# Are any stats kept on the number of crises a Secretary of State dealt with? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728 "2012-07-09T19:48:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/1 "2012-07-09T19:48:06Z")
I thought had Condoleezza Rice had a rough 4 years as Secretary of State. But Hilary Clinton seems to have dealt with even more crises in her 4 years. It’s been non stop meltdowns all over the middle east, plus the Haiti earthquake, Japan’s earthquake/ tsunami. I totally understand why (she’s said) doesn’t want another 4 years in this job. 4 years as Secretary of State must be exhausting. I know technically Secretary of State is only a representative for the president. These are really the president’s crises and his responsibility. But the reality is the Secretary of State is the point man in the eye of the storm. They have to work somewhat independently and then answer to the president afterward. Are any stats kept on how many crises are dealt with by a Secretary of State? Did Alexander Haig and James Baker have a less frenzied tenure in office? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/2 "2012-07-10T02:14:44Z")
Just to clarify… I know Secretary of States like Kissinger dealt with long term wars like Viet Nam and Cyrus Vance had the Iranian hostage situation. Modern times seems more difficult because it’s such an explosion of issues all around the world. Clinton barely gets off one plane and then she’s off somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/3 "2012-07-10T02:16:59Z")
I don’t know of any such stats. I suppose you could compile them yourself, just by looking through standard sources on the diplomatic history of the U.S. Al Haig had to deal with an attempted Presidential assassination, which didn’t go too well for him after his impromptu White House press conference, as you may recall. His tenure in office was far briefer than he probably wished. On the other hand, Jim Baker had to deal with the first Gulf War and the downfall of Communism, both of which worked out pretty well for him, all in all. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/4 "2012-07-18T04:04:06Z")
**Got my Answer.** I knew it seemed like Hillary was globe trotting more than other Secretary of States. Her term has just been beyond hectic. Madeleine Albright had the record before. American Women get the job done. 😉 This would make a really good Cecil column. [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501706\_162-57473528/jet-setting-hillary-clinton-breaks-travel-record/](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501706_162-57473528/jet-setting-hillary-clinton-breaks-travel-record/) > **[Globe-trotting Hillary Clinton breaks record for the secretary of state who...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2174863/Globe-trotting-Hillary-Clinton-breaks-record-secretary-state-visited-MOST-countries-102-belt.html)** > > Since becoming secretary of state in 2009, Hillary Clinton has logged 351 days on the road, traveled to 102 countries and flown a whopping 843,839 miles. > [@](#): > > If diplomatic achievements were measured by the number of countries visited, Hillary Rodham Clinton would be the most accomplished secretary of state in history. > > While historians will debate and eventually rate her tenure as America’s top diplomat, Clinton is already assured of a place in the State Department record book. > > When her plane touched down at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington early Tuesday morning, the former first lady completed an epic 13-day journey of 27,000 miles — about 2,000 miles more than the circumference of the Earth — through and over Europe to Asia and then doubling back to the Middle East. > [@](#): > > Since becoming secretary of state in 2009, Clinton has logged 351 days on the road, traveled to 102 countries and flown a whopping 843,839 miles, according to the State Department. While some previous secretaries may have flown more miles — mainly due to shuttling back and forth to the Mideast on peace missions — none has visited more nations. > > Clinton broke that record last month, eclipsing Madeleine Albright’s total of 98, when she traveled to Finland for number 99 and then hit the 100 mark in Latvia. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/5 "2012-07-18T23:18:10Z")
Not to be a naysayer, but no. of countries visited seems like a much different metric than no. of crises dealt with. My impression is that the proliferation of international organizations, summits, etc., and the decline of relative American power makes SecState (and Presidential) visits in non-crisis situations increasingly more common. I think that it would be difficult to come up with numbers for this because of the subjectivity of what exactly constitutes a “crisis”. Off the top of my head I want to suggest Acheson or Dulles, but that’s just a guess. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/6 "2012-07-18T23:20:32Z")
Dean Rusk, for his work during the Cuban Missile Crisis, should get extra points. That was probably the closest humanity has come to the end of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/7 "2012-07-18T23:26:50Z")
Well, what counts as a “crisis” is pretty subjective. And for that matter, what counts as “dealing with” one? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-stats-kept-on-the-number-of-crises-a-secretary-of-state-dealt-with/627728/8 "2012-07-19T00:01:58Z")
George Marshall pretty much had to go from one crisis to another during his term as Secretary of State.