Three weeks after succeeding Hillary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State, the long-time Senator and 2004 Presidential candidate left on a ten-day inaugural trip to the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Kerry is getting no honeymoon: in Europe the electoral mess in Italy and continuing financial worries are the news; in the Middle East, the Syrian uprising remains a challenge.
Secretary of State John Kerry’s First Overseas Trip
A TIME photo gallery of John Kerry's ten-day inaugural trip.
Riccardo De Luca / AP
Secretary of State John Kerry gives a statement during a press conference with Syrian opposition coalition leader Mouaz al-Khatib, not pictured, following an international conference on Syria at Villa Madama, Rome, Feb. 28, 2013.
