As the world’s largest economy, military power, and a major cultural force, the U.S. has been the dominant global hegemon since the Berlin Wall fell in 1990.

Its foreign policy plays a key role in shaping geopolitics. Despite the complexity of international relations, we can see where the U.S. prioritizes its influence by analyzing the data.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, shows the countries U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has visited most since his term started in January 2021. Data is sourced from the State Department, last updated on September 27th, 2024.

All the Countries Secretary Blinken Has Visited At Least Five Times

Secretary Blinken has visited Israel 18 times during his term—by far the most for any one country.

Ten of those visits have taken place since October 2023, following Hamas attacks which killed nearly 1,000 Israeli civilians.

In the year since the area has devolved into a major conflict zone. Israel has repeatedly bombed the Gaza strip, leading to the death of over 43,000 Palestinians, of which more than one-fourth are children.

Retaliatory rocket launches from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have, in turn, led to Israeli airstrikes hitting Lebanon and Yemen.

Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken has visited both Qatar and Egypt nine times so far—two other mediators in the war. He’s also been to Saudi Arabia: part of a longer-term plan to normalize relations between the House of Saud and Israel.

Finally, Blinken has visited the West Bank four times—most recently to reiterate U.S. support for a Palestinian state.

These visits to the Middle East stand in sharp contrast to Ukraine, where Secretary Blinken has made just five trips, also in a show of American support as the country battles a Russian invasion.

The Middle East currently has a concentration of multiple rival military powers. Check out the Biggest Armies in the Middle East for a breakdown.