Antony Blinken
Secretary of State
Antony John Blinken was born in April 1962 in Yonkers, New York. He earned an undergraduate degree in social studies from Harvard University, worked for a publishing company for a year, and then enrolled at Columbia Law School where he earned a Juris Doctor. He entered the private practice of law.
During the administration of President Bill Clinton, Blinken was a member of the National Security Council. For a portion of that time, he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Strategic Planning and NSC Senior Director for Speechwriting. Toward the end of that administration, he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Canadian Affairs.
In 2002, he was appointed director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he assisted then-Senator Joe Biden on matters of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
During the administration of President Barack Obama, Blinken was Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, where he helped craft U.S. policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran.
Thereafter, he entered the private sector and founded a political strategy advising team and a private equity firm.
He was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the United States Secretary of State and was confirmed by the Senate, assuming office on January 26, 2021. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
He is married to Evan Ryan. Blinken is Jewish.
In the News…
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Monday, reiterating the commitment of President Biden’s administration to a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. Secretary Blinken said that the U.S. is opposed to any efforts that would stand in the way of or endanger such a solution.
He cautioned the new Israeli government regarding the possibility of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, legalizing dozens of outposts. President Biden’s administration considers any move toward West Bank annexations or changing the status quo bringing Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount “red lines.”
Secretary Blinken and Minister Cohen discussed the Iranian nuclear threat as well. The U.S. secretary of state said the effort to renew a nuclear agreement with Iran is on hold, due to Iran’s general intransigence toward reducing its nuclear program coupled with the ongoing protests in that nation.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Secretary Blinken? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Antony Blinken, Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20522
