'The world is watching': Blinken promises State Department revamp


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New US Secretary of State Antony Blinken started his first day at the office by laying out the challenges ahead to his staff, warning them the world was watching their progress.

America’s new top diplomat said he would work to rebuild the ranks of the foreign service and rely on its expertise as President Joe Biden's administration tries to restore US global standing.

"The world is watching us intently right now. They want to know if we can heal our nation," Mr Blinken told a coronavirus-limited audience of employees in the department’s main lobby.

I can promise an open door and an open mind

"They want to see whether we will lead with the power of our example," he said. "If we'll will put a premium on diplomacy with our allies and partners to meet the great challenges of our time."

Mr Blinken, who served as a deputy secretary of state under former president Barack Obama, promised to listen to dissenting views.

"I will have your back," he said.

"I cannot promise that you will support every choice I make as your secretary. But I can promise an open door and an open mind."

Mr Blinken, known for his even temper, was confirmed on Tuesday by the Senate 78-22, with many members of former president Donald Trump's Republican Party backing him.

Newly confirmed Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a welcome ceremony at the State Department in Washington on Wednesday. AP
Newly confirmed Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a welcome ceremony at the State Department in Washington on Wednesday. AP

This was a turnaround from the narrow approval on partisan lines for Trump's two secretaries of state.

Mr Biden has vowed to reverse Trump’s approach, which had alienated many traditional US allies who perceived it as a hardline unilateral approach that left no room for negotiation.

Mr Blinken said that after four years, the United States would again engage with allies on a reciprocal, rather than a purely transactional, basis.

Shortly after being sworn in late Tuesday, Mr Blinken hit the ground running, making his first series of calls to foreign minister counterparts in Canada, Mexico, Japan and South Korea.

He has inherited a deeply demoralised and depleted career workforce at the State Department. Neither of his two predecessors under Mr Trump – Rex Tillerson or Mike Pompeo – offered strong resistance to repeated attempts to gut the agency.

Those efforts were thwarted only by congressional intervention.

Mr Blinken said he would promote and protect the foreign service, which had been sidelined during the Trump era, and that after four years of atrophy the State Department will once again play a leading role in America’s relations with the world.

“The State Department will be central to all this work in the years ahead,” he said. “I know you’re ready. I am, too. We’re in the arena together, and what we do matters.

"Let’s meet this moment — our moment — with joy.”

Mr Blinken also paid tribute to the skill and professionalism of American diplomats, many of whom chafed under the Trump administration’s distrust of the foreign service.

“One of the great attributes of our foreign and civil services through history has been your nonpartisanship,” he said.

“You serve Democratic and Republican presidents alike, because you put country over party. All we ask is that you serve the United States, the constitution and the president to the best of your ability. I know you will.”

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School and a longtime Democratic foreign policy presence, Mr Blinken has aligned himself with numerous former senior national security officials who have called for a major reinvestment in American diplomacy and renewed emphasis on global engagement.

TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos

Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Section 375

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat

Director: Ajay Bahl

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL

Rating: 3.5/5

MATCH INFO:

Second Test

Pakistan v Australia, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am​​ daily​​​​​ at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Entrance is free