Commentary
The theme for incoming Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2021 and the mantra for the entire Biden administration was clear: The adults are back in charge. As the world hurtles toward conflict, as China conducts influence operations in an unrestrained manner, and as former, trusted partners of the United States have seemingly changed sides, the question is, who’s in charge, or perhaps, is there anyone in charge of American diplomacy?
DIME is the key term that national security leaders learn, which describes the four essential instruments of American national power: diplomacy, information, military, and economic. There’s a reason the “D” is first—it’s because diplomacy is supposed to be visible, active, and the instrument of first choice. The Obama administration seemed to have no problem with the term “leading from behind,” which in some ways meant that they were still on the field influencing events, with diplomacy still the key tool, but awkwardly applying it from a less than advantageous position on the world playing field….