Amid global turmoil Blinken aims to ease anxiety over US election on 6-nation Asia tour

SINGAPORE– As much of the world reels in turmoil and uncertainty looms over the future direction of America’s role in the world, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to project an air of calm, normalcy as he traveled to Asia this week on his first foreign mission since President Joe Biden upended the 2024 presidential election by withdrawing from office.

The question remains whether this has been successful.

During a trip to Laos, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia that was accompanied by several possible escalating developments in the Middle East, an increase in Russian attacks in Ukraine and continuing fears of increasingly aggressive actions by China, he could not avoid questions and comments about domestic American politics.

Blinken, who began the six-country tour just days after Biden’s decision, would undoubtedly have preferred to avoid the issue altogether, but came prepared with several canned responses to questions about U.S. leadership from concerned partners and allies. Chief among them: “I don’t do politics” and variations on “American involvement abroad continues across governments.”

In the Philippines, Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remained politely silent as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed them with a nod to the campaign that now pits former President Donald Trump against presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

“We are very happy to see (you) again,” Marcos said Tuesday in Manila. “I am a little surprised given how interesting your political situation in the US has become, but I am glad you found the time to come and visit us.”

In Singapore, Blinken was asked by a senior diplomat about the “noise coming from the presidential campaign” and he responded with a joke.

“Really? I hadn’t heard of it,” he said to laughter from the audience of students and academics at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy before attempting a serious answer.

“We have these periodic events called elections, and I think it’s natural that before any election — given the importance of this moment in history that our country has in the world — people naturally ask questions,” Blinken said.

“They wonder what will happen in a particular election, what direction the country is going to go in, and maybe that’s the case to a greater or lesser extent in every election, but it always happens before every election, and I understand that,” he said.

But he argued that regardless of who is in the White House, there are “some constants that fundamentally do not change, regardless of who wins a particular election.”

The main reason, he said, is that most Americans want to engage with the rest of the world, taking a swipe at Trump’s “America First” mantra that caused great unrest among U.S. allies, particularly in Europe, Japan and South Korea, during his first term.

“If you listen to our fellow citizens, they actually want the United States to engage in the world,” Blinken said. “They prefer that the United States not engage in the world alone. They know the benefits of partnerships, alliances, and again, that’s a constant. And I think that’s going to continue no matter what.”

And conversely, much of the world wants the US to play a major role in international affairs.

“Most countries actually want us to be involved,” he said. “They want our leadership, they want our partnership, and that’s a very positive signal that resonates in the United States. So look, I really understand the focus on this, but I’m also very confident that most Americans ultimately see the benefits of our involvement around the world.”

Still, there was unrest during several of Blinken’s stops, even though the officials who spoke out avoided directly referring to the US elections.

“We are at a historic turning point,” Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told Blinken and Austin in Tokyo on Sunday. “Developments that are shaking the foundations of the free and open international order based on the rule of law continue. The decisions we make today will therefore determine our future.”

“As for the US situation, we are watching with great interest,” she said. “But in any case, in order to fully and thoroughly defend the international order, Japan and the US … must continue to strengthen our deterrent power.”

Blinken, who was in Tokyo with Austin to announce an improvement in U.S.-Japan military ties that Trump had sought to curtail during his time in office, sought to downplay such concerns.

“I think it’s fair to say that in some ways we are facing unprecedented challenges, but we also have an alliance that is more than ready to address them,” he said.

He noted that the U.S. and Japan have a solid alliance that has remained solid and grown stronger through shared interests. Because of those interests, “I know that (the alliance) will be sustained regardless of the outcome of the elections in either of our countries,” Blinken said.

Austin agreed, saying in both Tokyo and Manila that there is strong bipartisan support in the U.S. for both alliances. “When you see that level of bipartisan support in our administration, you can expect things to continue to improve and get stronger, no matter who’s in charge,” he said.

Still, the questions remained. Back in Singapore, Blinken played it cool when asked who would win in November and how that would affect U.S. foreign policy. “One of the perks of my job is I don’t do politics,” he said, falling back on his standard response.

“Predicting an election in our country is something I wouldn’t dare do,” he said. “Our elections have been very, very close, and I expect the next election will probably be the same, if I look at it as an American citizen.”

Instead, he said he was focused on the last six months of the Biden administration and specifically what the administration could do to support Ukraine and try to broker a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“What I’m focused on and what President Biden is focused on is really the next six months between now and when the next president takes office, to make sure that we do everything we can on all of these fronts to try to advance peace, to advance security, to advance not only our own interests but the interests of so many of our friends and partners,” Blinken said.

“We do that, again, regardless of the elections in our country. We do that because that is our responsibility at this time, and as long as we have that responsibility, we will continue to do our best to get to the right place.”