Categories: LatestPolitics

US Senate Confirms Antony Blinken as 71st Secretary of State

The Senate has confirmed Antony Blinken as America’s top diplomat, tasked with carrying out President Joe Biden’s commitment to reverse the Trump administration’s “America First” doctrine that weakened international alliances.

Senators voted 78-22 to approve Blinken, a longtime Biden confidant, as the nation’s 71st secretary of state, succeeding Mike Pompeo. The position is the most senior Cabinet position, with the secretary fourth in the line of presidential succession.

Blinken, 58, served as deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration. He has pledged to be a leading force in the administration’s bid to reframe the US relationship with the rest of the world after four years in which President Donald Trump questioned longtime alliances. He is expected to start work on Wednesday after being sworn in, according to State Department officials.

“American leadership still matters,” Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his Jan. 19 confirmation hearing. “The reality is, the world simply does not organize itself. When we’re not engaged, when we’re not leading, then one of two things is likely to happen. Either some other country tries to take our place, but not in a way that’s likely to advance our interests and values, or maybe just as bad, no one does and then you have chaos.”

Blinken vowed that the Biden administration would approach the world with both humility and confidence, saying “we have a great deal of work to do at home to enhance our standing abroad.”

Despite promising renewed American leadership and an emphasis on shoring up strained ties with allies in Europe and Asia, Blinken told lawmakers that he agreed with many of Trump’s foreign policy initiatives. He backed the so-called Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, and a tough stance on China over human rights and its assertiveness in the South China Sea.

He did, however, signal that the Biden administration is interested in bringing Iran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal from which Trump withdrew in 2018.

Opposition to Blinken centered on Iran policy and concerns among conservatives that he will abandon Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

Blinken inherits a deeply demoralized and depleted career workforce at the State Department. Neither Tillerson nor Pompeo offered strong resistance to the Trump administration’s attempts to gut the agency, which were thwarted only by congressional intervention.

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School and a longtime Democratic foreign policy presence, Blinken has aligned himself with numerous former senior national security officials who have called for a major reinvestment in American diplomacy and renewed emphasis on global engagement.

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour: Commercialisation Of GMO Seeds Can Take Away Nigeria’s Food Sovereignty, Cause Health Issues

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has condemned the commercialisation of GMO seeds, warning of threats to Nigeria’s food…

8 hours ago

Usyk Defeats Fury on Points in Riyadh to Retain Heavyweight Championship Title

Oleksandr Usyk has secured victory over Tyson Fury in Riyadh, successfully defending his heavyweight championship…

14 hours ago

Albania to Ban TikTok for a Year After Schoolboy’s Death Sparks Concerns

Albania plans a one-year TikTok ban from January after a schoolboy’s death sparks concerns over…

16 hours ago

Suspect Remanded in Custody Over Deadly Attack at German Christmas Market

A suspect accused of killing five people by driving into a crowded Christmas market in…

17 hours ago

US Fighter Jet ShotDown in Red Sea ‘Friendly Fire’ Incident Amid Heightened Tensions

A US Navy F/A-18 Hornet was mistakenly shot down over the Red Sea by the…

17 hours ago

NNPC, Dangote Refinery Slash Petrol Prices to N899 Per Litre Amid Rising Competition

NNPC has reduced petrol ex-depot price to N899 per litre, sparking competition with Dangote Refinery…

17 hours ago