rich Angola is strategically attractive to the US. Already, Angola supplies America with 7 percent of its oil imports. Angola’s worldwide oil revenues account for approximately 85 percent of its gross domestic product.

Here, Clinton pressed for strong democratic institutions and governmental transparency, pushing President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to hold the country’s first presidential elections since 1992. Mr. dos Santos agreed to elections “in a timely manner,” according to Clinton.

Clinton also stressed the need for Angola to redevelop its once-productive agricultural industry. And she signed an agreement that provides the country with $17 million to combat HIV/AIDS and prevent new infections. It was one of only two pledges for new aid announced on the trip.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Traveling to Goma, a conflict-ridden provincial capital, Clinton focused on the crimes against women that have become widespread in this country and in neighboring Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Since war broke out 12 years ago, 200,000 women and girls have been raped in Congo, the United Nations estimates. In “very frank” discussions with President Joseph Kabila, Clinton said, she “made the point that these crimes, no matter who commits them, must be prosecuted and punished.”

To Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito, she added at a dinner in her honor, “There must be an end to widespread financial corruption and abuses of human rights and women’s rights.”

Clinton also spoke out against “conflict minerals” mined in the country and announced that the US will provide more than $17 million in new funding to prevent and respond to gender and sexual violence here.

Nigeria

“Nigeria is at a crossroads,” Clinton said at a town-hall-style meeting in the capital, Abuja. She stressed the need for Africa’s largest country – and one of its most corrupt – to implement democratic reforms.

Before an audience of civil activists in Abuja, she cited a recent World Bank report that said Nigeria has lost more than $300 billion to corruption and mismanagement over three decades. And, Clinton said, the “lack of transparency and accountability has eroded the legitimacy of the government and contributed to the rise of groups that embrace violence and reject the authority of the state.”

Clinton and her counterpart, Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe, announced a new binational commission that, among other things, will aim to improve the stability of the oil-rich Niger delta.

The US supports Nigeria’s inclusion in the Group of 20, Clinton also said, but the country first has to tackle its corruption problems, she added.

Liberia

At a luncheon to honor the continent’s only female president, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Clinton said, “I will admit it. It’s not diplomatic, but I happen to be a fan and a friend of your president.”

Thousands lined the streets to greet Clinton in the warmest reception of all her African sojourns.

Despite a seven-year civil war, Liberia has been politically and economically stable since about 2005.

But Clinton did not shy away from the work Liberia has yet to do.

“Liberian people still need jobs, electricity, housing, and education,” Clinton said before a joint session of the Liberian National Legislature. “Law enforcement is still inadequate, and after years of war and lawlessness, institutions have been left crippled.”

She also noted the need for budgetary oversight and increased governmental transparency.

But she also said, “In just three years, there are encouraging signs of progress.”

Cape Verde

That Clinton included Cape Verde, a palm-speckled archipelago and refueling stop for long-distance flights, was a surprise to many.

But it was one last opportunity for her to highlight an example of good governance in Africa, after strong critiques of corruption in many of her previous stops.

“Few places … demonstrate the promise of Africa better than Cape Verde,” Clinton said in a news conference before returning to Washington.

Hillary pledges U.S. support for South Africa’s economic growth.

In a speech yesterday  at an International Business Corporation event in Johannesburg, South Africa, Hillary Clinton lauded the economic gains made in South Africa in particular and in the African continent as a whole. 

Saying that the U.S. could learn a great deal from South Africa’s “example,” she added:

South Africa, as a member of the G-20 and one of the most important emerging economies of the world, is uniquely positioned to advance its own economic trajectory and to propel economic growth on the African continent as a whole. Looking at the world map today, it isn’t easy to find countries with financial and economic policies that have been as sound as South Africa’s. And I know how difficult that is. But I also recognize that these policies have translated into good credit and low levels of debt, banks that are solvent and well-regulated and largely free of the type of bad loans that led to the bank failures in my country and others that helped to fuel this economic crisis that swept across the globe. Frankly, we could learn a lot from your example.

Hillary also reminded her audience of the importance of spreading democracy and economic equality to African states that are still embroiled in civil unrest:

It is a simple fact that investors are not attracted to states with failed or weak leadership, crime and civil unrest or corruption that taints every transaction and decision. In the political decisions that were made in this country after apartheid, you can see an engaged citizenry that turned out in such huge percentages for the presidential election and the constitution. And therefore, South Africa has both the stature and the experience to bring to the dilemmas facing a lot of other countries.

She reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to engaging South Africa economically and gave her support to a U.S. – South Africa Business Council:

. . . economic ties between the United States and South Africa have a lot of room to grow. One of the promising ideas is a U.S.-South Africa Business Council, or as you might prefer, South Africa-U.S. Business Council. (Laughter.) And we intend to follow up on that. When a delegation comes to the Corporate Council for Africa meeting in Washington next month, we will begin with discussions that will lead, we hope, to the establishment of such a council.

You can read the complete text of Hillary’s comments here.

Hillary Clinton leads U.S. – China strategic and economic dialogue.

Hillary meeting with Chinese State Councilor Dai.

Perhaps the United States is finally willing to accept China and its internal policies for what they really represent: a deeply ingrained belief in Chinese culture that the people of China require — perhaps even desire — a heavy governmental hand to provide order, direction, and purpose. Anyone familiar with Chinese history understands this.

It appears that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration “get it.” In her remarks at the conclusion of the U.S. – China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, Hillary made only passing mention of U.S. concerns about China’s human rights practices. Saying they had a “candid and respectful” discussion, the Secretary made no other mention of the topic and instead focused on the meeting’s accomplishments in areas such as trade, military cooperation, climate change, and in dealing with world “hot spots” such as Iran and North Korea.

Hillary at U.S. - China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Downplaying the human rights issue has upset both conservatives and liberals in the U.S. But I think Hillary and Obama have it right. Whatever changes China makes in this area will come from within, not from U.S. or international pressure. Such pressure has never worked in the past and it won’t now.

Here’s the text of what Hillary had to say in her closing remarks:

Good afternoon. We have just finished a very thorough, intense, and productive two days. Secretary Geithner and I were honored to co-chair the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and we have been delighted to host Vice Premier Wang and State Councilor Dai and the entire Chinese delegation.

What has taken place over the past two days is unprecedented in U.S.-China relations. The meetings we have just concluded represent the largest gathering ever of top leaders from our two countries. The range of issues covered was unparalleled. And the result is that we have laid the foundation for a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship for the 21st century.

Our governments released a joint statement summarizing our discussions. During our meetings, we spoke candidly about some of the world’s most difficult challenges. We agreed that further cooperation and action is needed to achieve global economic recovery, to promote stability in Northeast Asia, resume the Six-Party Talks, and implement UN Security Council Resolution 1874 to address ongoing threats of violent extremism and nuclear proliferation, to encourage Iran to live up to its international obligations, and to work toward peace and stability in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East.

We made progress in working toward the global nuclear security summit that President Obama has called for next spring. And I’m pleased to announce that we will be conducting U.S.-China talks on counter-terrorism this fall. We agreed to a continuation and expansion of our military-to-military relations and to robust educational, cultural, scientific, and people-to-people diplomacy.

For our part, the United States was proud to reaffirm our participation in the Shanghai World Expo next year. And later this evening, we and our Chinese colleagues will participate in a dinner of American business leaders and citizens supporting that effort. In areas where we do not always agree, such as human rights, we had candid and respectful exchanges.

We also today, representing the world’s two biggest producers and consumers of energy, completed a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation on climate change, energy, and the environment. This MOU affirmed our commitment to reaching a successful international agreement on climate change and will expand our cooperation to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.

These are just a few of the concrete discussions and achievements of this first Strategic and Economic Dialogue. It represents 30 years of progress, because in many ways, we are building on the work that has gone before and taking it to a new level. But sometimes, the most telling measures of progress are less tangible. Over the past two days, State Councilor Dai and I have spent many hours in discussion. We’ve had the opportunity to meet privately and to talk very openly between ourselves to try to understand each other’s point of view. And I know the same is true for Secretary Geithner and Vice Premier Wang.

Our delegations have spent hours in consultation and negotiation, and we’ve not been limited to just the usual topic or two. We’ve enlisted partners from across our government to work across departments and bureaus and agencies to tackle these difficult challenges that we are facing together. Climate change and energy security, for example, is an economic issue, a diplomatic issue, a development issue, an energy issue, an environmental issue, an agricultural issue, and a national security issue all rolled into one. And so it must be addressed in its full complexity. We have made a good start on that and we look forward to continuing it in the future.

This dialogue has established a new pattern of cooperation between our governments and a forum for discussion. It’s begun to develop a structure for moving forward on this range of issues. Now we know there’s a lot of work ahead, but we began this process at the beginning of the Obama Administration for a purpose, because we knew it would take time and effort and patience, and we are willing and eager to continue.

Sunday night, the state councilor and I and a few of our aides were having dinner, and in the course of what was a very relaxed and social occasion, we were discussing our families. And State Councilor Dai informed us that he had a new grandson. As we began talking, we realized that all that we were doing was really on behalf of our children and our grandchildren. I said that perhaps at the beginning of every government dialogue, we should all take out pictures of our children and our grandchildren and put them on the tables in front of us to be reminded of what was at stake in our high-level negotiations. As State Councilor Dai said, those photos would remind us of the task ahead and of our responsibility to move forward and of the future we are trying to build.

We just finished meeting with President Obama and he expressed his appreciation to President Hu for working to set forth this dialogue, starting at their meeting in London. We are committed to taking the next steps on this journey together. And I thank our Chinese colleagues for a very important beginning. It is now my privilege to introduce Secretary Tim Geithner.