Editing Antony Blinken

{{Infobox politician|name=Antony Blinken|image_size=200|birth_date=16 April 1962 (aged 61)|birth_place=Yonkers, [[State of New York|New York]], [[United States of America|United States]]|political_orientation=[[Neoconservatism]]|political_party=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]|image=Antony Blinken.png}}

'''Antony John Blinken''' (born 16 April 1962) is a Statesian politician and the current U.S. Secretary of State. He described China as the "most serious long-term challenger to the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|international order]]."<ref>{{Web citation|author=Amanda Yee|newspaper=[[Liberation News]]|title=Containment, encirclement, and suppression: U.S. policy and the new Cold War on China|date=2023-04-13|url=https://www.liberationnews.org/containment-encirclement-and-suppression-u-s-policy-and-the-new-cold-war-on-china/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925193657/https://www.liberationnews.org/containment-encirclement-and-suppression-u-s-policy-and-the-new-cold-war-on-china/|archive-date=2023-09-25}}</ref>

Blinken supported the [[Iraq War|2003 invasion of Iraq]] and the 2011 assault on [[Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1977–2011)|Libya]].<ref>Johnson, Jake. [https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-secretary-of-state-pick-showed-support-of-iraq-and-libya-invasions/ “Biden’s Secretary of State Pick Showed Support of Iraq and Libya Invasions.”] [[Truthout]]. November 23, 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230610085341/https://truthout.org/articles/bidens-secretary-of-state-pick-showed-support-of-iraq-and-libya-invasions/ Archived] 2023-06-10.</ref> 

Blinken co-founded the company [[WestExec Advisors]] in 2017, which is involved in helping "[[Silicon Valley]] start-ups to land contracts at the [[United States Department of Defense|Pentagon]]" and enabling the Department of Defense in accessing cutting-edge commercial technology to adapt it to military purposes, among other activities relating to the [[Military–industrial complex|military-industrial complex]].<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/23/westexec-advisors-biden-cabinet-440072 “The Secretive Consulting Firm That’s Become Biden’s Cabinet in Waiting.”] POLITICO. November 23, 2020. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230715231532/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/23/westexec-advisors-biden-cabinet-440072 Archived] 2023-07-15.</ref><ref>Fang, Lee. [https://theintercept.com/2018/07/22/google-westexec-pentagon-defense-contracts/ “Former Obama Officials Help Silicon Valley Pitch the Pentagon for Lucrative Defense Contracts.”] The Intercept. July 22, 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230914122916/https://theintercept.com/2018/07/22/google-westexec-pentagon-defense-contracts/ Archived] 2023-09-14.</ref>

== Disinformation ==
Blinken claimed that the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|Soviet Union]] covered up the 1941 [[Babi Yar|Babi Yar massacre]], the largest single massacre of [[Judaism|Jews]] during [[Second World War|World War II]], in which [[German Reich (1933–1945)|German Nazis]] and [[Ukrainian Auxiliary Police|Ukrainian Nazi collaborators]] murdered more than 34,000 [[Judaism|Jews]] as well as tens of thousands of [[Romani people|Roma]] and [[Communism|Communists]]. In reality, while Soviet media didn't place as much emphasis on the Jewish aspect of Babi Yar as it should have, the Soviets ''did'' liberate Babi Yar in 1943 and they ''did'' try 15 German policemen for the crime in 1946.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=Al Mayadeen|title=Blinken factchecked: X users give U.S. Secretary of State history lesson|url=https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/blinken-factchecked:-x-users-give-us-secretary-of-state-hist|retrieved=2023-10-05}}</ref>

== Views ==

=== United States hegemony ===
In various writings, speeches, and interviews throughout his life, Blinken has expressed support for a liberal world order under US leadership. He has explained that in his view, any form of order is better than a power vacuum which he sees as "likely to be filled by bad things before it's filled by good things,"<ref name=":0">[https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-during-a-conversation-at-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-moderated-by-former-u-s-ambassador-to-nato-kay-bailey-hutchison/ "Secretary Antony J. Blinken During a Conversation at The University of Texas at Austin Moderated by Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison."] 2023-10-04. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231101074542/https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-during-a-conversation-at-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-moderated-by-former-u-s-ambassador-to-nato-kay-bailey-hutchison/ Archived] 2023-11-01.</ref> but that the US-led "rules-based international order" and a "profoundly liberal" order are preferential to alternatives, maintaining this view both during the time of the Soviet Union and now in regard to US-China relations. 

Summing up his view on a "profoundly liberal" US-built world order and contrasting it with his view of China, Blinken stated in a 2022 interview:<blockquote>I believe China wants a world order, which is good because order is usually better than the alternative. But the profound difference is this: The order that we’ve sought to build, very imperfectly, but that we sought to build is profoundly liberal in nature; the order that China seeks is illiberal. We disagree and it’s as basic and fundamental as that. And so to the extent that China’s taking steps that would undermine the liberal, in the broader sense of the term, nature of the order, we’re going to oppose that. And again, we’ve been clear about that; there’s no secret to it.<ref name=":1">[https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/2022-06-01/antony-blinken-conversation-us-secretary-of-state "A Conversation With Antony Blinken."] Foreign Affairs, 2022-06-01. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231007131301/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/2022-06-01/antony-blinken-conversation-us-secretary-of-state Archived] 2023-10-07.</ref></blockquote>In a 1982 article responding to [[Noam Chomsky]]'s book ''Towards a New Cold War'', Blinken disagreed with the characterization of the U.S. as a belligerent and oppressive state, writing: "You’ve got to wonder if the United States is really the belligerent and oppressive state that Chomsky would have us believe. The answer, at least compared to other nations, is unequivocally no."<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/11/tony-blinken-secretary-state-harvard-crimson-college-writing-new-republic-columns-world-view-456699 “The World according to Tony Blinken—in the 1980s.”] POLITICO. January 11, 2021.</ref><ref>Blinken, Antony J. [https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1982/3/6/blinded-by-the-light-pbybouve-got/ "Blinded by the Light."] The Harvard Crimson, March 6, 1982.[https://web.archive.org/web/20231101095307/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1982/3/6/blinded-by-the-light-pbybouve-got/ Archived] 2023-11-01.</ref> In 2023 he expressed a similar view on the relative benevolence of U.S. hegemony compared to alternatives, stating that in the absence of "American leadership" in the world, "either someone else is going to do it, and probably not in a way that reflects our interests or values; or maybe just as bad, no one does it, and then you have a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by bad things before it’s filled by good things." He continued, stating that it is his "profound conviction" that "no country on Earth has a greater ability to mobilize others in positive collective action than the United States."<ref name=":0" />

Blinken has expressed commitment to defending the so-called "rules-based international order", noting in a 2022 speech that China is "the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it." While claiming that the U.S. does not seek conflict, nor a [[New Cold War]], nor seek to block China's role as a major power, Blinken stated "we cannot rely on Beijing to change its trajectory. So we will shape the strategic environment around Beijing to advance our vision for an open, inclusive international system." In the same speech, he touted the strengthening of the "[[Quad]]" security dialogues between the U.S., [[Commonwealth of Australia|Australia]], [[Japan]], and [[Republic of India|India]], emphasized US-[[Association of Southeast Asian Nations|ASEAN]] ties, and the [[AUKUS]] security partnership, claiming it as evidence of "enhancing peace and stability" in the Indo-Pacific.<ref>Blinken, Antony J. [https://www.state.gov/the-administrations-approach-to-the-peoples-republic-of-china "The Administration’s Approach to the People’s Republic of China."] Speech at The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of State, 2022-05-26. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231028170952/https://www.state.gov/the-administrations-approach-to-the-peoples-republic-of-china/ Archived] 2023-10-28.</ref> 

This view of Blinken's for the need to "shape the strategic environment around Beijing" was reiterated in an interview with [[Foreign Affairs|''Foreign Affairs'']] in 2022. Connecting the issue of US-China relations with the [[2022 Russo-Ukrainian conflict]], a proxy conflict between [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|NATO]] and the [[Russian Federation]], Blinken said it is important that China take the right "lessons" from the US-led international support for Ukraine, while noting that the U.S. is also making sure its building up its defenses and deterrence.<ref name=":1" />

=== Support for Israel ===
[[File:Antony Blinken at October 31, 2023 senate hearing.jpg|alt=Antony Blinken at a senate hearing on October 31, 2023 regarding a budget request for Israel. Behind him, activists hold up red-painted hands in protest of U.S. support for Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza.|thumb|Antony Blinken at a senate hearing on October 31, 2023 regarding a budget request for aid to Israel. Behind him, activists hold up red-painted hands in protest of U.S. support for Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza.<ref name=":4">Umar A Farooq. [https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-blinken-senate-hearing-interrupted-activists “‘Defund Genocide’: Protesters Heckle Blinken at Hearing over $14.3bn Israel Aid Package.”] [[Middle East Eye]]. 31 October 2023. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231108150101/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-blinken-senate-hearing-interrupted-activists Archived] 2023-11-08.</ref>]]
Blinken has long been an apologist for [[State of Israel|Israel]]'s existence and crimes. In one 1982 article he stated that "the history of the Middle East since 1948 shows Israel constantly striving for peace, only to be rebuffed time and again by the Arabs."<ref>Blinken, Antony J. [https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1982/7/16/lebanon-and-the-facts-pbibmages-of/ "Lebanon and the Facts."] The Harvard Crimson, 1982-07-16. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231101095247/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1982/7/16/lebanon-and-the-facts-pbibmages-of/ Archived] 2023-11-01.</ref>

In that same year he wrote another article titled "Israel's Saving Grace" a week after the [[Sabra and Shatila massacre]], in which he stated that the massacre of [[State of Palestine|Palestinian]] refugees obscured the "vibrant, working democracy" of Israel, which one "must hope" would be Israel's "salvation", making the claim that those responsible for atrocities would one day be held accountable:<blockquote>Israel is not, has never been, nor will ever be the irreproachable, perfectly moral state some of its supporters would like to see. Israelis are, after all, only human. Still, one pedestal the Jewish state can stand on--and stand on alone in the Middle East--is that of a democracy. Yes, there are tragic excesses in the occupied territories. True, the invasion of Lebanon claimed many innocent lives. The fact remains, though, that Israelis question themselves and their government openly and honestly. Eventually, as in other democracies, those responsible for wrongdoing are held accountable.<ref>Blinken, Antony J. [https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1982/9/23/israels-saving-grace-pbibsraelis-of-all/ "Israel's Saving Grace."] The Harvard Crimson, 1982-09-23. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231101095239/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1982/9/23/israels-saving-grace-pbibsraelis-of-all/ Archived] 2023-11-01.</ref></blockquote>In another article the following year he conceptualized the massacres and repression perpetrated by Israel as "growing pains", writing that "the summer of 1982 may be remembered in history as the time Israel passed from adolescence to adulthood", and that despite these things, Israel "remains special, an oasis in a desert. Its citizens have built a working democracy from scratch in a region that has no others. Israelis must treasure that democracy, protect it with all their will."<ref>Blinken, Antony J. [https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1983/1/14/the-danger-within-pbabs-the-passions/ "The Danger Within."] The Harvard Crimson, 1983-01-14. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231101095252/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1983/1/14/the-danger-within-pbabs-the-passions/ Archived] 2023-11-01.</ref>

In October 2023, days after the start of [[Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa]], Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv with a message of US support with military and diplomatic aid for Israel. Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] greeted Blinken at a joint conference as his "good friend Tony", thanking him and the US administration for their support in the "war against the barbarians of [[Islamic Resistance Movement|Hamas]]", followed by Netanyahu vowing Hamas would be "crushed" and insisting that the "forces of civilization" will win.<ref name=":2">[https://www.c-span.org/video/?531095-1/secretary-blinken-news-conference-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu "Secretary Blinken News Conference with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu."] C-SPAN, October 12, 2023. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231029175953/https://www.c-span.org/video/?531095-1/secretary-blinken-news-conference-israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu Archived] 2023-10-29.</ref><ref name=":3">[https://www.euronews.com/2023/10/12/blinken-in-tel-aviv-in-show-of-us-solidarity-with-israel “Blinken in Tel Aviv in Show of US Solidarity with Israel.”] Euronews. October 12, 2023. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231018073348/https://www.euronews.com/2023/10/12/blinken-in-tel-aviv-in-show-of-us-solidarity-with-israel Archived] 2023-10-18.</ref>

Following this, Blinken stated, "You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourselves, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to. We will always be there by your side. [...] We're delivering on our word, supplying ammunition, interceptors to replenish Israel's Iron Dome, alongside other defense materiel. The first shipments of US military support have already arrived in Israel and more is on the way. As Israel's defense needs evolve, we will work with Congress to make sure they're met. And I can tell you there is overwhelming, overwhelming bipartisan support in our Congress for Israel's security." At the conference's end, Blinken and Netanyahu shook hands and embraced.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />

On October 31, 2023, amid Israel's ongoing bombing of Gaza, Blinken and Defense Secretary [[Lloyd Austin]] argued at a senate hearing for immediate aid to be sent to Israel and [[Ukraine]]. Throughout the hearing, protesters behind Blinken and Austin raised their red-painted hands to signify the blood on U.S. hands for supporting Israel's bombing of Gaza, with the activists periodically standing up to call for a ceasefire and shouting that Blinken was funding genocide. Blinken repeatedly paused his speech as protesters interrupted him and were escorted out one by one by security until he could resume the budget request.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Mary Clare Jalonick. [https://apnews.com/article/israel-ukraine-congress-senate-austin-blinken-a56354873731af2ea5a96db227059969 “U.S. Military and Diplomatic Leaders Urge a Divided Congress to Send Aid to Both Israel and Ukraine.”]  AP News. October 31, 2023. [https://web.archive.org/web/20231222061419/https://apnews.com/article/israel-ukraine-congress-senate-austin-blinken-a56354873731af2ea5a96db227059969 Archived] 2023-12-22.</ref> In his remarks, Blinken stated that this funding would be "critical to outcompeting our strategic rivals", saying that it would support US allies in addressing "threats from an increasingly assertive PRC" and "help countries transition to military and defense equipment that’s made in America" and provide resources to the [[The World Bank|World Bank]] and [[International Monetary Fund]], as an alternative to China's "coercive" financing.<ref>[https://www.state.gov/opening-remarks-by-secretary-antony-j-blinken-before-the-senate-appropriations-committee-on-a-review-of-the-national-security-supplemental-request/ "Opening Remarks by Secretary Antony J. Blinken Before the Senate Appropriations Committee On “A Review of the National Security Supplemental Request”"]. United States Department of State, 2023-10-31.[https://web.archive.org/web/20231031183901/https://www.state.gov/opening-remarks-by-secretary-antony-j-blinken-before-the-senate-appropriations-committee-on-a-review-of-the-national-security-supplemental-request/ Archived] 2023-10-31.</ref>

== References ==
[[Category:Politicians in the United States]]
[[Category:United States Secretaries of State]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blinken, Antony}}