President-elect, Joe Biden, is expected to nominate Antony Blinken as Secretary of State in his administration, the local media reports suggested. Antony enjoys close ties with Biden and carries quite an experience as he served as deputy national security and deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration.
If the reports are true and his nomination is confirmed, then Antony would be a leading force in Biden’s administration’s bid to renew the diplomatic relations with key allies and the rest of the world after four years of Trump administration in which he questioned many key allies of the US.
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Political experts suggest that Antony Blinken’s nomination would potentially save Biden from a strong opposition from the Senate for confirmation of two other candidates on his shortlist: Senator Chris Coons and Senator Susan Rice. The latter would have faced strong resistance from the senate as she has been a long-time target of the Republicans. Primarily because of her statements she made in 2012 after a deadly attack on Americans in Libya.
Only recently, Antony Blinken attended a national security briefing with President-elect Biden and his mate Kamala Harris. And he has weighed in publically on notable diplomatic issues in Ethiopia and Egypt. Meanwhile, Biden’s transition team advisors have said they will make their first cabinet on Tuesday.
Experts suggest that if Biden plans to focus on national security, then Michèle Flournoy, who carries quite an experience in Pentagon policy jobs, is a top choice for US Defense Department. And for the position of White House national security advisor, a longtime advisor to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan is likely to be the first choice.
Even though in the last four years the department escaped the proposed thirty percent budget cuts, many top-rank officials and diplomats have opted to either retire or leave the diplomatic position. Experts suggest it is because of limited prospects of advancements under the incumbent administration, which according to them does not value expertise.
Trump has repeatedly refused to concede and begin a smooth transition of power and respect the political culture of the US. After his bid to overturn the election through legal challenges filled in courts across the US, he has now resorted to other means, including using the legislators to select Republican electors on December 14. However, this also seemed to have backfired because, after a meeting in the oval office with Trump, the lawmakers from Michigan said they would follow the normal process.
