Dept. Antony Blinken began his first full day as the top US diplomat on Wednesday with a promise to restore US leadership in the world, in stark contrast to the previous government’s tone on foreign policy, which left the country largely isolated on the world stage. has.
While talking his first 24 hours as top diplomat with US allies, Blinken describes the desire to have America back on the table as ‘almost palpable’.
“What I have picked up on the talks is a very, very strong desire for the United States to be in the room again, behind the table, and working with them on the many, very common challenges we face. stare, “Blinken said. after calls to foreign counterparts in the Western Hemisphere, Asia and Europe. “And I expect to hear more about it in the coming days.”
Blinken stopped giving a traditional speech to Washington State Department employees, acknowledging that a strong global presence required a strong U.S. State Department and that today’s diplomatic agency was not the one he was leaving four years earlier. do not have.
Former Art. Mike Pompeo, under then-President Donald Trump, has been widely criticized for politicizing the historically non-partisan institution and restructuring the agency under former Art. Rex Tillerson only exacerbated the reduction rates. Blinken committed himself to rebuilding the morale and confidence of the diplomatic corps.
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“The world is watching us closely now. They want to know if we can cure our country,” Blinken said, addressing the few masked diplomats who could greet him under Covid-19 restrictions. “They want to see if we will lead by example … And if we will place a premium on diplomacy with our allies and partners to meet the great challenges of our time.”
The State Department will spend Blinken the first few months in office investigating many of the policy decisions Pompeo made on his way out the door, including 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 Houthi rebel group as a foreign terrorist organization. The Houthis or Ansar Allah control 80 percent of Yemen and the sanctions are considered by international aid organizations as a country already on the brink of starvation, pushed into a further humanitarian crisis.
“It is extremely important, even in the midst of this crisis, that we do everything in our power to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen, who are in dire need,” Blinken said on Wednesday. “And what we want to do is make sure that any steps we take do not get in the way of help.”
But over Afghanistan, the new Secretary of State, Joe Biden, made less distinction from his predecessor, who stressed the need to first fully understand the commitments of both the United States and the Taliban in their agreement. He confirmed that Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, who led the US negotiations with the Taliban during the Trump administration, will remain as US envoy to the Biden government.
