Sec. Office of State Antony Blinken began his first full day as the top US diplomat on Wednesday with a promise to restore American leadership in the world, a stark contrast to the previous government’s tone on foreign policy, which left the country largely isolated on the global stage.
Spending his first 24 hours as a senior diplomat speaking to longtime US allies, Blinken described the desire to have America back at the table as “almost palpable”.
“What I realized from these conversations is a very, very strong desire for the United States to come back to the room, at the table, working with them on the many, many common challenges we face,” said Blinken following calls to foreign counterparts in the Western Hemisphere , Asia and Europe. “And I hope to hear more about that in the next few days.”
Stopping to deliver a traditional first-day speech to Washington State Department officials, Blinken acknowledged that a strong global presence requires a strong U.S. State Department and today’s diplomatic agency was not the one he had left four years earlier.
Former State Secretary Mike Pompeo under then President Donald Trump faced widespread criticism for politicizing the historically non-partisan institution and restructuring the agency under the former secretary. Rex Tillerson only exacerbated attrition rates. Blinken pledged to rebuild the diplomatic corps’ morale and confidence.
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“The world is watching us closely now. They want to know if we can heal our nation,” said Blinken, addressing the few masked diplomats capable of welcoming him under Covid-19 restrictions. “They want to see if we will lead with the strength of our example … And if we will value diplomacy with our allies and partners to face the great challenges of our time.”
The State Department will spend Blinken’s first months in office reviewing many of the political decisions made by Pompeo on his way out the door, including controlling last-minute arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Blinken said on Wednesday that he was particularly focused on reevaluating the Trump administration’s decision to label the Iran-backed rebel group Houthi as a foreign terrorist organization. The Houthis or Ansar Allah control 80% of Yemen and sanctions are seen by international aid organizations as pushing a country that is already on the verge of hunger into a new humanitarian crisis.
“It is vitally important, even in the midst of this crisis, that we do everything in our power to obtain humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen, who are in dire need,” Blinken said on Wednesday. “And what we want to do is make sure that whatever measures we take don’t hinder the provision of that assistance.”
But in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden’s new secretary of state made less distinction from his predecessor, expressing the need to first fully understand the commitments made by the United States and the Taliban in their agreement. He confirmed that Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, who led the U.S. talks with the Taliban during the Trump administration, will remain a U.S. Envoy under the Biden government.
