On Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, of which he is a ranking member, and sailed through his confirmation hearing to become America’s next Secretary of State. As the Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence in the United States Senate, his mastery of the topics was evident and on display.
Rubio, a skilled debater whose excessive reliance on canned, practiced lines jeopardized his 2016 campaign after former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took him down in a New Hampshire debate, was far more professional on Wednesday. He spoke about topics in which he has built broad expertise since he was first elected to the Senate.
The outgoing Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also has a distinguished national security and diplomatic background. He began his career in public service in the late 1980s in various roles within the State Department and rose to second in command as Deputy Secretary of State under John Kerry.
The Secretary of State is one of the highest-ranking offices in the United States government and fourth in the presidential line of succession after the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and President pro tempore of the Senate.
Rubio showed class on Wednesday, befitting the high standards Americans expect of the country’s top diplomat. He also made news on Ukraine: “This war has to end, and I think it should be the official policy of the United States that we want to see it end,” reflecting President-elect Trump’s repeated comments. Like all cabinet members, Rubio will serve at the president’s pleasure and under his direction.
Rubio, like our editorials, correctly criticized the Biden administration’s open-ended “as long as it takes” war strategy. “My difference with the Biden administration throughout this process is that they never clearly delineated the end goal of the conflict. What exactly were we funding? What exactly were we putting money towards? And on many occasions sounded like, ‘however much it takes for however long it takes.’ That is not a realistic or prudent position.”
In a significant departure from Blinken’s approach, Rubio said regarding ending the war: “This is not going to be an easy endeavor … but it’s going to require bold diplomacy.”
Diplomacy—a word that has been glaringly absent from Blinken’s State Department for the past four years—is making a long-overdue return. As we’ve repeatedly noted, Blinken, as President Biden’s Secretary of State, has leaned more on the Pentagon than on the nuanced art of negotiation and diplomacy. The result? A decline in America’s global standing.
While diplomacy does involve negotiating treaties, alliances, and security agreements, Blinken took NATO expansion and regional European stability too far. By excluding Russia’s legitimate security interests and continuing to promote war, he has weakened all of Europe and brought America dangerously close to nuclear conflict.
Along with Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, Blinken drove Russia and China closer together, with both countries now repeatedly proclaiming their “partnership without limits.” Other developing countries, like Brazil, India, and South Africa, saw that Blinken’s diplomacy led to more war, death, and dislocation. They were alarmed that Blinken promoted sanctions excessively during his tenure, even secondary sanctions against friendly countries in the G-20 if they did not share America’s foreign policy vision in the Russia-Ukraine war. They noted that Blinken has not had a meaningful one-on-one meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, even once after the war started in February 2022.
Blinken’s failed approach to diplomacy fueled the expansion of regional alliances that excluded the United States. BRICS gained momentum, expanding its ranks with new members. Saudi Arabia abandoned a 50-year agreement to stick with the dollar for its oil trades and is moving closer to Iran and China. North Korea signed a technology transfer agreement with Russia in return for sending Moscow weapons, mortars, and now soldiers.
Rubio, in contrast, appreciates that diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations and maintaining relations between nations, often with the aim of fostering peace, cooperation, and mutual understanding. The primary goal is to prevent conflicts from escalating into wars by providing peaceful negotiation channels. The vision is to build a framework for peaceful, cooperative international relations that can lead to shared prosperity and global stability. It requires patience, strategic communication, cultural sensitivity, and a long-term perspective on international relations. To this end, he said: “It is important for everyone to be realistic. There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians.”
It was a refreshing change to hear a senior US official talk about Russia, foe to America that they are, as a potential future partner to bring about peace in this long, grinding war.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Breaking: Security Cabinet Convenes To Okay Gaza Deal; First Hostages To Be Freed Sunday As Planned – Times Of Israel
2. Cuba Frees 127 Prisoners in Biden Deal Including Opposition Leader – AFP
Cuba has freed 127 prisoners including opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer in a landmark deal with departing US President Joe Biden that has led to emotional reunions across the communist island.
Ferrer, 54, is the most high-profile of the prisoners that Cuba began freeing Wednesday after Biden agreed to remove the country from Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors – part of an eleventh-hour bid to cement his legacy before handing power Monday to Donald Trump.
“Thank God we have him home,” Nelva Ortega told AFP of her husband Ferrer, who has been in and out of prison for the past two decades. His latest stint lasted three-and-a-half years.
3. Ukraine: UK’s Starmer Signs ‘100-Year’ Treaty – D.W.
During his visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a “100-Year Partnership” treaty covering security, science, energy, and trade.
It aims to strengthen military cooperation to enhance security in the Baltic, Black and Azov Seas and deter Russian aggression. According to Starmer, his government would supply Ukraine with a new mobile air defense system that would be would be “developed to meet Ukraine’s needs.”
4. North Koreans Show ‘Superior Combat Readiness’ To Russian Contractors: Official – RFA
Russian soldiers captured by Ukraine “expressed concerns” about the superior combat readiness of allied North Korean troops compared with Russian contract soldiers in the Kursk region, said a senior Ukrainian officer.
“Interestingly, the Russian captives report that the equipment, armament, and training of North Korean soldiers were significantly better than that of the Russian contract soldiers,” said Petro Haidashchuk, a senior sergeant at Ukraine’s 80th Independent Air Assault Brigade.
5. China’s Population Falls For A Third Straight Year, Posing Challenges For Its Government And Economy – A.P.
The figures announced by Beijing shows China’s population stood at 1.408 billion at the end of 2024, a decline of 1.39 million from the previous year.
China three years ago joined Japan and most of Eastern Europe among other nations whose population is falling. The reasons are in many cases similar: Rising costs of living are causing young people to put off or rule out marriage and child birth while pursuing higher education and careers. While people are living longer, that’s not enough to keep up with the rate of new births.
6. China To Start Probing U.S. Exports Of ‘Mature Chips’ – D.W.
China’s Commerce Ministry said that it would launch an investigation into U.S. exports of so-called mature chips or legacy chips — used in cars to home appliances — over concerns that American companies were unfairly benefiting from subsidies.
“Companies have been exporting related mature-process chip products to China at low prices, harming the legitimate interests of the domestic industry,” Beijing’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement. Unlike the high-end chips used to power artificial intelligence, mature node chips are larger and used for more mundane tasks, including home appliances and communications systems.
7. China Prepares To Resume Group Tours To Taiwan – D.W.
China will restart some group tours to Taiwan “in the near future,” China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced.
The move would allow residents of Shanghai and the southeastern province of Fujian, China’s closest province to Taiwan across the Taiwan Strait, to travel to the self-ruled island. China and Taiwan have maintained restrictions on cross-strait travel. In June last year, Taiwan raised its travel warning for China, telling its citizens not to visit the country unless absolutely necessary.
8. Imran Khan Jailed For 14 Years In Corruption Case – BBC
It is the longest valid jail sentence the cricket star-turned-politician, who has been detained since August 2023, has received.
He has faced charges in over 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts – all of which he has decried as politically motivated.
9. Toyota Unit To Settle Emissions Scandal For $1.6bn – BBC
Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors has agreed to pay $1.6bn and plead guilty to deceiving U.S. regulators about the amount of emissions produced by its diesel engines.
The truck company will also be banned from exporting its diesel engines to the country for five years. It comes after Hino was charged with fraud in a Detroit court for selling 105,000 illegal engines in the U.S. between 2010 and 2022. The settlement still requires approval by a U.S. court.
10. BP To Cut 5 Percent Of Its Global Workforce, Mostly From Its Office Staff – UPI
Petroleum giant British Petroleum will cut 4,700 jobs this year in a cost-cutting measure, the company announced. That amounts to about 5% of its total workforce.
The company said most of the job cuts would come in office-based jobs rather than in operational roles. BP said the job cuts are part of a multi year plan to reduce costs.
11. What Were The 3 Best-Performing Dividend Stocks In 2024? – Barchart
Dividend-paying stocks that offer high yields and strong share price returns are an even better bet as they combine income with growth. In 2024, Morningstar found that the three best-performing dividend stocks did just that.
Kinder Morgan (KMI) – one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America – gained 64.4% in 2024. In terms of its payout, the company says it expects its year-end dividend to be $1.17 per share. This would mark its eighth annual dividend increase.
Entergy (ETR), like Kinder Morgan, has its fingers in the natural gas business. The company gained 55.9% in 2024. Its dividend yields 2.96% with a yearly payout of $2.40.
Kellanova (K) – home to brands like Pringles, Cheez-It, and Pop-Tarts – gained 49.8% in 2024. In terms of payout, investors benefitted from a yield of 2.8% and an annual payout of $2.28 per share.
12. Trump Plans To Designate Cryptocurrency As A National Priority – Bloomberg
According to people familiar with the plans, President-elect Donald Trump is planning to release an executive order elevating crypto as a policy priority and giving industry insiders a voice within his administration.
According to people familiar with the matter, the order is expected to name crypto a national imperative or priority—strategic wording intended to guide government agencies’ work with the industry. The order is also slated to create a crypto advisory council to advocate for the industry’s policy priorities, said the people who requested anonymity.
13. Teen Stress Drags Down U.S. Economy, Study Concludes – HealthDay News
Teenagers suffering from anxiety or depression are less likely to enter the workforce as young adults and more likely to earn lower pay when they do, researchers reported in a study published in the journal, PLOS Medicine.
The economic impact is so great that $52 billion in U.S. budget savings could occur over 10 years if efforts are made to help even 10% of teens at risk for stress, researchers estimate. The results support efforts like a 2023 law passed by Congress investing $60 million annually in U.S. mental health care, researchers said.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
