On Wednesday, October 4, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the Clements Center for National Security, and The University of Texas at Austin hosted “A Conversation on The State of Foreign Affairs with Secretary Antony Blinken,” the 71st Secretary of State of the United States.

The program featured introductory remarks by University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell and a moderated discussion between Secretary Blinken and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken served as deputy secretary of state for President Barack Obama from 2015 to 2017, and before that, as President Obama’s principal deputy national security advisor. Mr. Blinken was national security advisor to then-Vice President Joe Biden. During the Clinton Administration, Mr. Blinken served as a member of the National Security Council staff, including two years as the senior director for European affairs, the president’s principal advisor on the countries of Europe, the European Union, and NATO. Mr. Blinken’s public service began at the State Department. From 1993 to 1994, he was a special assistant in what was then called the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs. He was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies from 2001 and 2002.

During his remarks, Secretary Blinken encompassed great power competition, transnational challenges, the Russia-Ukraine War, migration challenges, climate change, and economic diversification. He stressed the need to competitively invest and develop new ways to cooperate with other countries and reengage and strengthen our alliances. Secretary Blinken concluded with a call for more integration especially in a world with disinformation and the new frontier of AI.    

Add to My Calendar