President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of State, Antony Blinken, told a Senate panel Tuesday that he plans to “revitalize American diplomacy” after four years of tumultuous foreign policy.
“We will show up again,” Blinken said in opening remarks as his Senate confirmation hearing got underway in the building that two weeks ago was the scene of a deadly riot. “Working across government and with partners around the world, we will revitalize American diplomacy to take on the most pressing challenges of our time.”
Blinken, a veteran diplomat and longtime senior adviser to Biden, is using his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to underline a sharp distinction between his agenda and style, and his predecessors Michael R. Pompeo and Rex Tillerson.
Blinken, 58, is a firm believer in working closely with allies and in multilateral institutions. He is signaling an overhaul not just of policy but of the State Department, and advocating a return to broader consultation among government agencies ahead of decisions. That too is a practice largely discarded by Trump.
