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Anthony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of state, admitted earlier this year that the Obama administration had ‘failed’ in Syria – though he also criticized the Trump administration for its’ withdrawal Full country.
“The latest administration needs to recognize that we failed, not for lack of a test, but that we failed,” Blinken told CBS News in May. “We failed to prevent a terrible loss of life. We have failed to prevent the massive displacement of people inside Syria and, of course, outside as refugees. And that’s something I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.
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During that administration, Blinken served as deputy secretary of state and senior deputy national security adviser to former President Obama, after having also served as national security adviser to Biden.
President Obama has found it difficult to deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was engaged in a civil war with the rebels and who would continue to use chemical attacks against his own citizens in the process.
Obama said Assad’s use of chemical weapons would be a “red line,” but when Assad used sarin gas, Obama never fought back. President Trump would end up launching strikes on military targets in 2017 and 2018 in response to further chemical attacks.
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In his interview, Blinken noted that the Syrian refugee crisis started in 2015 and caused a migration crisis in Europe.
“We have failed to prevent the massive displacement of people inside Syria and, of course, outside as refugees. And that’s something I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. It’s something that I feel very strongly, ”he said.
However, he also criticized the Trump administration for giving up its “leverage” with its more practical approach to Syria.
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“So, you know, what has happened, unfortunately, since then is that a horrible situation has undoubtedly been made worse. And to the extent that the United States still had the power to push in Syria to try to achieve more positive results, ”he said. “Sadly, the Trump administration more or less turned this around by withdrawing entirely to Syria, which took away significant leverage from it.
Blinken was one of many cabinet and other appointments named by Biden this week, which included a number of former Obama administration officials.
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Biden announced Alejandro Mayorkas as secretary of homeland security and Avril Haines as the first woman to head the intelligence community. He also announced Monday that former Secretary of State John Kerry was the president’s special climate envoy and will serve on the National Security Council.
Fox News’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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