Thread by @joshrogin

Blinken is calling for a U.S. foreign policy with "humility and confidence." Quite a departure in tone from Pompeo's call for "swagger"

If you are wondering about the Menendez-Graham proposal for returning to the Iran deal that Menendez is referring to, I've got you covered. Read this: washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/…

.@ABlinken: “President Elect Biden is committed to the proposition that Iran will not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon.” Says the Iran deal “was succeeding on its own terms.”

@SenateForeign

@ABlinken @SenateForeign Blinken on rejoining the Iran deal: "If Iran comes back into compliance, then we would too," using that as a platform for more negotiations. "Having said that, I think we are a long way from there."

Blinken on China: “There is no doubt it poses the most significant challenge of any nation state to the United States.”

.@SenRonJohnson is wrong, Obama never said the U.S. was "leading from behind" in Libya. That was a background quote attributed to a WH official. Blinken said the point was to stop a slaughter. Notes (correctly) Biden did not support that intervention.

@SenRonJohnson Blinken says, unprompted, that Trump largely "got it right" on China by focusing more attention on the threats and challenges there. Adds, “I have issues with the way he carried it out, in many ways."

Blinken says on balance, considering the outcomes, Trump’s decision to assassinate Qasem Soleimani “has left us less safe, not more safe.”

Blinken said Xi Jinping is now openly seeking world primacy for China and a Chinese-model for the world. “The hiding and biding has gone away and they are much more assertive in making clear that they seek to become in effect, the leading country in the world.”

I'm surprised Ron Johnson didn't bring up Hunter Biden with Blinken. That, as much as anything, shows how things are already changing on Capitol Hill post-Trump.

Blinken says it’s telling how scared Putin is of one man, Alexei Navalny. “Mr. Navalny's voice speaks for millions and millions of Russians, and that voice needs to be heard.”

Blinken agrees with Pompeo’s determination that China is committing “genocide” against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups: “That would be my judgment, as well.”

Blinken tells @timkaine he won't follow Pompeo's pattern of politicizing the State Department: “It has to be and if I have any say about it will be a non-partisan institution.”