Monday, July 18, 2011

Hillary Clinton: US Foreign Investment As A Strategic Investment

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered an address at the 2011 US Global Leadership Coalition Washington Conference, July 13th.

During her speech she congratulates the Coalition on their newest report, America's Global Leadership: A Strategic Investment For US Jobs. The report stresses the connection between job creation here in the US and around the world.

"Diplomacy and development abroad, help our economy at home."

Since the economic decline, the quest for job creation and economic development has been on everyones minds. This quest though does not end at our boarders, as Clinton states.

"For almost two and a half years I have been the Secretary of State," Clinton says, "I have traveled 600,000 miles and have reached one overarching conclusion. Simply put, we need to up our game"

This means tapping into developing/foreign markets. During the speech Hillary Clinton gives a list of ways the State Department and USAID are doing just that, using tools of foreign policy to create jobs at home. However, she notes the level of difficulty that comes along with this task. Other countries around the world give significantly higher amounts of global aid to their businesses and because of that are more competitive.

1. The State and USAID are engaged in Commercial Diplomacy, which leverages our global presence to help our companies compete and win.
2. Paying more attention to small and medium size businesses
3. State Department is sending Ambassadors to different countries to educate US cities about job/export opportunities in other countries.
4. The Commercial Diplomacy sector is trying to move past border/trade restrictions in foreign countries.
3. Part of Commercial Diplomacy also helps companies become more creative in their selling habits.
4. We try to promote trade to open new markets abroad and create jobs at home.

"I know two things about trade," states Clinton, "It is a polarizing political issue, but done right, it creates American jobs."

"While our economic competitors are signing bilateral trade deals with other countries, the free trade deals now working their way through congress have the potential to create tens of thousands of American jobs."

-Gabrielle Gurian