After decisive victories over
Sen. Bernie Sanders in four of the five Northeast states that voted in
Tuesday’s primaries, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton started
pivoting toward her likely opponent in the general election, Donald
Trump. Her campaign released a list
to draw contrasts with the real-estate mogul on foreign policy
— considered one of his weak points — arguing that, among other
undesirable qualities, Trump praises brutal dictatorships abroad.
Trump has indeed spoken highly of oppressive dictators and violent acts like
the Chinese government’s 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square in Beijing
(when hundreds of pro-democracy protesters were slaughtered by their
country’s military), Russian President Vladimir Putin and even North
Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Clinton, though, has also had some kind words about
authoritarian regimes around the globe, including leaders of Syria,
Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Donald
Trump addresses a rally at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in
Indianapolis, Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The Indiana primary is Tuesday. Photo: Getty Images/John Sommers II
While secretary of state in 2009, Clinton praised Egypt’s then-dictator Hosni Mubarak, telling ABC News
she considered the president “and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my
family.” Last year, following the death of Saudi King Abdullah bin
Abdulaziz, the Clintons released a statement
through their foundation saying that they were “grateful” for the
king’s efforts to bring peace to the Middle East, the close economic
cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the U.S., and the “kingdom’s humanitarian efforts around the world.” On Syrian President Bashar Assad, the Intercept
notes that the Democratic front-runner suggested in 2011, as the revolt
against him began, that he had the potential “a reformer.”(She was
referring to the thoughts of members of Congress who
had been to Syria, though she was not challenging their assessment.)
Clinton also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, who she said appeared to be a pragmatic leader and a natural politician.
In the years since, some of these rulers have
not fared well. Mubarak was swept from power in 2011 as part of the Arab
Spring revolutions. Saudi Arabia remains an important American ally but
is not entirely trusted — even by the U.S. State Department — and has been cited by Human Rights Watch
for cracking down on dissidents, repressing women and religious
minorities and subjecting hundreds a year to unfair trials, arbitrary
detention and execution by beheading. Assad is embroiled in a bloody
civil war that has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern
times.
At the same time, Clinton’s family foundation has received quite a bit of cash
from dictatorial regimes abroad. In the years leading up to Clinton
becoming secretary of state, the foundation received at least $10
million from Saudi Arabia.
Clinton’s State Department later approved $29 billion worth of defense
contracts between U.S. companies and the kingdom. Clinton’s State
Department also approved arms sales to countries with authoritarian
regimes that the department itself criticized for human rights
abuses, including Algeria, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. All of those regimes donated to the Clinton Foundation as well.
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