SEATTLE, Washington — In November 2020, Joe Biden won the U.S. 2020 presidential election. Many began speculating on who his future cabinet members would be. One of the cabinet positions generating a lot of attention is Secretary of State. As Biden has criticized the foreign policy of former opponent, Donald Trump, many are curious how Biden’s pick for Secretary of State will affect the country’s relationship with the rest of the world. Biden’s predicted candidates for Secretary of State include Tony Blinken, William Burns, Chris Coons, Chris Murphy and Susan Rice. Each candidate has a unique approach to foreign aid.
Tony Blinken
One of Biden’s candidates for Secretary of State is Tony Blinken. From 2013 to 2015, Blinken served as Deputy National Security Advisor under the Obama administration. Following that, he served from 2015 to 2017 as United States Deputy Secretary of State. During Obama’s presidency, Blinken worked with the president to address the global refugee crisis. When it comes to foreign policy, Blinken seems to be very passionate about refugee aid.
William Burns
William Burns is another one of Biden’s candidates for Secretary of State. Burns is currently president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Additionally, he has served as a United States Deputy Secretary of State. Burns recognizes how the COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to developing countries and feels the U.S. should address these issues. One of Burn’s interests is in developing the relationship between the United States and Africa and helping to resolve conflict and poverty throughout the continent.
Chris Coons
Chris Coons is a United States Senator from Delaware, currently holding the seat held by Joe Biden when he was in the Senate. Coons spent 10 years on the Foreign Relations Committee and now leads the Senate Human Rights Caucus, so logically he’s one of the candidates for Secretary of State. Coons has expressed an interest in and concern for Africa and its growing population. During his first year as a Senator, he became chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs.
Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy is a United States Senator from Connecticut, known for his forward-looking approach to foreign policy. He works on the Foreign Relations Committee and is a strong advocate for U.S. global leadership and international human rights. In 2017, Murphy called to increase the foreign affairs budget. Murphy believes that U.S. assistance could stabilize foreign nations and prevent terrorist groups and other national security threats from developing. He fears that decreasing foreign aid would only create more wars.
Susan Rice
As she was a potential candidate for vice president, some wonder if there is another spot in Biden’s cabinet for Susan Rice. Susan Rice is the only female and only person of color on the list of potential candidates for Secretary of State. She was also the first black woman to serve as a United States Representative to the United Nations. Additionally, from 2013 to 2017, she served as the national security advisor under President Obama. Throughout her career, Rice has worked to strengthened global security and prosperity and promote human rights. As a fellow at the Brookings Institution, she published research on global poverty.
Overall, all potential candidates for Secretary of State have a strong history in foreign policy that makes it easy to see why they would be considered. With strong support for foreign aid, the future of foreign assistance looks promising.
– Jillian Reese
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