“Who better than Hillary Rodham Clinton to think about international politics?” This is how the former US Secretary of State (2009-2013) was presented by the current Ambassador to Spain, Julissa Reynoso, who started in the Administration with her. Now they are friends. On the 50th anniversary of CIDOB in Barcelona, ​​Hillary Clinton, the first female U.S. presidential candidate, mentioned Russia’s war in Ukraine in a conversation with Paul Morillas, director of this analytical center. “In Ukraine, the world order that we are able to build is at stake. Putin threatened the stability of the West,” said Hillary Clinton, who believes that “Putin trusted Trump’s victory in 2020 to dominate Ukraine and the Baltic states and did not appreciate the strength of Joe Biden.”

Hillary Clinton competed with Trump in 2016, she won 2.6 million votes more than a millionaire Republican, but the electoral college votes decide, and her rival won there. In the US, there are 50 elections that are conducted in the presidential elections. There was an investigation into Russian interference, which was proven. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the oligarch who finances the Wagner Group, was behind the troll farms that fueled the pro-Trump disinformation campaign.

“The invasion of Ukraine is preceded by the invasion of Georgia in 2008, and then the invasion of Crimea and part of the Donbass in 2014. Putin is already seen as an aggressor and endangered security in Europe. But we are not taking aggressive action. I have dealt with Putin a lot, and he is not the most beloved person in the world. I tried to defend democratic values, especially for the Russian people. He is an authoritarian leader, reminiscent of a tsar who wants to restore imperial Russia,” he said. For these reasons, Putin also does not consider Hillary Clinton to be his favorite person in the world.

Putin did not count on the solidarity of Europe, the US and Canada. Neither with sanctions, nor with the leadership of Zelensky and the courage of the military and the Ukrainian people.”

Putin’s plan, according to Hillary Clinton, was to take advantage of Trump’s desire to weaken NATO and even withdraw the US from the Atlantic alliance in order to dominate Ukraine and the Baltics. His desire is to regain control over his neighbourhood, the member countries of the former USSR. “Putin did not count on the solidarity of Europe and the United States, Canada and other countries. Neither the sanctions, nor the military assistance that was provided to Ukraine, nor the leadership of Zelensky and the courage of the Ukrainian military and people.

The former Democratic presidential candidate stressed that the West’s policy towards Ukraine has proved to be “a unifying force between left and right governments. We realized that we must help the Ukrainians win, because this is also our struggle.

For Hillary Clinton, Ukrainian politics is intertwined with Ukrainian politics. “Our policy towards Ukraine is our policy towards China. Before the invasion, Putin met with Xi, and we believe he told him what he was going to do. The Russian leader told him that he would take control in a week. And it reads in Taiwanese code. I think Xi sees that the Russian military is not doing well and that they are being helped by mercenaries. The solidarity of the West also gave him food for thought. And the countries around China united in a military alliance. Even Japan has a defense budget, and the Philippines wants the US back. So they send a deterrent signal to China. All this is happening thanks to Ukraine.

The former secretary of state said that the United States is not interested in a war with China. “But we want to make it clear that they cannot invade democracies. We want to maintain economic relations with China, but show that it is a responsible power in terms of business competition, climate change, and also the pandemic.

Spanish leadership in Latin America

With regard to the Global South, he stressed that Spain has a special responsibility when it comes to leading the process of rapprochement with Latin America. “Spain and the EU can rise to the challenge and become leaders in Latin America so that the relationship is more sustainable and more committed,” said Hillary Clinton, who referred to China’s growing presence in Latin America.

He advocated a “more active and respectful policy” in Africa and Latin America to restore cooperation with these regions, where “we have to do better because we don’t have a good reputation, unlike China.”

surviving populism

Regarding her defeat in 2016, Hillary Clinton has already said that this was due to the fact that many voters were carried away by emotions. They were looking for someone to blame. “How can democracies survive populism?” Paul Morillas was indignant. “We fought a battle for a democratic future against a demagogue who used many scapegoats. He was very clever at creating readings that pitted one against the other. This is how we saw it in Hungary against immigrants and then against the opposition. It fuels resentment as an engine of political identity,” Clinton said.

Biden is trying to find compromises, and this is a way to fight populism.”

With an eye on 2024, the former head of American diplomacy reminded, we should focus on the electoral colleges. “If we were considered other countries, Biden would win again. Biden is trying to find compromises, and this is a way to fight populism. But the Republican Party is unrecognizable. They used to take joint action, but now they revere Trump. In a post-truth environment where opinions are presented as facts.”

She is a big advocate for “smart power” which, in her own words, “creates an international environment to overcome our divisions and insecurities so that there is more freedom and more prosperity. It would be a more peaceful, prosperous and secure world.”

Hillary Clinton mentioned the double standards applied to women in politics. “Issues like how you dress, your family and your personal life still carry weight. And this has been exacerbated with social media where situations of bullying occur. In the Brexit campaign, let’s remember that a woman was killed for speaking out against him. That is why many women are wondering what to do in this situation. Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister who has handled the pandemic well, has faced devastating terrorist attacks, but the attacks she suffered influenced her decision to resign. Women who are at the forefront in politics and other areas are subjected to this persecution.

Spanish agenda

Act of this Friday called Life in global politics (Life in Global Politics) was held in Barcelona on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of CIDOB under the direction of its director Paul Morillas. Hillary Clinton has been in Spain since Monday. Ambassador Julissa Reynoso received you in Madrid.

As part of that private visit, Clinton met with Spanish President Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday. Together they considered issues on the international agenda, paying special attention to the risks of democracy and war in Ukraine.

The former US Secretary of State had the opportunity to see King Felipe VI on Wednesday, the 31st, in La Zarzuela. The two showed great mutual sympathy. The Clintons had close contact with the king’s parents, who hosted them at the Marivent Palace in Mallorca.