Antony Blinken: America’s ticket back to global alliances

The incoming US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is expected to work towards bringing America back to the global scene, and try to undo President Donald Trump’s “America First” efforts, which alienated many US allies.

Blinken, 58, is a seasoned diplomat, having served in various capacities under two different administrations for two decades.

He was deputy secretary in 2015-2017, and before that, served as deputy national security adviser in 2013-2015. The career diplomat was also national security adviser to then-Vice President Biden in 2009-2013.

During the Bill Clinton era, he served in the State Department and as a staffer on the National Security Council (NSC) from 1994 to 2001, which included stints as special assistant to the president and senior director for European and Canadian affairs.

He has also served in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008.

Born in New York City to Jewish parents, Blinken moved with his mother to France, where he attended the prestigious Ecole Jeannine Manuel high school. His impeccable French is a testimony to his years spent in France. 

Upon graduation, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a law degree at Columbia Law School in 1988 and practiced law in New York and Paris.

He  helped craft US policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Iranian nuclear program during the Obama administration.

He is a strong supporter of global alliances and is expected to mend the strained US ties with NATO and other US allies that have been strained in recent years due to the hawkish rhetoric and actions of the outgoing Donald Trump administration.