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US Secretary of State Antony John Blinken. Photo/SCMP
JAKARTA – Antony John Blinken, born April 16, 1962, is an American government official and diplomat who has served as the 71st United States Secretary of State since January 26, 2021.
He was nominated by President Biden on November 23, 2020, confirmed by the United States Senate on January 26, 2021, and sworn in the following day by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Blinken attended primary and secondary school in Paris, where he graduated with honors from the French Baccalaureat program. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School. He has two children with his wife, Evan Ryan.
Blinken is the co-founder of WestExec Advisors, a global firm focused on geopolitics and national security consulting. In 2001 and 2002, he served as a senior research fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Before entering government, Blinken worked as a lawyer in Paris and New York. Besides writing the book Ally Versus Ally: America, Europe, and the Siberian Pipeline Conflict, he has also been a journalist for The New Republic magazine.
Blinken began his public service at the Department of State. From 1993 to 1994, he worked as a special assistant at the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs. Now he has the honor of managing the department where he began his government career more than 30 years ago.
During two administrations in a span of twenty years, Blinken has held important positions in the foreign affairs field. From 1994 to 2001, he served as a staff member for the National Security Council (NSC).
Blinken served as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director for Strategic Planning, and NSC Senior Director for Speechwriting from 1994 to 1998. He served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Canadian Relations from 1999 to 2001.
From 2009 to 2013, Blinken served as Deputy Assistant National Security Adviser to the President and Vice President. In this role, he helped develop US strategy toward Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran’s nuclear program. Blinken was appointed Deputy National Security Adviser on January 20, 2013, replacing Denis McDonough.
Blinken authorized arms shipments to Ukraine in January 2022 to aid the Eastern European country amid border tensions with Russia. Blinken issued a public warning on February 11 of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine before the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Author:MG/Rizky Akbar F
(ian)
