The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton to the New Frontiers of American Power

by Kim Ghattas

The first inside account to be published about Hillary Clinton's time as secretary of state, anchored by Ghattas's own perspective and her quest to understand America's place in the world

In November 2008, Hillary Clinton agreed to work for her former rival. As President Barack Obama’s secretary of state, she set out to repair America’s image around the world—and her own. For the following four years, BBC foreign correspondent Kim Ghattas had unparalleled access to Clinton and her entourage, and she weaves a fast-paced, gripping account of life on the road with Clinton in The Secretary.

With the perspective of one who is both an insider and an outsider, Ghattas draws on extensive interviews with Clinton, administration officials, and players in Washington as well as overseas, to paint an intimate and candid portrait of one of the most powerful global politicians. Filled with fresh insights, The Secretary provides a captivating analysis of Clinton’s brand of diplomacy and the Obama administration’s efforts to redefine American power in the twenty-first century.

Populated with a cast of real-life characters, The Secretary tells the story of Clinton’s transformation from popular but polarizing politician to America’s envoy to the world in compelling detail and with all the tension of high stakes diplomacy. From her evolving relationship with President Obama to the drama of WikiLeaks and the turmoil of the Arab Spring, we see Clinton cheerfully boarding her plane at 3 a.m. after no sleep, reading the riot act to the Chinese, and going through her diplomatic checklist before signing on to war in Libya—all the while trying to restore American leadership in a rapidly changing world.

Viewed through Ghattas's vantage point as a half-Dutch, half-Lebanese citizen who grew up in the crossfire of the Lebanese civil war, The Secretary is also the author’s own journey as she seeks to answer the questions that haunted her childhood. How powerful is America really? And, if it is in decline, who or what will replace it and what will it mean for America and the world?

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, History, Memoir, Womens, Biography Memoir

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Kim Ghattas covers international affairs for the BBC as well as Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. She was the BBC's State Department correspondent from 2008 to 2013 and traveled regularly with the secretary of state. She was previously a Middle East correspondent for the BBC and the Financial Times, based in Beirut. Ghattas was part of an Emmy Award-winning BBC team covering the Lebanon-Israel conflict of 2006. Her work has also been published in Time magazine, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post and she appears regularly on MSNBC and NPR as a commentator.

Reviews

[Jaylia3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are at least two aspects of this book by BBC correspondent Kim Ghattas that make it particularly interesting. It’s almost as if two books coexist between its covers, one written by an insider and the other by an outsider. Ghattas, born in Lebanon, covered the US State Department while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, so The Secretary has a well-informed insider view of Clinton and the way she works. Ghattas spent a lot of time traveling around the world with Clinton and her staff, and what Ghattas was able to observe eventually convinced her that Hillary’s intelligent and engaging style of diplomacy was re-positioning America’s leadership role in ways that will help it stay effective and relevant in our rapidly changing world.

Ghattas witnessed major world events firsthand and her behind the scenes perspective make a fascinating history of the last few years. Pivotal developments she recounts in this book include the Arab Spring, the opening of Burma, the release of the Wikileaks documents, and the fallout from the Japanese earthquake. The September 11, 2012 attack on the US embassy in Libya occurred too late to be included, but it’s not the events themselves that give structure to The Secretary, it’s Ghattas’s status as an outsider. Ghattas grew up in war torn Beirut and her evolving outsider observations, insights, and opinions about America’s superpower status and what America could and should do in the world drive the narrative and make The Secretary much more fascinating than even a portrait of Hillary Clinton could be.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Kim Ghattas’ “The Secretary” through a Goodreads Advanced Readers contest … here is my take. Depending on ones’ political affiliation Hillary Rodham Clinton can be an easy person to dislike. She is pushy, political, polarizing, and any number of other P words. She has been a Washington fixture for 20 years, ever since Bill Clinton was elected president in 1993. As such, while she might have been new to the State Department in 2008, she was hardly a neophyte in Washington affairs. So it was with some anticipation that I looked forward to this new book.

Ghattas was a 30-something journalist who was named the BBC’s State Department correspondent roughly coincident with Hillary Clinton becoming Secretary of State (SecState). Flying with the SecState around the world for four years gave the author unparalleled access and background to write this book – which is basically a linear travelogue of the trips the Secretary took with brief summaries of America’s involvement in each of the countries visited … with a bit of backstory to give context.

Beirut-born Ghattas grew up during much of the 1975–90 civil war in Lebanon, and was a youngster in 1983 when a suicide bomber took out the U.S. Marine barracks near the Beirut airport. With that background, Ghattas brought personal baggage to her assignment, and I was interested to see what would bleed through. I found the book to be a nicely balanced report on Clinton’s exercise of power in refreshing America’s status around the world. While Ghattas took the occasional slap at former President George W. Bush and former SecState Condoleezza Rice, she also highlighted mistakes made by Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration.

As to Hillary Clinton, it takes a unique person to fight tooth and nail against an opponent in a presidential primary and then turn around and provide that opponent with substantive aid when called on later. But to her credit, Clinton as SecState did an admirable job. The book covers all the main goings-on around the world dealt with by SecState Clinton – dealings with China (including the Asia Pivot), Israeli/Palestinian relations (especially the intransigence of Netanyahu), the sinking of the South Korean naval corvette Cheonan by the North Koreans, Wikileaks, the revolutions in the Middle East (the Arab Spring - Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Syria), and the nuclear meltdown of the Japanese Fukushima reactor.

This book is timely … it mentions how Syria is still a developing story and still a flashpoint in the Middle East – and as of this writing the new SecState John Kerry is offering Syria American aid to address some of the problems. What is most interesting about the Ghattas’ book is how she shows America often has limited choices, or choices with huge consequences either way. While American diplomacy may have been black & white fifty years ago (my way or the highway), it certainly is very grey today. The role and number of superpowers has changed.

I liked this book a lot – four stars. Anyone interested in foreign service, especially those with career interest, should read it to get a feel for the important work the thousands of people in our diplomatic corps do around the world. Budding journalists might also be attracted to this work.

[Mmars · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I would like to thank Kim Ghattas for giving us this straight-forward look at being a member of the press corp covering one of the most important members of a Presidential cabinet. Second I'd like to state Ghattas inarguably became laudatory of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the course of four years. However, even if you are no Hillary fan, there is much to learn from this book.

What is most fascinating is Ms. Ghattas' background as a survivor of the Syrian invasion of Lebanon in October 1990. She does not begin her reporting as a firm believer in American foreign policy. This background allows Ghattas to give the reader an in-depth understanding of how the rest of the world views the United States' diplomacy, power, and actions and inactions. She also does an excellent job of providing brief histories of the many, many countries and dignitaries Secretary Clinton must negotiate with. It was interesting to watch Clinton's relationship with Obama slowly develop from early missteps to collaboration to full trust in decision making.

If you follow world politics, the events may be quite familiar, but what was happening behind the scenes may not be. And both the role and the importance of the press corps cannot be understated. Having an Arabic speaker and Middle Eastern transplant in the corps questioning Hillary about Tunisia before the revolution was on their radar enabled the State department to realize they were missing something. Perhaps, not in as alarming a way as in hindsight would have been prudent. But important, nonetheless.

For anyone interested in politics, Hillary Clinton, and the media and how it works it's a must read. It should be a must read for the whole world, but of course, only a few will pick it up and I'll bet there are many who will not read it cover to cover. Get over it being about Hillary. It's a good and important book that increases one's understanding of the world and how it operates.

Oh, and I can say this book did not change my opinion of Hillary. And what that is I need not say. (4 stars because it's a times a bit tedious.)

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the heart of American Power by Kim Ghattas is a book I long awaited, having a political science background, I have being reading about the Secretaries of State for quite some time now and this book did not disappoint me. Ghattas has a rather unique perspective as she is a BBC reporter, in the new corps traveling with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, but she was raised in war torn Lebanon, which enables Ghattas to offer the reader a much broader view of the duties of the Secretary of State as well as a view of the United States and it’s policies from a non-American viewpoint. I would not hesitate to recommend The Secretary to anyone interested in history, politics, or simply curious about what the Secretary of State actually does. I will be reading more books about Mrs. Clinton, to get a more balanced look into this remarkable time in American history.

[Judie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SECRETARY, A JOURNEY WITH HILLARY CLINTON FROM BEIRUT TO THE HEART OF AMERICAN POWER by Kim Ghattas was a difficult book to review. My first draft ran almost four pages. There was so much interesting material and so much that I wanted to say about it. But that review would have discouraged readers, so this is my abbreviated final draft.
Ghattas does an excellent job not only explaining the situations Hillary encountered but also how the US is viewed by many other countries, how our image and abilities are changing, and what role Hillary has played in that change. The book will be out in early March and I highly recommend it.
Kim Ghattas was born in Lebanon in 1977 and grew up during its Civil War. At the time she wrote THE SECRETARY, she was a BBC reporter covering the US State Department. As such, she received the daily briefings and traveled with Hillary Clinton on all her overseas assignments. It is the story of how Hillary performed her duties as well as how Ghattas interpreted the events based on her personal experiences and how she came to understand why the US acted as it did.
When President Obama came into office, people in many countries of the world had a very low opinion of the US, primarily because of actions and inactions during the previous administration. “In 2000, 75 percent of Indonesians had a positive view of America....By 2007, only 29 percent” did.
America, the only remaining superpower, was seen in many ways: a bully, all-powerful, controlling, a financier, a miracle-worker and a supporter of despots. People thought that America was behind everything that happened in their country (especially bad things) and that their country was the most important country in the world and at the top of America’s agenda. Both views were faulty. They expected America to take care of them (especially financially) and protect them, yet at the same time complained that America was behind every action of their own government that they did not like. Many countries were glad to take the money, often padding the pockets of only a few well-connected people, but resented having to do anything to justify the support income.
Ghattas wrote, “One of the reasons countries and people were so often disappointed in the US was an unrealistic expectation of what the US should and could do. Governments everywhere that instinctively and narrowly pursued their national interest somehow expected the United States to suspend the pursuit of its own interest to please them.”
Hillary desire to meet with the people of the country, not just the politicians was a break from her predecessors. She held town hall meetings wherever she went, talking to the public and answering their questions. This made for some extremely long days for her, her staff, and the press corps. She also worked to establish connections with government leaders who were upset with the US as well as with those who had no dealings. She had met several as First Lady and used that connection to help reestablish good working relationships. She also used her position to push for human rights and women’s rights.
Her first trip was to Japan and Asia where China’s rising position in the world was a main topic and is highlighted in THE SECRETARY. Another area covered is the WikiLeaks scandal in which copies of secret (but not classified) e-mails were hacked and published. This caused a fear that people would be less forthcoming in the future. Many world leaders were upset about how they were described by the e-mail writers but others were impressed that they were important enough to be mentioned.
A big problem Hillary faced was that Americans and their government thought there was a solution for every problem, we knew what it was, it could be accomplished quickly, cheaply, and we could leave. Too often, there was no back-up plan if things did not work out. “The minute US troops set foot in a country, they started looking for the exit....to get out: missions were ill-prepared and ill-defined. Success, too, was ill-defined.”
In explaining the role of the State Department and Hillary’s position, the book goes into a lot of detail about Japan, China, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Libya, the Palestinian territories, the Arab Spring, and visiting Burma.
Hillary’s relationship with President Obama evolved over the years. He had to work with someone who was as popular as he. At first, he was surrounded by his trusted circle. A good soldier, she gave her views and advice, getting more and more confident. After two years, he sought her advice before making decisions.
She understood how to work with other cultures. It was necessary to establish a relationship before dealing with issues. People in other countries were very familiar with American office holders because their decisions affected their everyday lives. They heard their country mentioned reports of press briefings in their local news, not realizing it was because someone asked a question, not that the government brought it up. Their leaders would try to build political capital by looking tough and standing up to America.
Americans are “upfront, efficient, result-driven people who expected quick turnarounds and believe every problem had a solution.” “Eventually, before anything was really fixed...and sometimes before the real problems had even started, Americans had moved one, they had other problems to attend to. People on the ground felt invaded, abandoned, and betrayed, all at once. They saw America as an impatient, fickle friend. It didn’t matter how much money the United States had invested, wasted, spent; it didn’t matter how many US troops had died.” “They wanted more.” Hillary noted, “We don’t have any magic wands that we can wave.”
The people in other countries were very familiar with the US and thought we knew all about them as well. “The more a country felt its fate was impacted by the United States, the more detailed their knowledge was. Tribal leaders in Afghanistan and Palestinian police officers knew the names of American congressmen because they had blocked or approved aid bills that impacted their towns.”
Seeing stories while in Pakistan that America was “supporting the Pakistani Taliban in a bid to weaken Pakistan and bolster India,” Ghattas notes that “In the Middle East, the devising of conspiracy theories is an art form, but rarely before had I seen this level of unsubstantiated reporting. Even by Middle East Standards, the Pakistani media was shameless.” Yet she doesn’t make the same distinction when discussing Israel and the Palestinians. She places a lot of blame on Israel and cites its deficiencies, but does not state what the Palestinians have or have not done to bring a peaceful solution nor does she mention all the lies against Israel spread by Arab and Muslim states.
Instead of going it alone, the US worked to involve other countries in decisions and actions. While the US was accused of holding back, it was often working behind the scene and letting others take the credit, especially to avoid anti-American sentiment from derailing the work of the UN or other groups.
European countries often looked down on the US and were not upset when it had problems until they realized what would happen to their own economies if the US economy declined.
Ghattas notes “Clinton’s key contribution is...repositioning American as a leader in a changed world, a palatable global chairman of the board who can help navigate the coming crises, from climate change to further economic turmoil to demographic explosions.
“America, as powerful and strong as we are, cannot remake societies. We can help liberate them, like Libya, but we cannot remake them. That must come from within and there needs to be a reformation in thinking amongst people in countries that have been downtrodden, oppressed, violence-ridden, and there needs to be higher expectations and demands placed on leaders who should be reconcilers, not dividers.”
“There will be times when not all our interests align. We work to align them, but that is just reality.”
The photographs and captions in the book provide an excellent synopsis.
I received this book as an early reviewer from LibraryThing.

[MLV · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a book about Hillary as much as a fresh perspective on US foreign relations through the eyes of a lebanese BBC journalist. Her candid insights about her own journey are an insightful and interesting way to learn about how american foreign policy actually works and why it doesn't always seem to work. If you have ever been confused about peace in the Middle East, how billions in foreign aid works, why countries can one day be enemies and another day allies, the war on terror versus war on human rights violations, how the president decides the position of the US on any foreign topic, how free the press actually is, or If you live on planet Earth, you should read this book because global cooperation is the only hope for the future and Hillary just made it once again possible.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding account of Mrs Clinton, who proved herself to be a consumate and seasoned diplomat, and American power in action. Also provides an incisive view into the global perceptions of it as well as what it cannot accomplish. Though there are gaps - into relations with Russia and India chiefly as well as the Afghan quagmire - but the glimpses of US responses during the Wikileaks issue and the Arab Spring are most valuable. Additionally, the efforts of Ms Ghattas - whom I wish should consider writing more books - to obtain closure to questions that have been impinging on her own life in her homeland are brought out very well. Six stars if it had been possible

[Correen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim Ghattas is a Beruit born journalist who flew 300,000 miles with Hillary Clinton during her time as Secretary of State. Ghattas mingles her life as a child in a war-torn country, dependent upon the governments of several countries, the U.S. in particular, for her safety and the future of her country. With this background, she reports, explains, and relates to the impact of Hillary Clinton during her diplomatic efforts in the mid and far-east. The result is a clear and interesting report of foreign policy and procedure for the first four years of the Obama administration.

[Leyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to know if this book was going to be pro- or anti- Hillary Clinton; the best parts are the Conclusion and the Acknowledgments, but that is just because I can't make much sense of politics and foreign affairs.
In the end, I'm pleased and will keep the book in my library. Thank you Goodreads. I hope Kim writes another book.

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book that gives insight into the work of the Secretary of State, written by a member of the press corps for the BBC. I learned a lot, but it was sometimes dry and occasionally had too much personal info about the author (Lebanese by birth) that was very peripheral to the rest of the book.

I thought it was going to be a love letter to Hillary Clinton but it was a very fair and even handed account of her time as SoS. And she still comes off very well, when the (documented) facts are laid out.

[Landis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is - trying to find the right word here.... astonishing (a bit too strong), interesting (a bit too weak), insightful (too bland), excellent (too general), amazing (too flamboyant), awesome (too overused). It is insightful, well written, and masterful. Kim Ghattas, the author, is a Lebanese reporter for the BBC who grew up in Lebanon during its civil war and its subjection as a vassal state of Syria. As such she has a personal knowledge of an oppressed people waiting for America to do something. She also has experienced the anger and disappointment expressed by so many towards the US.

What is interesting about the book is the growth in understanding of both the country, America, itself, the issues facing it in the international arena, and a growing appreciation of the complexity of our relationships abroad on the part of Ms. Ghattas.

In the book there is an appreciation of the difficulties faced by Secretary Clinton and her indefatigable approach to personal diplomacy which often left her press contingent exhausted, hungry, and waiting to move on to the next stop. There is also reporting on the give and take between government sources and the press and specific examples of the ways that the press helped to focus attention on matters that had gotten lost in a veritable landslide of international events to which the Administration needed to respond.

Hillary Clinton´s tenure as Secretary of State was during a period of such ferment that I can only be thankful that someone with her energy, commitment, and vision was at the helm. This was a period of Wikileaks, the Arab Spring, and the growth of China as a power, as well as increasing attempts by both Iran and N. Korea to develop nuclear arms. After the damage that the US´ unilateral strike into Iraq did to the reputation of the US in the international arena, it would have been enough of a job for the Secretary to work towards rebuilding the country´s reputation, but to have to rebuild reputation and to steer through these roiling waters is truly astonishing.

If you were not a fan of Hillary before, there is no way you can come away from this book without a profound appreciation for the service she rendered this country during a highly charged era. I highly recommend it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable snapshot of some foreign policy issues that took place during Hillary Clinton’s time in the State Department, which is useful in case you were preoccupied by other things at the time (like the recession, for example). Ghattas’s personal history is interwoven with her observations of Clinton, the public and semi-private figure. Ghattas grew up in Beirut during Lebanon’s civil war and felt a deep sense of betrayal at what many believed was the United States’ green-lighting the 1990 Syrian invasion. One of the biggest recurring themes is the tension between world players wanting the mighty U.S. to fall or GTFO, and dismay at realizing the U.S. isn’t as omnipotent as perceived (or, as one official tells Ghattas, “We’re holding things together with chewing gum and rubber bands.”).

There's little narrative resolution of the issues, which I guess reflects the practical reality of foreign policy. The lack of follow-up can be unsatisfying (the 2011 Egyptian revolt seems to end in triumph with Mubarak stepping down and everyone going home, at least until the Afterword, and the Benghazi attack gets about a paragraph), but the overarching message of foreign policy as a thankless, never-ending task comes through. Guess which job sounds even worse than President of the United States?

Ghattas characterizes the Obama administration’s approach to foreign policy as reparative, an attempt to change the U.S.’s post-9/11 reputation and reposition the US as partner and not sole proprietor. Ghattas’s position is that Clinton was always out ahead of President Obama on “smart power,” and it’s clear by the end that Ghattas thinks Clinton was enduringly successful. Early on, Ghattas recalls her first trip home to Beirut as part of Clinton’s entourage, where Clinton mentions Ghattas’s homecoming on Lebanese national television as a way to forge a personal connection with the people. Ghattas feels used and conflicted at the time, but it isn't entirely clear to me what makes her misgivings evaporate - it’s just clear that they do. Perhaps the greater lesson for Clinton detractors is to watch out, she’ll charm you.

Overall this was enjoyable and best read as a personal journey rather than as a comprehensive account of Clinton’s State Department.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note:Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program)
Only a month after she vacated her office at Foggy Bottom, it is already hard not to think about Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State without nostalgia. Ms. Ghattas' book on her time as a State Department reporter for the BBC following Mrs. Clinton makes a strong case for considering Mrs. Clinton as one of the greatest Secretaries of State to have ever come along. Ms. Ghattas has a unique view on the topic as she is both an outsider and an insider in more ways than one: she's a reporter for the BBC, so she is able to get as close to the policy machine as possible and still maintain an outsider's perspective and skepticism. She is also from Lebanon, born of Lebanese and Dutch parents, and came of age during Lebanon's civil war. So, she is able to view U.S. foreign policy making from a perspective that almost no one else can. In fact, this book is part biography whose subject is Mrs. Clinton and the tireless staffers around her, part travelogue as much of her story details Mrs. Clinton's extensive travels around the world meeting with heads of state to hash out foreign policy details and rebuild America's credibility and reputation after eight bad years under the Bush administration, and part autobiography as Ms. Ghattas comes to understand America's power and influence in a way she couldn't have as a child growing up in civil war. Through Ms. Ghattas' journey the reader comes to understand not just how difficult foreign policy making has become in the 21st century, but how the world views America in the 21st century. It is incredibly well-written, nuanced but easily understandable, and detailed in a way few books on foreign policy are. This was an absolutely fascinating read and I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. foreign policy.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me FOREVER to finish this book and it has nothing to do with the subject matter or author. I am not very educated on world events. I don't know what I thought I'd be reading about when the book is titled "The Secretary" of State and its author a member of her press corps. I guess I just thought it'd be this great inside look into the day in the life of a powerful woman. Well it is that...actually, it covers her 4 year term in the Cabinet and the 1,000,000 miles she traveled as the face and voice of American foreign policy. Because the names and situations are only vaguely familiar to me, personally, I had a hard time keeping track of the Middle East and Asian players, whose names are similar, and was constantly flipping back to see who that person was again. What I took away from it is the constant, 24 hour work cycle our high ranking politicians endure. It's no wonder that, after their 4 year term, they are aged and look tired. As the author chronicles the Secretary of State's journeys, she undergoes a journey of her own: back to her childhood in war torn Lebanon and the role the American foreign policy played in her youth. All in all, a good book. I gave it 3 stars because I had a hard time with it and found the material very dry at times. Somebody with more knowledge of world affairs would probably enjoy it more.

[Marcus · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

The author's personal story and perspective are interesting, but a large part of the book is an overview-level summary of what it's like to be in the State Department press pool and how it was on the trips Hillary took. During most of the book this doesn't feel narratively strong enough to really be that compelling. I don't think you get *that* strong of a sense of Hillary as a person for a book that is ostensibly about her, nor of those immediately around her.

I also agree with some reviewers that the book seems too positive or partisan, often. A set of underlying assumptions are present in the book's tone and a number of them are questionable. For example I felt the author overstated a bit the extent to which the United States' status abroad was harmed in the aftermath the Bush administration. It also seemed too accepting of the premise that leading from behind is necessarily a good aim.

The chapters on Syria and Libya were the strongest points; they delivered on a weighty and more narratively engrossing account following a continuous thread, more so than the repeated descriptions of civil society town halls and travel planning that line most of the book.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished Memoir "The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clintom Beirut to the Heart of American Power" by Kim Ghattas about her travels with Hillary Clinton. Knowledge - think of the knowledge from being Secretary of State for four years, plus Senator and First Lady. Hillary must have met everyone in power! From Amazon "Kim Ghattas has written a terrific book--not just our first intimate portrait of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, but also a riveting personal story about what it's like to be a journalist, and a Lebanese woman at that, living in the Clinton bubble. Ghattas is very smart about the nuances of American policy and the patient intelligence that is required for creative diplomacy, and she has made it all come alive in compelling, page-turning fashion."
—Joe Klein, TIME colum

excellent, however, I am not a foreign affairs expert, history background for each chapter sometimes over my head (I admit I skimmed). This is a biography, history book, journal. Wonderful!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a wonderfully written book by a BBC journalist who traveled with Hillary Clinton for 4 years as she became Secretary of State. The author provides us with her background and the background of Clinton's term from the beginning to the end. I can see how much depth of knowledge she had going into the job and how her knowledge of other cultures helped immensely. Clinton was very good at making small talk and expressing concerns for family and friends of world leaders. She knew to take tea and snacks and not rush into subjects without a clear signal to begin. I learned quite a bit about Libya and the situation there. I also understand how Clinton set up solid relationships and goals for Kerry to follow when he succeeded her. The author also witnessed the Bush administration and saw how Rice, Rumsfeld and Powell undercut each other. Clinton not only did not do that, she often brought Obama over to her side of understanding over time.

[Sandi Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book to find out more about Hillary Clinton's character and also about her fitness and qualifications to be President of the United States if she runs in 2016. Kim Ghattas did a great job of relating many of the worldwide global issues that Clinton faced during her four years as Secretary of State. I admired both Clinton's and Ghattas' energy and commitment to their jobs. I still need additional information to try and learn what Clinton is really like under pressure.

Ghattas shared a great deal of information about her own life which was enlightening. I did have difficulty getting through all the information about foreign policy. I like nonfiction, but I enjoy reading "literary" nonfiction more than political books.

I is a worthwhile book, but not an "easy read."

[Shannyn Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fascinating read, and for so many reasons that I wasn't expecting when I picked it up!

I chose this book as a followup-read to Carl Bernstein's 2007 HRC biography, "A Woman in Charge," which focused largely on her years as First Lady in Arkansas and later Washington. Bernstein's book left me feeling eager to read more about what HRC was like when finally working in a more active, "official" leadership role (I... seem to have forgotten literally everything I read in Jonathan Allen's and Amie Parnes' book almost a decade ago. Please remember to write in your journals every day, kids.) This book by Kim Ghattas certainly delivered some of those compelling snapshots, but for the most part it is actually a lot less about HRC than it is about some of the incredibly complex issues facing people in other parts of the world, as well as the minefield of challenges all presidential administrations inevitably face in trying to address them without making the global situation (and America's place in it) worse off than before. 

The sheer number of countries, conflicts and crises that exist in the world is just unfathomable: imagine the scene from my favorite movie, Titanic, where the camera zooms out to reveal that the larger-than-life ship is really just a tiny dot in the dark, expansive sea. I truly don't know how HRC or any other government official can even begin to keep track of it all, even with the aid of a briefing book. 

Ghattas, a BBC reporter assigned to cover HRC and the State Department during the Obama administration, brings her own unique perspective to the matter that helped me gain at least a somewhat better understanding of the world outside my red, white and blue bubble. Having grown up in Lebanon, just one of the world's many war-torn regions that HRC would later visit as Secretary, Ghattas offers fascinating insight into the mindset of some of the people living in places like Lebanon. 

For example, while I am certain I wouldn't even be able to find Lebanon on a map-- in my defense (I guess?) I don't even know the names of the other streets in my neighborhood. It's a miracle I've made it into my thirties alive-- the people she grew up with there can almost certainly find the United States on a map even if they can't find anywhere else. Just try to read the following passage from the book about a White House press briefing Ghattas attended as a reporter without it kind of breaking your heart a little bit:

"Several dozen journalists were already there, mostly foreigners who worked for their country's national media. Any journalist with a press card was allowed to attend the briefing and ask a question... Journalists representing countries around the world wanted to know what the United States had to say or what it planned to do about the smallest incremental development in the politics of their own countries. Unless he or she had a meeting scheduled afterwards, the spokesperson would call on every journalist who raised a hand. The briefing was filmed in full and broadcast to news agencies worldwide. Officials would comb through [the broadcast] for... a mention of their country's name. On the evening news, in Japan, Tripoli, or Islamabad, the anchor would say 'The State Department spokesperson today congratulated Japan on the election of its new prime minister,' or 'The U.S. today offered its condolences to Pakistan after a bomb killed fifty people.' No matter how many episodes of 'The West Wing' TV series with White House briefings my friends and I had watched in Beruit, lifting the veil over the real thing was still startling. When we heard on television that the United States was talking about us, we could not fathom that if a State Department spokesperson mentioned our country it wasn't necessarily because American officials had held a meeting, discussed the situation at length, and consciously decided to make a statement about Lebanon, but rather because someone in the briefing room had raised a hand. I experimented a couple of times, asking a question about Lebanon and watching the answer appear on the news in Beruit when there had been no real movement in the United States on the issue. The look of disappointment on people's faces in Beirut, as well as other countries, when I told them how the briefing worked was revealing of the extent to which people thought they were America's sole concern."

The extent to which the rest of the world looks to and relies on the U.S. to help them was astonishing and a prominent, recurring theme in the book. Another passage, which I won't bore you again by quoting verbatim but which I think speaks volumes, points to the tendency of foreign dictators (omg btw, are dictators not some of the silliest, most ridiculous people you've ever heard of in your life most of the time? I've made this analogy in reviews before but it bears repeating: literal Looney Toons characters with real guns) to privately ask the U.S. to do something in their regime's interest that technically would serve global interests (but more specifically their own) but that they can't do publicly (and that the U.S. likely also can't do publicly) without angering their political or ideological opponents. Things they would publicly condemn the U.S. for despite having privately pushed for it. 

You may be wondering "who wouldn't see through that though?" Well, you'd be naive, according to Ghattas. But don't feel bad: her observations suggest even our most senior government officials are similarly naive, often unable to fathom that a dictator would genuinely rather burn his entire country down than surrender his hold on regional power. Welcome to the real world, I guess. People really grow up and live this way. 

A strange thing happens when you're the leading, prosperous democracy shining brightest in this sea of chaos. You become almost god-like: sometimes you're seen as a benevolent god, and sometimes a smiteful one. Surely you must control everything, the world must bend to your every command. Why wouldn't you stop the bombs pouring down from a small, neighboring country?

Certainly the dictators in regions like Lebanon, Egypt, Libya and Syria have benefited from years of convincing their followers that their own failures or misdeeds are actually the result of the the U.S. (who they continue accepting unfathomable amounts of aid dollars from), secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes and, perhaps on a whim, shrugging their shoulders with an "eh" and deciding to betray them just for fun. 

Throughout the world outside the U.S. there is a clear paradox: "the U.S. is an evil puppet master" and, at the same time, "the U.S. has all the answers, they run things and only they will save us." If only it were that simple, Ghattas discovered as a reporter. The average high-level Washington decision maker is more likely to be found dragging his or her feet at 2 a.m. in a last-minute panic over something as simple as how the exact wording of an official statement could help or hurt them in the opinion polls than they are to be found stirring a cauldron in the woods, sacrificing a goat and laughing maniacally into the midnight air. 

I'll admit I previously had no idea what the term "Arab Spring" referred to. Despite my having been pretty much an adult (barely) during most of it. But apparently Arab countries began rising up against their dictators one by one (hmm, wonder if they were inspired to any degree by the historic Democratic primaries that saw a woman and a black man competing and being taken seriously as presidential candidates in the U.S. for the first time in history and sensed an overall global shift). 

Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria. One by one, the countries fell to mass protests against dictators who had often been in power for literally decades and brutally imposed their rule. The dictators of course refused to leave office quietly and usually sicced their military on the protesters, resulting in increasing thousands of deaths in each country. Should the United States stand by and do nothing? Probably not, they eventually realized. They'd be seen as cruel. They were under immense pressure both domestically and abroad to *do something.* Could they order a "no-fly zone" (a term I also finally discovered the meaning of while reading this book)? Well, they'd need the backing of the rest of the UN countries and, even if they got it, it wouldn't really do all that much. Hundreds of thousands of protesters would still die in ground fight. Should they say F the UN and just send their own troops? Well, they already had troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, and increasing deployments could cause major problems on the home front. In each case, they were forced to drag their feet for a moment, avoid reporters' direct questions, and finally decide their was no other option than to risk intervening to prevent more deaths, only to be blamed later for what happened afterwards. 

And yet the impression around the world remains, emphatically, that the U.S. determines whether a bloody Middle Eastern civil war abruptly halts or continues indefinitely. If the war is halted and the Taliban or another terrorist group takes over then the U.S. is blamed for orchestrating another secret, nefarious plot. Not that the U.S. has never made bad policy decisions. It definitely has, sometimes because of favoring its own interests (as all nations ultimately do), sometimes because of incompetence and sometimes because the right decision literally just isn't clear. But is that an indication that the U.S. is a force of evil? 

Here is the assessment HRC gave at the end of her tenure as secretary of state. You'll have to decide for yourself if you agree with her: 

"I see America primarily as a force of good over the course of our history. But I'm also well aware of our flaws and shortcomings, of bad decisions, of misjudgements. We started off as a country that inspired more love of freedom and more opportunity for more people than any other human enterprise in the history of the world, but we still had slaves and we didn't let women vote. So in our own history, there is that continuous striving for a more perfect union... Look at the way we rounded up Japanese Americans and our them in camps. It made sense to decision makers at the time, including one of our greatest presidents, but in retrospect it is something we are not proud of; in fact, we are ashamed of..  But we also make mistakes. And so I would ask that people look at us the way I look at us, which is that name any other society or nation that has done more to help lead the world toward the pursuit of happiness for every individual, for freedom and dignity, but which, like all human enterprises, is flawed."

She went on to describe her impression on the state of the rest of the world in the 21st century: "This is truly the inflection point, because we now understand that America, as powerful and strong as we are, cannot remake societies. We can help liberate them, like Libya, but we cannot remake them. That must come from within, and there must be a reformation in thinking amongst people in counties that have been downtrodden, oppressed, violence-ridden, and there needs to be higher expectations and demands placed on leaders who should be reconcilers, not dividers."

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned a little more than I had about world affairs from the nightly news. Sometimes I found it hard to believe that the author was able to get into Hillary's head, and so I found myself wondering how accurate her take on Hillary's thoughts was and how much was just her interpretation.

What I did learn was just how intense the job was-both in terms of hours/commitment and how complicated it was to work with all these different leaders. New appreciation for how tough a position it is.

[Florence Millo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book probably deserves 4 stars instead of 3 but it irritated me with the constant expectation that the U.S. can solve all the world's problems. I think Hillary Clinton did a terrific job as Secretary of State and probably no one could have done a better job of it. However many miles S travels though, the people of the world are going to have to solve their own problems. The U.S. can and should help or at least not cause them.

[Sharon Snider · Rating 5 out of 5]

First insight into foreign relations I have had.

I was not a Hillary supporter before this book but I am now much closer. Interesting read on how our country operates in foreign policy. The author shows a human side of Hillary I did not know existed and helped me realize she is a great woman whether she becomes president or not.

[Fred Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

One reporter's account of her observations covering Hillary Clinton's term as Secretary of State. Likely because of when it was written and published, it gives short shrift to the two most interesting events of that time: the assassination of Osama bin Laden and the Benghazi attack. I recommend reading Clinton's "Hard Choices" more than this book.

[Susan Grigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hillary Clnton made an immediate impact on the federal workers toiling away at what is known as the Building. From the moment she stepped into the lobby of the State Department and was greeted as a rock star, she quickly sought to utilize the strengths of all its occupants. And it wasn't only lip service that she offered. Her first trip was to be to Asia. Unlike the past two Secretaries of State, she reached out to the men and women in Room 6205:

The Asia experts, the bureau deputies, the desk directors for each country on the itinerary were taken aback when they were asked to contribute ideas for the agenda and schedule of the trip. Where should Clinton hold a town hall in Seoul? Who should she meet in Tokyo? Which television show was most popular in Indonesia? No one had consulted them for a while, it seemed.

They were probably surprised that she meant what she said to them that day in January 2009. They would not be the last to realize that Hillary Clinton usually did mean what she said.

In The Secretary: A Journey From Beirut to the Heart of American Power, Kim Ghattas explores the limits and the exercise of American Power, using the Secretary of State as her vehicle. Logging 300,000 miles within the Bubble that surrounds SOS Hillary Clinton, and interviewing her one-on-one 18 different times, she takes us along on the trip.

Kim Ghattas is the State Department Correspondent for BBC news. Before moving to DC to take that position in 2008, she lived in Beirut where she was the Middle East correspondent for BBC and the Financial Times.

Child of a Dutch mother and Lebanese father, she grew up in civil war torn Lebanon, at the crossroads of the Christian and Muslim areas of Beirut. Like many others in the Middle East she believed that "America was omnipotent; its power knew no bounds." Her education in the limits of American power is woven into her description of her travels with Hillary Clinton.

Travel as a State Department correspondent is not as glamorous as that enjoyed by White House correspondents (most of whom fly on separate aircraft from the President), however, the reporters do get to spend time with the Secretary as she occasionally wanders back to the press to chat during flights. Being on the same plane, they also get access to staff members. And that access is worth more to them than comfort.

The plane itself, although equipped with all that the Secretary needed to communicate with the Building and the White House, did leave a little to be desired by members of media. Seating arrangements were made by lottery:

This was a trip with no tickets, no boarding passes, and no assigned seating. It offered many luxuries: someone else sorted out your visas, you never had to go through passport control anywhere, your luggage was delivered straight to your hotel, and you mingled in a VIP lounge with top American officials who loved to talk. But the trip also had its downsides: the traveling press was squeezed in the back of the secretary’s reconfigured, no-frills plane. The section had eight comfortable business-size seats and twelve cramped coach seats. Some of the business seats went to Diplomatic Security agents and to Caroline, Ashley, and Nick. We got whatever seats were left. The lotteries took place only once, at the start of each trip, and they could get surprisingly emotional, especially when there were only six “good” seats.

The logisitics of the travel take some space in the book. I find those peeks behind the curtain to be fascinating (How do they feed everybody? They bring all food from the states to make sure that no one picks up a food borne illness by buying from local sources as they travel) The book is rich in the details that create a sense of place and people.

Clinton is indefatigable, traveling a million miles during her four year tenure. She works hard at establishing and retaining personal relationships with her counterparts and heads of state around the world. And this book follows her as she starts in Japan, tours Asia, the DMZ, Indonesia, Korea and signs the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) which opens the way for greater American participation in economic and political issues of the area.

The United States was going to latch on to what was already there and create new initiatives and treaties everywhere— a large sticky web of diplomacy. TAC was just the beginning.

No longer was America willing to go it alone. Partnerships were to be the keystone of the Obama foreign policy.
A richly textured background is provided for the visits to the Middle East as one would expect when reading a story written by one who knows the area well. Hillary Clinton tries, without success to get the Israelis to stop building new settlements and the Palestinians to get to the bargaining table. Which is not a real surprise to anyone.

Ghattas covers the Wikileaks scandal, and the cleanup, as well as the Arab Spring and the different responses America offered to different nations. Calling for Mubarak to step down while standing on the sidelines in Syria. Throughout, Ghattas learns more about what the United States is actually capable of doing and willing to do on the world stage. It is not at all simple, easy or straightforward.

Of all the trips, the one that most affected me was Clinton's visit to Burma where she met with Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon. But it was the description of the new capital city, Nay Pyi Taw, built by the military rulers that dropped my jaw.

Our motorcade, usually an overwhelming sight in any city, could do nothing to fill the twenty-lane highway in the government zone of the city. The annoyance of having a foreign dignitary closing off streets meant nothing in this oversized ghost town that appeared completely depopulated. After we drove past a few cars and motorcycles near our hotel, there was not a vehicle or a person in sight anymore as we approached the presidential palace. We entered the compound through the golden gates, across a bridge over what looked like a moat, and pulled up outside the palace— a massive marble building that could have been the work of Donald Trump.

I did have to stop and look it up on Google Earth, and while there are no Street Views, there are photos and an empty highway of twenty lanes that is a marvel to anyone who has had to drive the Santa Ana Freeway through Los Angeles.
Ghattas does a good job of condensing what Clinton accomplished in four years even if she didn't bring peace between Israel and Palestine or prevent Iran from working on a nuclear weapon. What she did may turn out to have been more important.

Clinton saw this as the real achievement of her years as secretary of state and of the Obama administration— working with the United States had once again become desirable. There would still be clashes of interest; Washington would continue to be criticized; its policies would still frustrate and anger many— it is after all the fate of every superpower. But America was once more a sought-after partner.
[snip]

Clinton’s key contribution is therefore more intangible but, if pursued, longer lasting— repositioning America as a leader in a changed world, a palatable global chairman of the board who can help navigate the coming crises, from climate change, to further economic turmoil, to demographic explosions. As part of the Obama administration’s effort to redefine American leadership, Clinton became the first secretary of state to methodically implement the concept of smart power. She institutionalized this approach in the Building: budgets now include funds for gender issues, foreign service officers are embedded at the Pentagon, economic statecraft is part of the diplomatic brief. Clinton was determined to make sure her work would not be undone after her departure and planned to invest a lot of her time following up and providing counsel to her successor.

Kim Ghattas' reporting is naturally filtered through the lens of her own past. She complains that the Americans bore too easily, and leave too quickly.

Eventually, before anything was really fixed in Afghanistan or elsewhere, and sometimes before the real problems had even started, Americans had moved on, they had other problems to tend to.

And

Americans often seemed to dole out time like accountants: the minute something didn’t work, they gave up and tried something else.

Then she reports without ever seeming to grasp the implications, of the 40,000 dead Americans in South Korea or the 28,500 that still remain to enforce the armistice with North Korea that was signed sixty years ago.

That is a minor quibble, though. Overall she brings a refreshing slant and a clarity to a foreign policy that is highly complex and generally written in shades of gray.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power is a book covering Kim Ghattas' official travels with Secretary State Clinton. Kim Ghattas is a Lebanese born of a Lebanese father and a Dutch mother. She studied political science at the University Beirut. She is a BBC reporter covering the US Department of State. Previously she worked for the BBC and Financial Times in Beruit. Her work has been published by a variety of American news organizations and is a regular on NPR.

Ms Ghattas provides an unique look at the inside operations of Clinton's term as Secretary of State. Working for a foreign (although friendly news organization) and experiencing the the trauma of war in her home country and America's actions during the conflict provides an intriguing look at American foreign policy. Ghattas provides a historical background for her life and for the countries and leaders covered in the book.

The Secretary covers a new era in American diplomacy. It is an abrupt change from the previous administration's “Either you are with us or against us.” diplomacy and the might makes right mentality. Here is an attempt to make a new start. Obama gave Clinton plenty of leeway in forming her team. The awkward alliance grew from presidential primary rivalry and turned into positive accomplishments.

Asia became the first concern for the new administration Korea was shocked at the candor and openness of the new Secretary of State. Freely speaking to students at town hall meetings and forming person relationships with world leaders and her peers. Her experience as first lady gave her familiarity with leaders and governments. A very outspoken Hilary Clinton at the 1995 Conference on Women in Beijing was noticeable different when talking to the Chinese as Secretary of State.

China, Arab Spring, Iran, and the Middle East re all covered in detail along with the Libyan revolution, the embarrassing Wiki-leaks, and the opening up of Myanmar.Since the book is based on Ghattas' first hand experience, the bibliography is a bit light and used for background information. Her first hand experiences gives a detailed historical as well as a personal look into Hilary Clinton's role as Secretary of State. The reading is quick, informative and surprisingly (for non-fiction) a page turner. Regardless of your personal or political opinions of Hilary Clinton, the Obama Administration, or America's current military involvements, this book is well worth reading on several levels.

[Tommy Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a straight forward political memoir. The author is clearly a fan of Secretary Clinton. That said, the account is not completely uncritical. This book is basically what I was hoping "Hard Choices" would be. This book gave a historical accounting of the Secretary's agenda and added context, including from her own background living in Lebanon during wartime, and critiqued as necessary. The book also gives a glimpse of the endeavor of being the Secretary of State, which would be extremely valuable for a reader without prior knowledge of the mechanics of VIP handling in the American government. The books insight is a little shallow and the critiques aren't terribly harsh. Thus is not a foreign policy book written for an audience of foreign policy experts, but it is nevertheless an enjoyable read.

[Kerry Sewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction account written by Kim Ghattas, a BBC foreign correspondent assigned to travel with the Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) during her time in office.

Ghattas travelled more that 300,000 miles with Clinton and interviewed her more than 15 times. This book provides a rare insight into the demands of the role of the Secretary of State, the international role of the USA as perceived by other countries, and the complexities of the issues and concerns facing the middle eastern countries.

A must read for anyone interested in the nuances of American policy, creative diplomacy and how these play out through the tireless efforts of Hilary Clinton.

[Sedigo Hgfx · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's a decent overview of foreign policy, not much hillary beyond the image of a politician nor her thoughts

a bit disappointed in lack of nuance in some issues while traveling lengths detailing what the author finds interesting
its quite funny how different leaders are described depending on where they fall on the US view point some are "dear leader" while friends are "traditionalist" or just "stubborn"

but nothing beats this quote: "Clinton was not exactly an admirer of the Italian leader as a person, with his reputation for raunchy parties and allegations of sex with underage girls."

[Leah Nyfeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the book blurbs says, “Reading ‘The Secretary’ is as close as anyone can get to flying around the world with Hillary Clinton over the past four years,” and I’d agree. I’m in awe at the level of detail…both from Clinton in her role as Secretary of State and the author, Kim Ghattas, for her engrossing recall. This book is packed with so much information that it could’ve been overwhelmingly boring but Ghattas has excellent pacing and a keen sense for when to bring us back to her personal thoughts and experiences.

[Daniel Stylianou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, but whilst it does focus on Hillary Clinton throughout, that focus is sometimes quite vague and is instead reflections on the author’s view of world politics. I appreciate this isn’t meant to be a biography of Secretary Clinton, but it isn’t as focused on her as the title would lead us to believe. It is also heavily focused on the Middle East, despite the good work Clinton did in many other parts of the world. Still, it is well written and informative and well worth a read.