“Decades of relative geopolitical stability have given way to an intensifying competition with authoritarian powers,” declared Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an address to School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins. He noted as prime examples Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and the People's Republic of China’s efforts to reshape the international order through its increasing economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power.
These, among other factors, have upended the world order as we knew it, said Secretary Blinken:
“The United States is leading in this pivotal period from a position of strength, strength grounded in both our humility and our confidence. Humility because we face challenges that no one country can address alone, because we know we will have to earn the trust of a number of countries and citizens for whom the old order failed to deliver on many of its promises.”
The United States’ vision for the future is a world that is open, free, prosperous and secure, said Secretary Blinken:
“That vision is not America's alone, but the enduring aspiration of people in every nation on every continent. A world where individuals are free in their daily lives and can shape their own futures, their communities, their countries. A world where every nation can choose its own path and its own partners. A world where goods, ideas and individuals can flow freely and lawfully across land, sea, sky and cyberspace. Where technology is used to empower people not to divide, surveil and repress them.”
The United States is pursuing a global economy that is defined not only by competition, openness, and transparency, but by how many people share in its growth, explained Secretary Blinken:
“A world that generates a race to the top in labor and environmental standards in health, education, infrastructure, technology, security and opportunity, a world where international law in the core principles of the U.N. Charter are upheld and where universal human rights are respected will advance this vision guided by a sense of enlightened self-interest that has long animated U.S. leadership at its best.”
The United States still believes that investing in other nations and people will not only serve humanity's interests, but also our own.
