Blinken’s Mideast shuttle diplomacy is just political theatre


Blinken's whirlwind 'tour of duty' in the Middle East has been to demonstrate support for Israel while simultaneously restraining the Israelis from causing a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. — AFP

NOT since Henry Kissinger in 1974 has a US secretary of state shuttled as frenetically around the Middle East as Antony Blinken does these days.

Here, in no particular order, is a partial list of Blinken’s stops in the region since the Hamas attack on Oct 7 and Israel went on its rampage in Gaza: Tel Aviv (multiple times), Cairo, Amman, Ankara, Doha, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Ramallah and Baghdad.

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