Antony Blinken

Antony Blinken
Born	Antony John Blinken 16 4, 1962
Birthplace	Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Diplomat, lawyer, government official
Known for	71st United States Secretary of State
Education	Harvard University (B.A.); Columbia Law School (J.D.)
Children	2

Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States Secretary of State from January 26, 2021, to January 20, 2025, under President Joe Biden. A career figure in U.S. foreign policy who spent decades moving between government service and the private sector, Blinken's tenure as the nation's chief diplomat was shaped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the conflict in Gaza. Prior to leading the State Department, Blinken held a series of senior national security positions in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, including deputy national security advisor (2013–2015), deputy secretary of state (2015–2017), and national security advisor to then-Vice President Biden (2009–2013). Between stints in government, Blinken co-founded WestExec Advisors, a strategic consulting firm, and served on the board of Pine Island Capital Partners. His decades-long partnership with Biden—spanning Senate staff work, a presidential campaign, and four years in the West Wing—made him one of the most influential voices in American foreign policy during the Biden presidency.

Early Life

Antony John Blinken was born on April 16, 1962, in Yonkers, New York. He comes from a family with deep roots in both American politics and European Jewish history. His father, Donald Blinken, served as the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary during the Clinton administration. His uncle, Alan Blinken, served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.

Blinken spent part of his formative years in Paris, France, where he attended the École Jeannine Manuel, a bilingual French-American school. His time in France profoundly shaped his worldview and gave him fluency in the French language, a skill that would later distinguish him among American diplomats. His stepfather, Samuel Pisar, was a Holocaust survivor and international lawyer who had endured the Auschwitz, Dachau, and Majdanek concentration camps before being liberated by American soldiers. The story of Pisar's rescue by American G.I.s left a lasting impression on Blinken and, by his own account, informed his belief in the importance of American engagement in the world.

The combination of a transatlantic upbringing, a family steeped in diplomacy, and the personal testimony of a Holocaust survivor gave Blinken an early orientation toward international affairs that would define his professional life.

Education

Blinken attended Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He subsequently enrolled at Columbia Law School, where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree. His educational background in both the liberal arts and law provided a foundation for his later career in government and diplomacy.

Career

Clinton Administration (1994–2001)

Blinken's career in government began during the administration of President Bill Clinton. He served in the State Department and subsequently held senior positions on the National Security Council from 1994 to 2001. During this period, he was involved in U.S. policy deliberations on a range of international issues, gaining experience in the institutional workings of American foreign policy at the highest levels of government.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Iraq War (2002–2008)

After leaving the Clinton White House, Blinken served as a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies from 2001 to 2002. He then joined the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he served as the Democratic staff director from 2002 to 2008. During this period, the committee was chaired by Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, and Blinken became one of Biden's closest foreign policy advisors—a relationship that would endure for more than two decades.

During his time on the Senate committee, Blinken was among those who advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a position consistent with the broader bipartisan support for the authorization of military force that prevailed in Congress at the time. This stance would later draw scrutiny as the Iraq War became increasingly controversial.

Blinken served as a foreign policy advisor during Biden's 2008 presidential campaign and subsequently advised the Obama–Biden presidential transition.

Obama Administration (2009–2017)

National Security Advisor to the Vice President (2009–2013)

Upon the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009, Blinken was appointed deputy assistant to the president and national security advisor to Vice President Biden. In this role, he served as Biden's principal advisor on matters of national security and foreign policy. He helped craft U.S. policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran.

The Washington Post profiled Blinken in 2013 as he prepared to transition from the vice president's office to a more senior role, describing him as a central figure in the administration's foreign policy deliberations who operated largely behind the scenes.

Deputy National Security Advisor (2013–2015)

In January 2013, Blinken was elevated to the position of deputy national security advisor, succeeding Denis McDonough. In this capacity, he served under National Security Advisor Susan Rice and was involved in some of the Obama administration's most consequential foreign policy decisions, including responses to the Syrian civil war and the ongoing negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

Deputy Secretary of State (2015–2017)

In November 2014, President Obama nominated Blinken to serve as the deputy secretary of state, the second-highest position at the State Department. The Senate confirmed Blinken for the position in December 2014 by a vote of 55–38. He assumed the role on January 9, 2015, succeeding William Burns.

As deputy secretary, Blinken was the chief management officer of the State Department and played a significant role in coordinating the administration's diplomatic efforts. He served in the position until the end of the Obama administration on January 20, 2017.

Private Sector (2017–2021)

After leaving government at the conclusion of the Obama administration, Blinken moved into the private sector. He co-founded WestExec Advisors, a strategic consulting firm that advised corporate clients on navigating government policy and geopolitical risk. The firm's roster included several former senior Obama administration officials, and it drew attention for its work helping technology companies secure contracts with the Department of Defense. Blinken also served as a partner at Pine Island Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on defense and government services.

The revolving door between government service and the private sector drew scrutiny from some commentators. The American Prospect published an investigation into how members of Biden's foreign policy team, including Blinken, monetized their government experience in the private sector before returning to positions of power.

During this period, Blinken was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Secretary of State (2021–2025)

Nomination and Confirmation

On November 22, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Blinken as secretary of state. The New York Times described Blinken as "a defender of global alliances" and noted his long-standing relationship with Biden as a key factor in the selection. The Senate confirmed Blinken on January 26, 2021, and he was sworn in as the 71st secretary of state, succeeding Mike Pompeo.

Afghanistan Withdrawal

One of the earliest and most consequential events of Blinken's tenure was the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The chaotic scenes at Hamid Karzai International Airport and the rapid collapse of the Afghan government drew intense criticism of the Biden administration's handling of the withdrawal. Blinken defended the administration's decision to leave Afghanistan while acknowledging the difficulties of the evacuation.

During a December 2025 appearance at Duke University, Blinken discussed the withdrawal as one of the defining episodes of his time as secretary of state, noting that the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Afghanistan had largely characterized his tenure.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 became a central focus of Blinken's diplomacy. He played a leading role in coordinating the international response, including the imposition of sanctions on Russia and the provision of military assistance to Ukraine. Blinken was a prominent public voice in the administration's efforts to rally NATO allies and build a coalition to support Ukraine's defense.

Blinken publicly addressed the provision of Ukrainian military aid and the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, issues that he considered significant achievements of multilateral diplomacy during the Biden administration.

Middle East

Blinken's tenure also encompassed significant diplomatic engagement in the Middle East. Following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent Israel–Hamas war, Blinken undertook multiple diplomatic trips to the region. His handling of the conflict drew both support and criticism, with some observers faulting the administration for its level of support for Israel's military operations in Gaza.

At a December 2025 appearance at Duke University, some audience members staged a walkout in protest of Blinken's policies during the Gaza conflict.

Biden's stance on Israel during the administration, which Blinken helped shape, included opposition to the BDS movement.

Iran

The Iran nuclear deal remained a significant issue throughout Blinken's tenure. Following the end of his time as secretary of state, Blinken continued to comment publicly on Iran policy. In a June 2025 opinion piece in The New York Times, he argued that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon but criticized President Donald Trump's approach to Iran, writing that while he hoped Trump's strategy would succeed, he believed it was not the optimal path.

Post-Government Career (2025–present)

After leaving office on January 20, 2025, when he was succeeded by Marco Rubio, Blinken returned to private life. He has remained active in public discourse on foreign policy matters. In December 2025, he visited Duke University to discuss the Biden administration's responses to international conflicts, an event that drew both engagement and protest from attendees.

Blinken has also given media interviews assessing the foreign policy of the Trump administration. In a December 2025 interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, he offered a wide-ranging assessment of the Trump administration's foreign policy direction.

In September 2025, the Center for American Progress appointed Blinken to its board, a decision that drew criticism from the organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which called on CAP to reconsider the appointment.

Personal Life

Blinken was raised in a family with significant ties to diplomacy and international affairs. His father, Donald Blinken, served as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, and his uncle, Alan Blinken, served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. His stepfather, Samuel Pisar, was a prominent international lawyer and Holocaust survivor whose experiences had a formative influence on Blinken's worldview.

Blinken has two children. He is known for his fluency in French, a product of his years growing up in Paris.

Blinken is also an amateur musician who has been known to play guitar. His cultural interests reflect his transatlantic upbringing and his time spent between the United States and France.

In August 2025, Blinken made tabloid headlines when he was asked to leave Georgica Beach in East Hampton, New York, by a lifeguard after the beach had been closed due to weather warnings from Hurricane Erin.

Legacy

Blinken's four years as secretary of state placed him at the center of several of the most consequential international events of the early 2020s. The Biden administration's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Blinken helped orchestrate, resulted in one of the largest coordinated sanctions regimes in modern history and a significant expansion of NATO with the accession of Finland and Sweden.

The withdrawal from Afghanistan, while fulfilling a long-standing policy objective shared across administrations, became one of the most criticized episodes of the Biden presidency, and Blinken bore significant public responsibility as the nation's top diplomat during the evacuation.

The Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023 further defined Blinken's legacy, generating both praise for his diplomatic engagement in the region and criticism from those who viewed the administration's approach as insufficiently attentive to Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza. The protests that accompanied his post-government public appearances underscored the divisiveness of this issue.

Blinken's career trajectory—from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the vice president's office, through senior roles in the National Security Council and State Department, and into the private sector before returning as secretary of state—exemplified a pattern common among senior figures in American foreign policy. His co-founding of WestExec Advisors drew attention to the broader phenomenon of former government officials leveraging their experience in the consulting industry before returning to government service.

Throughout his career, Blinken has been identified as an advocate of multilateralism, alliance-based diplomacy, and sustained American engagement in global affairs—positions rooted, by his own account, in the story of his stepfather's liberation from a Nazi concentration camp by American soldiers.