Antony Blinken is one of Joe Biden’s closest officials. In 2009, when Biden was VP, Blinken served as his national security adviser. Later, he became deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017. Shortly after Biden was declared the 2020 presidential election winner, he announced that Blinken would be his top diplomat.
Blinken, 58, was born in New York to Jewish parents.
During his first month in office as US secretary of state, Blinken primarily dedicated his time to China, widely considered America’s main competitor.
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However, the situation quickly changed in May. Operation Guardian of the Walls brought the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the administration’s center of attention and Blinken made his first visit to the region – stopping in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo – to follow closely and make sure that the ceasefire held.
Blinken also worked closely with Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to deal with the fallout of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Blinken monitored the evacuation of the US Embassy in Kabul, as well as diplomats, US citizens and Afghan personnel. It is considered Biden’s most significant crisis since taking office, as Democrats and Republicans gave the administration a low mark on how the withdrawal unfolded.
Another issue for Blinken is the indirect Vienna talks with Iran regarding mutual compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Shortly after swearing-in, Blinken vowed to work tirelessly to find a path to make both the US and Iran return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. However, the Iranians started to stall the negotiations some three months ago, and another round of talks has yet to be scheduled.
Whether the US will pursue a diplomatic solution or more sanctions and economic pressure, is yet to be seen. But in any case, Iran will dominate the secretary’s schedule during the next year as well.