Blinken Has Been Described As A Centrist Consensus-Builder
Blinken Has Been Regarded As A “Nonideological Consensus-Builder.” “His reputation as a nonideological consensus-builder is also in the mold that Biden is attempting to craft in his administration.” [Washington Post, 11/22/20]
Blinken Is Considered Deeply Knowledgeable On Policy And Is Known For His “Light Touch” In His Approach To Working With Others. “On policy, Blinken is considered a deeply knowledgeable and nonideological consensus-builder, allowing the facts of each situation to guide his questions and advice and emphasizing process over advocacy. He is also known for his light touch (“He has a way of telling people hard things in soft ways,” said Sandy Berger, Clinton’s former national security adviser and a Blinken mentor) and eye-roll-worthy puns. (He began a recent White House meeting on Arctic policy by saying, “Before I go any further on this topic, I think we need to break the ice.”)” [Washington Post, 9/15/13]
Blinken’s Foreign Policy Is “Centrist” And Interventionist
Blinken Supported American Action In Libya And Syria
Blinken’s Approach To Foreign Policy Has Been Described As “Centrist” And “Realist.” “Officials and friends say that Blinken’s lessons learned while working on Bosnia in the Clinton administration and myriad other national security matters play a significant role in informing his views on current issues. They describe him as sharing much of the centrist, realist thinking of Biden and former national security adviser Thomas E. Donilon, another Bidenite with whom Blinken is close, but with a stronger interventionist streak. Blinken surprised some in the Situation Room by breaking with Biden to support military action in Libya, administration officials said, and he advocated for American action in Syria after Obama’s reelection. These sources said that Blinken was less enthusiastic than Biden about Obama’s decision to seek congressional approval for a strike in Syria, but is now — perhaps out of necessity — onboard and a backer of diplomatic negotiations with Russia.” [Washington Post, 9/15/13]
- Blinken Shares The Belief In The U.S. R2P, Though Is Less Interventionist With R2P Than The Likes Of Samantha Powers. “While less of an ideologue than Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (a job for which he was considered), he not surprisingly shares her belief that global powers such as the United States have a “responsibility to protect” against atrocities.” [“Washington Post,” 9/15/13]
Blinken Supported American Action In Libya And Syria
Blinken’s Approach To Foreign Policy Has Been Described As “Centrist” And “Realist.” “Officials and friends say that Blinken’s lessons learned while working on Bosnia in the Clinton administration and myriad other national security matters play a significant role in informing his views on current issues. They describe him as sharing much of the centrist, realist thinking of Biden and former national security adviser Thomas E. Donilon, another Bidenite with whom Blinken is close, but with a stronger interventionist streak. Blinken surprised some in the Situation Room by breaking with Biden to support military action in Libya, administration officials said, and he advocated for American action in Syria after Obama’s reelection. These sources said that Blinken was less enthusiastic than Biden about Obama’s decision to seek congressional approval for a strike in Syria, but is now — perhaps out of necessity — onboard and a backer of diplomatic negotiations with Russia.” [“Washington Post,” 9/15/13]
- Blinken Shares The Belief In The U.S. R2P, Though Is Less Interventionist With R2P Than The Likes Of Samantha Power. “While less of an ideologue than Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (a job for which he was considered), he not surprisingly shares her belief that global powers such as the United States have a “responsibility to protect” against atrocities.” [“Washington Post,” 9/15/13]
Blinken Helped Lead The National Security Team Charged With The Syrian Conflict Under Obama. “The national security team Blinken helps lead is under intense criticism for the administration’s response to the Syrian conflict.” [Washington Post, 9/15/13]
