Hillary Clinton: Artiste Extraordinaire

In my last post, I wrote about how apologizing can be useful in diplomacy to help mediate relations between disagreeing countries. The post was meant to show that we don't always have to use hard (military) power--or even soft (economic) power to solve a problem or benefit from the solution; we can simply acknowledge a rough spot sincerely and move on--without making a huge deal about it.
I am proud to announce that Hillary Clinton agrees with me on this. Just two days ago, she made a NYT headline: CLINTON'S 'SORRY' TO PAKISTAN ENDS BARRIER TO NATO. After apologizing to Pakistan, Clinton was able to ameliorate a 7-month-long (truly, tensions between our two countries have existed for decades, but this specific conflict regarding airstrikes has only been going on for 7 months) 'problem issue' between the US and Pakistan, enabling NATO negotiations to at least continue.
Here's the link for the article, if you'd like to check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/world/asia/pakistan-opens-afghan-routes-to-nato-after-us-apology.html?pagewanted=all
However, the article makes a huge fuss over Clinton's move in saying "sorry". The reporters and opposition groups alike speculate over the implications of her saying "sorry"--rather than "we apologize" or using a longer-syllabled word. I suspect that one could hire an entire team of psychologists to decipher the subtle connotations of (as the article calls it) her "soft" sorry.
But I'll make it easy on you and sum it up in a couple of sentences:
Hillary Clinton is smart, regardless of how many people criticize her
Hillary Clinton probably understands this situation on a level much deeper than we do--and so we have little right to legitimately say (if you are one of the people who thinks that "sorry" is a sign of weakness, which it is not --PLEASE READ MY LAST POST IF THIS IS THE CASE) that this apology was a bad idea.
In fact, I believe it was a good idea.
Tensions have been running high and abundantly for the better part of a year, and this is a step in the right direction.
Clinton was able to take a stance in a conflict that not only prevented new accusations and arguments from flooding the White House but also took a step in the right direction for beginning a more productive phase of relations with Pakistan.
So kudos to you, Ms. Clinton! It seems you read my blog after all (or maybe, one day in the future, you will!).