U.S. should put economics at center of foreign policy: Clinton

The United States should put economics at the center of its foreign policy and position itself to lead in a world where "security is shaped in boardrooms and on trading floors as well as on battlefields," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said here Friday. Speaking at the Economic Club of New York, Clinton said the great challenge for the United States right now "is not deterring any single military foe," but advancing its global leadership at a time when "power is more often measured and exercised in economic terms." According to Clinton, economic forces are transforming foreign policy realities around the globe. "Emerging powers like India and Brazil put economics at the center of their foreign policies. When their leaders approach a foreign policy challenge, just as when they approach a domestic challenge, one of the first questions they ask is 'how will this affect our economic growth?'" she said. "We need to be asking the same question - not because the answer will dictate every one of our foreign policy choices, but because it must be a significant part of the equation." Clinton also stressed the importance to strengthen the economic presence in Asia, citing the world's strategic and economic center of gravity is shifting east. "One of America's great successes of the past century was to build a strong network of relationships and institutions across the Atlantic," she said. "One of our great projects in this century will be to do the same across the Pacific." "Our free trade agreement with South Korea and our commitment to the trans-pacific partnership are clear demonstrations that we are not only a resident military and diplomatic power in Asia, we are a resident economic power and we are there to stay," Clinton told business leaders.