Antony Blinken: Senate confirms Biden’s Secretary of State

With Blinken’s confirmation, President Joe Biden now employs a number of key members of his national security team. In addition to national security adviser Jake Sullivan – who does not require confirmation from the Senate – National Intelligence Director Avril Haines was confirmed on inauguration day and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was confirmed last Friday.

The 71st Secretary of State faces the challenges of restoring America’s position in the world and reviving a department where many felt demoralized under the previous administration.

He will also be at the forefront of leading a sharp turn from “America First” foreign policy to one that focuses on multilateralism and coalitions.

He was pressured against Iran and attempts to rejoin the Iran nuclear deal. While Blinken made it clear that the Biden administration believes the world was a safer place with the Iran nuclear deal, he did not detail any plans to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), proving the government- Trump withdrew in 2018.

“The president-elect is of the opinion that if Iran complies with the rules again, we would too,” Blinken said at his hearing a day before the inauguration last week. But we would use that as a platform with our allies and partners who would be on the same side with us again, to seek a longer and stronger agreement. And also, as you and the President have rightly pointed out, to capture these other issues, particularly with regard to missiles and Iran’s destabilizing activities. That would be the goal. “

That said, I think we are still a long way from that. Once the president-elect takes office, we need to see what steps Iran is actually taking and willing to take, “Blinken said.

As for China, he admitted that President Donald Trump was “right about his tougher approach to China.”

“I strongly disagree with the way he has handled it in a number of areas, but the basic principle was the right one, and I think that is really helpful for our foreign policy,” said Blinken.

He pledged to restore the agency he now heads, saying that he is “committed to advancing our security and prosperity by building a diplomatic force that fully represents America in all its talent and diversity.”

And where his predecessor Mike Pompeo promised to bring “swagger”, Blinken called for “humility and confidence”.

“Humility because we have a lot of work to do at home to improve our reputation abroad. And humility because most of the world’s problems are not about us, even as they concern us. Not one of the great challenges we face can be tackled by one country acting alone – even one as powerful as the US, ”he said. “But we will also act with confidence that America at best still has a greater capacity than any country in the world to mobilize others for the greater good.”