'Antony Blinken will be strong on human rights'
Antony Blinken, who has been nominated as secretary of state in US President-elect Joe Biden's administration, will be strong on human rights and has a vision of the how the US is seen overseas, a former special assistant to Barack Obama has said.
Robert Malley went to school with Mr Blinken in Paris during the 1970s at a time when there was a lot of hostility towards the US.
"I think those two components of being an American in Paris, seeing how the rest of the world views the United States, putting himself in their shoes, I think that really is a glimpse into his personality.
"I think the other piece of the Blinken puzzle if you will, is that he was brought up by his step-dad, was the youngest survivor of Auschwitz, an international lawyer who worked on relations between then the Soviet Union and the West and that I think imbued in Tony a strong view about human rights and preventing mass atrocities," Mr Malley told BBC World News.
Mr Blinken is expected to manage a Biden foreign policy agenda that will emphasise re-engaging with Western allies.
