国际英语新闻：Development aid central to U.S. interests: Clinton

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday the United States achieves "best results" when development, diplomacy and defense are approached as a whole, signaling a change of tactics in U.S. diplomacy.

    "The United States achieves the best results when we approach our foreign policy as an integrated whole, greater than the sum of its parts," Clinton said in a prepared speech in Washington, noting development is central to advancing U.S. interests and solving global problems.

    She also said the administration is adopting a development model based on partnership, not patronage, pledging to work with developing countries and invest in evidence-based strategies with clear goals.

    Clinton's message of bundling development and defense together came at a time when the country is grappled by a sudden surge of security concerns, after a failed terror attack on a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, and threats against the U.S. embassy in Yemen, a country long neglected by U.S. development aid.

    According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation, U.S. development aid to Yemen declined from 56.5 million U.S. dollars in 2000 to 25.5 million in 2008, during which period the terror network of al-Qaeda regrouped in the poverty-stricken country.

    Prior to Clinton's speech, a senior U.S. official who declined to be named said the administration has to focus on areas where development results are needed "as part of our broader security strategy."

    In places such as Yemen, the official said, the administration has to pursue security goals and development goals simultaneously, because "without development, you're never going to have security."

    The White House announced on Monday that President Barack Obama has asked for a significant increase in foreign assistance to Yemen in fiscal year 2010. Development and security aid to that country could be as much as 63 million dollars, representing a 56-percent increase over fiscal year 2009 and a 225-percent increase over fiscal year 2008 levels.