Clinton: In first year, Iran, N. Korea not unclenching fists

When asked if North Korea had done so, Clinton also responded, “No,” addding, “Not to the extent we’d like to see them, but engagement has brought us a lot.”

Clinton defended the administration’s policy of diplomacy based on “mutual respect,” not just “hurling insults,” as building a foreign policy over the past year that has “created a much more open, receptive atmosphere.”

“Because we engaged, the rest of the world has begun to see Iran the way we see it,” Clinton said. Because Obama extended a hand, Clinton said, “a neighbor like China knows we’ll go the extra mile” and is thus more likely to join onto U.S. efforts to contain the budding nuclear states.

“I would say this has been a very successful year,” Clinton said in summing up the diplomatic efforts, noting the pressing of the reset button with Russia.

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When pressed about Iran, though, Clinton turned the focus to terrorism. “Most of us believe the greater threats are the transnational, non-state networks” such as al-Qaeda and its affiliates, she said. The greatest threat, Clinton said, is a terror syndicate getting its hands on a weapon of mass destruction.

Because of the Christmas Day bombing attempt on an airliner heading into Detroit, Clinton said, “people have become very focused” on the terror threat, adding that despite the continuing theat from al-Qaeda “you can’t be discouraged or fearful about what’s happening.”

When asked about the assessment of top intelligence officials, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, that an al-Qaeda attempt was imminent within the next three to six months, Clinton said “it’s very difficult to make that kind of assessment.”

“I don’t see [al-Qaeda] as stronger but I see that they are more creative, more flexible, more agile, they evolve,” she said, adding that the U.S. had “degraded their ability” in the Afghanistan region.