The Latest Breaking News from Antony J Blinken

'The best-kept secret in the State Department.' How sports help U.S. diplomats.

When U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken visited the Middle East last fall, he didn't go there just to talk about oil and natural gas, terrorism or the war in Ukraine.

Los Angeles Times · Jan 30, 2023

Is Israel's new government destroying democracy? Blinken surveys situation on Middle East trip

As Israel in recent weeks put together its most right-wing, religiously conservative government in history, senior U.S. officials insisted on waiting and seeing just how radical things would get.

Los Angeles Times · Jan 30, 2023

High-level US diplomatic mission to Middle East overshadowed by violence

WASHINGTON — America's top diplomat heads out on a trip to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank on Saturday as a spiral of deadly violence grips the Middle East, with any plans to focus on democracy now overshadowed as the region braces for the no-holds-barred retaliation to Palestinian attacks that…

Los Angeles Times · Jan 28, 2023

The weaponization of winter: Ukraine aims to stop Russia from regrouping as temperatures drop

MYKOLAIV, Ukraine — On the desolate battlefronts of southern and eastern Ukraine, the clinging, clay-like mud of late autumn is beginning to congeal into iciness. As snow flurries and freezing temperatures set in, the last thing this country’s leaders want is for the war’s front lines to harden in place…

Los Angeles Times · Dec 1, 2022

US hits Iran with new sanctions as punishment for ‘brutal’ crackdown on protesters

WASHINGTON — With efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal languishing, the Biden administration on Wednesday hit Tehran with a new batch of economic sanctions as punishment for repression of widespread demonstrations against restrictions on women and other issues.

Los Angeles Times · Oct 26, 2022

Colombia, the world's largest cocaine producer, faces a change in drug policy

SAN JOSE DEL GUAVIARE, Colombia — The grizzled farmers had come on motorcycles and in pickups from jungle homesteads to a soccer field hours from the nearest town of any consequence.

Los Angeles Times · Oct 24, 2022

Saudis angrily say US oil accusations are political, unfounded

BEIRUT — The spat between the United States and Saudi Arabia and its fellow OPEC members over the management of petroleum supplies intensified Thursday when Riyadh accused Washington of “politicizing oil” and declared it would not submit to “dictates” from supposedly friendly countries.

Los Angeles Times · Oct 14, 2022

Attempting to reassert its once-dominant influence, US has a tough sell in Latin America

LIMA, Peru — When Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken was meeting with Pedro Castillo in Lima, the Peruvian president was facing impeachment for a litany of charges — and not for the first time.

Los Angeles Times · Oct 12, 2022

US pledges $240 million to address migration in Latin American countries

LIMA, Peru — Leaders from many of the Western Hemisphere’s nations attempted Thursday to tackle the region’s most intractable problems, including the deterioration of democracy and the displacement of millions of people, but they found few solutions.

Los Angeles Times · Oct 7, 2022

Explainer: Fears over festering Armenia-Azerbaijan territorial dispute

Fearing that the violence could spiral out of control, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken recently took the unusual step of seeking to mediate the festering conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Los Angeles Times · Oct 5, 2022