Blinken: Partnerships are America’s ‘greatest strategic asset’
Working with international partners to solve global challenges is central to the United States’ vision for a more prosperous and secure world for all, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“At the core of our strategy is re-engaging, revitalizing, and reimagining our greatest strategic asset: America’s alliances and partnerships,” the secretary said in a major foreign policy speech September 13 in Washington.
Blinken said the crises that upended the post-Cold War era — climate change, food insecurity and rising authoritarianism, among others — cannot be solved by any one country working alone. Instead, the United States has worked with partners to:
- Convene over 100 countries to address food security for millions of people and improve agriculture.
- Rally 50 nations in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty in the face of Russia’s aggression.
- Mobilize $600 billion with G7 countries to build infrastructure in developing countries.
Here are excerpts from the secretary’s speech:
- “We’re working with purpose and urgency to deepen, broaden, and align our friends in new ways so that we can meet the three defining tests of this emerging era.”
- “Our vision for the future — a world that is open, free, prosperous, and secure — that vision is not America’s alone, but the enduring aspiration of people in every nation on every continent.”
- “We’re determined to work with any country — including those with whom we disagree on important issues — so long as they want to deliver for their citizens, contribute to solving shared challenges, and uphold the international norms.”
- “We’re bringing our old and new coalitions together to strengthen the international institutions that are vital to tackling global challenges.”
- “We must put our hand on the rudder of history and chart a path forward, guided by the things that are certain even in uncertain times — our principles, our partners, our vision for where we want to go.”
President Biden will address the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly September 19.