29 June 2016

USA: Deputy Secretary Blinken to Give Keynote Remarks at Center for Strategic and International Studies on U.S. Alliances in the 21st Century

On June 29 at 10:00 a.m., Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will give remarks at a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event on the value of U.S. Alliances in the 21st Century.

With the recent British referendum on EU membership and the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw, it is clear that Europe is being pulled between two poles – between the natural desire to resist change by turning inward and the imperative to capitalize on it by facing boldly outward. The same tension is evident in Asia and indeed here in the United States, as government institutions and societies struggle to adapt to a rapidly shifting international landscape.

Deputy Secretary Blinken will assess this shared challenge and give a defense of the Obama Administration’s commitment to reaffirm alliances and partnerships as the centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy. He will explain why the international order that we have fostered over the last 70 years remains more important than ever – and why U.S. alliances and partnerships are the indispensable core of that order. Now, more than any other time in recent history, the United States must redouble its efforts to strengthen its alliances across both the Atlantic and the Pacific. He will also call upon the foreign policy community writ large to engage with local communities at home and abroad on the value of continued international engagement.

After delivering his remarks, the Deputy Secretary will engage in a moderated discussion with Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks, CSIS Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and Director of the International Security Program.

The Deputy Secretary’s remarks will be livestreamed at www.state.gov and on the CSIS website here.