On July 4, Hillary pushes ‘open societies’ all over

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On America’s Independence Day, US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton is challenging what she calls a global crackdown on human rights, lamenting a “steel vise” squeezing the life out social activism.
Ms Clinton arrived in this Caspian Sea nation on Sunday after declaring in Poland that intolerant governments around the world are undercutting rights groups whose work is vital to the development of democracy. She said the trend is apparent, and growing worse, even in countries that call themselves democracies.
At the palatial residence of President Ilham Aliyev overlooking the vast, glimmering Caspian, Mr Aliyev and Ms Clinton spoke briefly before reporters and TV cameras. Mr Aliyev wished her a happy Fourth of July and then stressed the urgency of his country’s territorial dispute with neighbouring Armenia. The two nations are in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan, that has been under control of Armenian troops and ethnic Armenian forces since a 1994 ceasefire. “This is the major problem for us and the major threat to regional security,” he said.
At an airport press conference later with her Azeri counterpart, Elmar Mammadyarov, Ms Clinton said they had discussed at length the territorial dispute. “The final steps toward peace are often the most difficult, but we believe peace is possible,” Ms Clinton told reporters. “This is a high priority for the United States,” she added. She said the 1994 ceasefire agreement “must be enforced.” Following her meeting with Mr Aliyev, Ms Clinton gathered with about a dozen Azeri youth activists, including bloggers, to encourage them to speak out in favour of social change. “I happen to think a lot of the success of countries in the 21st century is because they are open societies,” she said.