On January 19^th, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) held its hearing to consider the nomination of Mr. Antony Blinken to the position of Secretary of State.  The Central and East European Coalition (CEEC) drafted and submitted questions to the Committee to highlight the CEEC’s areas of concern.  The Estonian American National Council (EANC) Washington, DC Director has been heavily engaged in the CEEC’s work and in tracking the nomination process.

The CEEC’s questions covered a range of policy issues that that the Secretary of State should be expected to tackle.  Topics addressed included U.S. sanctions related to the August 2020 elections in Belarus and the Kremlin’s violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty; countering hybrid warfare, disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks against Europe and the U.S. from sources within Russia and elsewhere; U.S. commitment to NATO; U.S. assistance in ensuring energy security in the CEE region; and how the U.S. should address the emerging geopolitical alliance between Russia and Turkey.  The full CEEC document is posted at ceecadvocacy.org  

Restoring America’s status as a trusted leader in the international community was a main focus of the hearing.  Blinken identified his top priorities, which included working with Congress to reinvigorate the Department of State, and working across government and with partners around the world to revitalize American diplomacy.  He affirmed that American leadership still matters and that “America at its best still has a greater ability than any county on Earth to mobilize others for the common good.”

While much of the discussion centered on addressing threats from Iran, China, and the Middle East, he also acknowledged that “challenges posed by Russia across a whole series of fronts are urgent” and would be high on the agenda for the incoming Administration.  He expressed support for U.S. lethal defensive aid to Ukraine and for keeping NATO’s door open to Georgia, and expressed opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.  Regarding the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny this week, he noted that “it’s extraordinary how frightened Putin seems to be of one man” and stated the importance of the political opposition in Russia that represents millions of Russian citizens.  He condemned Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missiles and called for a review of the existing sanctions against Turkey to determine whether more should be done.

Blinken praised the success of the Global Magnitsky sanctions regime in “bringing democracies together and giving them an effective tool to push back” on human rights abuses.  He confirmed his commitment to ensuring the sanctions continue to be effective and his support of other countries adopting similar legislation.  During questioning, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) acknowledged the role of nonprofits in advocating for Magnitsky legislation, which has been one of EANC’s top advocacy priorities, and announced his intention to introduce a bill to enhance the sanctions.

Video of the full hearing is available at www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/nominations.

Blinken’s foreign policy experience includes positions on the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration, staff director for the SFRC from 2002 to 2008, and Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Secretary of State under the Obama Administration.  The SFRC is expected to vote on his nomination on January 25^th and will then send it to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.  EANC will continue to monitor the process and keep our readers informed.