U.S. President-elect Joseph R. Biden on Monday nominated Antony Blinken to serve as the United States Secretary of State in the incoming administration which takes over on January 20, 2021.
Tony Blinken has held senior foreign policy positions in two administrations over three decades, and has advised President-elect Biden on foreign policy since 2002.
From 2015 to 2017, Blinken served as Deputy Secretary of State under the Obama-Biden administration. In that role, Blinken helped to lead diplomacy in the fight against ISIL, the rebalance to Asia, and the global refugee crisis, while building bridges to the innovation community.
Before that, Blinken served as Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. He chaired the Deputies Committee, the administration’s principal forum for formulating foreign policy. During the first Obama term, he was National Security Advisor to Vice President Biden. Blinken served as Democratic Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008 and was a member of President Clinton’s National Security Council staff from 1994 to 2001.
Prior to serving as foreign policy advisor during the Biden-Harris campaign and transition, Blinken served as managing director of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and was the Herter/Nitze Distinguished Scholar at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Before entering public service, Blinken was a reporter for The New Republic magazine, writing extensively on foreign policy. He is the author of Ally Versus Ally: America, Europe, and the Siberian Pipeline Crisis. He has also served as a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and a global affairs analyst for CNN. Blinken is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. Blinken graduated from high school in Paris, where he lived from ages nine to eighteen.
Blinken has been praised for his professionalism and experience.
What they all said:
Susan Rice, Former Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor : @ABlinken been my dear friend and close colleague for over 25 years. He will make a superb Secretary of State and do our nation proud. Competence, decency, strength, and respect for our career professionals are coming back to @State. #GoTony [Tweet, 11/23/20]
General Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State: I was delighted to learn that President-elect Biden has chosen Tony Blinken to be our next Secretary of State. He is a superb choice. He is an accomplished and experienced foreign policy expert. I know him well. He is a balanced diplomat with a superb reputation and will represent the United States with skill and professionalism. [Facebook, 11/23/20]
Samantha Power, Former Ambassador to the United Nations: Even as @ABlinken held some of the most powerful national security jobs in Washington, he always looked out for lower level staff and he always remained open to challenging old foreign policy assumptions. He’s a great leader and an inspired choice for Secretary of State. [Tweet, 11/22/20]
.@ABlinken is an esteemed public servant and will be an excellent Secretary of State. Like @JoeBiden, he understands the U.S. at its best is a North Star in the world. I looking forward to working together to rebuild America’s infrastructure of diplomacy. nytimes.com/2020/11/22/us/… [Tweet, 11/23/20]
Sen. Jack Reed, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee
Tony Blinken will be an outstanding Secretary of State who can restore coherence, coordination, and competence to the State Department. I have travelled overseas with Tony to places like Afghanistan and Iraq and witnessed firsthand his unflappable diplomatic skill. He is a true foreign policy expert and strategic thinker with a clear-eyed understanding of world affairs and national security.Tony’s leadership at State will be a force multiplier for U.S. diplomacy and projecting our core values. [Press Release, 11/23/20]