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NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with Secretary of State Tony Blinken about foreign policy goals under the Biden administration and how he plans to shape America’s standing on the global stage.
Mary Louise Kelly: Secretary Blinken, welcome.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Thanks. It’s so good to be with you, Mary Louise.
It is good to have you with us. Let’s start here: If I asked you for one sentence, what is the goal of U.S. foreign policy under this administration, the mission statement. What would that sentence be?
On one level, the mission statement is simple, and we sometimes lose sight of it. The mission statement is to advance the security, prosperity and values that the American people share. We sometimes lose sight of those north stars. But our hope is that every single day the work we’re doing is helping to make the American people just a little bit safer, a little bit more prosperous, a little bit healthier. And if we’re doing that and we accumulate enough steps, we’ll be in a better place in a few years.
You just mentioned values, advancing American values around the world. Is that more difficult when they are under siege here at home?
It cuts both ways. There is no doubt that our ability to wave the banner of democracy and human rights to some extent has been tarnished by recent events, especially the egregious attack on the Capitol on January 6. On the other hand, what’s so powerful about it is that our democracy is resilient. Members of Congress came back to the buildings that had been under siege. They stood up for the Constitution. They stood up for the institution. And even as we’re grappling with this ongoing problem, we’re doing it in a way that is transparent, that is out there for the entire world to see. And unlike in some other places, we’re not trying to sweep it under the rug. We’re not trying to ignore it. We’re not trying to deny it. We’re confronting it. And sometimes it’s ugly, sometimes it’s painful, but it’s also incredibly powerful. And so what I tell colleagues around the world and people that we’re already engaged with — albeit too often by telephone, instead of being able to do it in person, because of COVID — is that our democracy is strong, it’s resilient. And the very fact that we’re constantly trying to build that more perfect union is an acknowledgement of our imperfection. But also it’s in the striving that you really make progress. And I think there’s a model there for others.
When you said it has made it more difficult, though, to wave the banner of American values, can you be specific? Have you been on a call with a counterpart overseas and they’ve said, hey, hang on, who are you to lecture us about the state of democracy and how to run our country?
Yes. People have been pretty gentle about it. But certainly there’s the occasional dig from someone on the other end of the line whom we are raising concerns with about something going on in their country. But again, I don’t feel any hesitation about advancing our views on democracy and our views on human rights, because, again, I find that there’s actually strength in the fact that we’re confronting these things…
Read More: NPR’s Full Interview With Secretary of State Tony Blinken : NPR