SVG
Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Team Biden Tries to Answer Davos Man’s Cry for Help

Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan deliver a message of calm and continuity, but the world needs results.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 17, 2024. (Photo by Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Caption
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 17, 2024. (Photo by Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)

With war in Ukraine, tensions in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, Israelis fighting Hamas in Gaza, and missiles flying through the skies from the Red Sea to Pakistan, Davos Man wants to know how Uncle Sam plans to restore order. The Biden administration doesn’t want its allies and adversaries to think things are spinning out of control, so Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan dropped into Davos to reassure all and sundry that the Americans are on the job.

Mr. Blinken was at his diplomatic best, reassuring listeners that despite the occasional flare-up and awkward headline, the Biden administration has matters in hand. Russia is on the back foot, Kyiv is moving forward with economic and political reforms, and Ukraine’s reliance on Western aid will diminish over time.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.