If you’re a geek like me, there are some things that you don’t properly value until they’re gone and then, after a while, you forget they ever existed. That’s what happened to me with State Department press briefings. They were always there so I didn’t pay a ton of attention to them unless something big was on the horizon. Then Trump came along and ended the regular briefings. Suddenly, it was next to impossible to learn what our diplomats were doing. This actually bothered me quite a bit, especially because Trump was doing so many unorthodox and destructive things, like buddying up to North Korea, ripping up the Iran Nuclear Deal and Paris Climate Accords, and relentlessly attacking NATO and the European Union. The Department was never the driver for most of this, especially prior to Mike Pompeo leaving the CIA for State in April 2018, and they often were doing little more than clean-up duty. But that actually made their work more intriguing than normal and, yet, their activities were opaque.
Anthony Blinkin took the reins from Pompeo in late-January and is just now getting started on implementing Biden’s foreign policy agenda. It begins with a trip to Japan and South Korea next week. Blinkin and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet their counterparts and set the table for visit from Japan’s prime minister Yoshihide Suga, who will be the first foreign official to visit President Biden in the White House.
Curious about this, I visited the State Department website and quickly found a transcript of Thursday’s press briefing. Conducted by Ned Price, the department’s spokesperson, it was chock full of interesting information. It was only then I realized just how much I had missed the access these briefings provide. Our allies and adversaries were also missing it. The briefings are an indispensable tool in how governments communicate with each other, and with the public.
I’ve been preoccupied with domestic politics for a while, and it was only through reading the transcript that I learned that ISIS is causing mayhem in Mozambique where 670,000 people have been run out of their homes by the violence. Similar problems are vexing the Congo. I also got some insights on how the Quad (United States, Australia, India and Japan) are being organized to confront Chinese influence in the Far East.
If you’re willing to take the time to read this material for yourself, it beats having it distilled by the beat reporters. They ask good questions, especially compared to what we typically see asked at White House press briefings, which are mainly efforts to go viral for the nightly broadcasts.
Anyway, I’m just grateful to see our diplomatic efforts resuming a familiar form, even if I’m a little embarrassed that I took so much of this for granted in the pre-Trump days.
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I’m not the foreign policy geek that you are, Martin, but this is just another example among many of how really weird the last four years have been. Trump was insane in every way and his administration reflected that. His post presidency too. Four former presidents make a commercial encouraging people to get vaccinated and Trump’s of course not among them. He’s releasing a press statement taking credit for the vaccine and claiming it would have taken five years or never come if he hadn’t been our messiah. Hard to believe he doesn’t realize what a dunce he is. Even harder to believe so much of the nation doesn’t see it and, in fact, worships the guy. Bizarre times!
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One of the things that frightened me the most about Trump was how his understanding of world affairs was at the Grandpa Simpson level – old man yelling at clouds.
I don’t think America even now appreciates how horrified the rest of the world was by Trump: a vain, stupid and bombastic loudmouth strutting around calling himself “the leader of the free world” as he blithely overturned the treaties and agreements negotiated by his predecessors, tried to muscle other countries into helping him get reelected, fawned on authoritarians and could be tricked by charlatans- what a grotesque joke.
The world knew relatively little about the American electoral system before this, but if you do not get rid of the Electoral College, the world will never trust that America won’t elect another Trump in the future or someone even worse.
I know President Biden wants to assure the world that “America is back” but the rest of the world will not be able to trust America’s word again, not for a generation or more. Its going to be a virtually unsolvable problem for Blinken and the whole State department.
I agree the electoral college is nuts and must go. But we saw a riot this year that can only be described (by me anyway) as an attempt to overthrow our government. And the people who inspired it – folks like Rudy and the Orange Turd – are still walking around while the yahoos who carried it out are smiling. Such fun. How do we return to normal when millions have no idea what that even means. The worse part? It can happen again and there is no assurance it will turn out right next time.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with you.
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it is nice to have a normal government for a change. President Biden has done much to lift millions of people and children out of poverty with his $1.9 trillion bill. It took so long to defeat the never ending fear of debt and trickle down economics. Thank you Professor Kelton for your book that help defeat the myth. Still it is noteworthy that not one – not one – republican voted for it. In fact McConnell is lying about it in overtime.
But I notice too we now have what appears to be a government in exile a few hundred miles south of DC. And no one has done anything to fix what broke in plain sight on Jan 6. In fact it seems to me those who caused the insurrection are still walking about and the lies and myths continue. Justice for our democracy demands something more.
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it’s bearing fruit already.
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