Tech Insider
A photo of men sitting in a semi-circle with American and Israeli flags in the background.
US President Joe Biden (3rd L), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (3rd R) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (2nd L) meet in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 18, 2023.

Anadolu Agency/ Getty Images.

  • Antony Blinken has worked with three presidents in two decades. 
  • In 2021, Blinken was sworn in as secretary of state for the Biden administration. 
  • He recently has engaged in marathon diplomacy throughout the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.

A long-time foreign policy expert in Washington, Antony Blinken has been thrust into the national spotlight with his recent work speaking with leaders in Israel and the Middle East.

After terror attacks by Hamas militants killed 1,400 Israelis on October 7, Israel responded with a declaration of war, airstrikes in Gaza, and evacuation orders for Palestinians. In the middle of this situation, Blinken has engaged in marathon diplomacy throughout the Middle East, doing what he can to prevent further escalation.

President Joe Biden's visit to Israel on October 18, was partly attributed to the work of Blinken, who joined the president in Tel Aviv. Before Biden arrived in Israel, Blinken had traveled to six Arab states between his visits to Israel.

Growing up in the United States and France, Blinken was interested in foreign affairs, and his family has long had ties to American foreign policy. His father was a US Ambassador to Hungary, and his uncle was a US Ambassador to Belgium.

Before working as the top US diplomat in the Biden administration, Blinken worked on Capitol Hill for two decades under the Clinton and Obama administrations.

Before he worked on Capitol Hill, Blinken was writing about foreign policy for the Harvard Crimson.
A photo of a student walking their bike on Harvard Yard.
John Harvard Monument at Harvard University.

Santi Visalli/Getty Images

While at Harvard, Blinken co-edited and wrote for the daily newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, where he covered current and foreign affairs.

After he graduated from Harvard, Blinken continued his journalistic endeavors for a year while working as a reporter at The New Republic in Washington, DC.

Blinken later continued his education by pursuing a law degree from Columbia University.

Before Blinken worked for Biden or Obama, he worked with Bill Clinton.
A photo of Bill Clinton at a podium speaking to his staffers.
President Bill Clinton prepares for his State of the Union address with members of his staff in the White House, including then-Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning Antony Blinken.

Barbara Kinney/ Getty Images

Before he worked for President Clinton, Blinken was Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs.

In 1994, Blinken joined the National Security Council at the behest of White House speechwriter Robert Boorstin. Blinken would go on to become the chief foreign policy speechwriter for President Clinton.

Blinken was a part of the National Security Council staff from 1994 to 2001 and served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs from 1999 to 2001.

Blinken's professional relationship with Biden began in 2002.
A black and white photo of Antony Blinken speaking with President Biden.
President Joe Biden and Antony Blinken speak after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 summit.

Adam Schultz/Flickr

Blinken served as the Democratic staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008 during a time when then-Senator Biden was the chair of the committee.

Blinken later joined the White House as then-Vice President Biden's national security advisor.
A photo of Antony Blinken speaking while surrounded by phones.
Antony Blinken speaks to the media after a meeting with Cho Tae-Yong at the foreign ministry in Seoul.

JUNG YEON-JE/Getty Images

During the Obama administration, Blinken became the then-president's deputy national security advisor and later the deputy secretary of state.
A photo of Antony Blinken speaking at the United Nations.
Antony Blinken gives a speech during a press conference at the United Nations' office in Geneva.

Fatih Erel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

"Tony Blinken is a superstar and that's not hyperbole," Biden told The Washington Post in 2013. "The president recognized that after four years with me and stole him."

Blinken has a long history in White House foreign relations. Blinken broke with Biden in 2013 in his support for military action in Libya as well as advocating for American action in Syria after Obama was reelected.

In 2013, The Post depicted Blinken as somebody who believes that "global powers such as the United States have a responsibility to protect against atrocities."

Blinken has been involved in multiple historic moments while working for the White House.
A photo of the situation room on the day they received an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden.
President Barack Obama and members of the national security team receive an update on the mission that led to the death of Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House.

Pete Souza/ Flickr

Blinken was present while Obama and his national security team awaited updates on the mission that led to the killing of Osama Bin Laden in 2011.

Blinken also had a hand in building the international coalition to defeat the Islamic State and pressed for sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle after the occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Previously, Blinken visited six Arab states in a tour of the Middle East.
A photo of Antony Blinken being sworn in as Secretary of State by Kamala Harris.
Antony Blinken is sworn in as Secretary of State by Kamala Harris.

Drew Angerer/ Getty Images

In 2020, Blinken worked on Biden's presidential campaign as his foreign policy advisor and was sworn in as secretary of state on January 27, 2021.

During his tenure as secretary of state, Blinken has had no shortage of events to keep him occupied, including the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and, most recently, the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

After Hamas militants descended on Israel on October 7, Blinken visited six Arab states in a bout of marathon diplomacy.
A photo of Antony Blinken in the Moses Ben Maimon (Maimonides) Synagogue.
Antony Blinken visits the Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi.

JACQUELYN MARTIN/ Getty Images

Blinken met with Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates, as part of his effort to display the US' "unwavering support" of Israel.

Moving across seven countries, Blinken has been working to explain America's stance while attempting to keep other countries out of the conflict and limit casualties.

Most recently, Blinken helped facilitate Biden's visit to Israel.
A photo of Antony Blinken watching on as President Biden speaks to others.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C Back) watches as US President Joe Biden meets with people effected by attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images.

NPR reported that Blinken was at dinner with King Abdullah of Jordan when news of Hamas militants' attack on Israel broke out.

After nine hours of discussion with various Israeli officials and some of his US team, Blinken announced that Biden would visit Israel as a demonstration of America's "ironclad support" of Israel's security.

As the war continues, so does Blinken's work.
A photo of Antony Blinken exiting a plane.
Antony Blinken steps off a plane as he returns to Amman, Jordan.

JACQUELYN MARTIN/ Getty Images.

Perhaps when he's done trying to solve a global conflict, he can spend a little more time on his long-time music hobby and release more music on Spotify.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Military & Defense, secretary-of-state, white-house, Presidents, Israel, Gaza, hamas, israel-palestine, antony-blinken
Source
Antony Blinken has worked with three different US presidents. He faces his bigg…