They’ve been using (and we have been mocking) the “smart power” catch phrase from the start of Obama’s term and yet I still have absolutely no idea what it means.

(CSM) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday marked the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks by calling for the integration of more “smart power” initiatives — more democracy, development, and rule-of-law promotion — into global counterterrorism efforts.

Speaking in New York, which she represented as a US senator at the time of the attacks, Secretary Clinton said that as successful as military actions have been in decimating Al Qaeda, they are not enough — especially in addressing the root causes of terrorism.

Opening her remarks with a reference to what she called “serious” reports of an Al Qaeda plot to hit either New York or Washington on the 9/11 anniversary, Clinton said such plans “should surprise no one” but are “a reminder of the continuing stakes in our struggle against violent extremism.”

Clinton spoke at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which lost nearly 70 students and alumni in the 9/11 attacks — and which in the aftermath of the events created a master’s program in the study of terrorism.