FORMATSBACK
THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
Rex Tillerson has focused on unimportant tasks, such as re-structuring the state department instead of what’s important, actual foreign policy, asserts David McKean in Politico. He has cut about 2000 jobs from the department, which didn’t need to happen. Under him, America’s best diplomacy experts have left. It's this lost experience that has already led him into unnecessary mistakes and gaffes, such as slighting foreign officials. Meanwhile, US strategies in North Korea and Afghanistan are strongly lacking. Tillerson should learn to listen to advisers that think differently than him and come up with a solid plan.
Keep on reading at PoliticoThe position of Secretary of State had been declining for decades before Rex Tillerson came in, so it is unfair to blame all of its woes on him, writes Stephen M. Walt. First off, he serves under a president that is particularly inexperienced when it comes to foreign policy. Changes that Tillerson has made, such as trimming staff, were long overdue. Like with all changes, the old guard was guaranteed to protest this. The State Department’s role has changed as other entities, such as the Pentagon, have gained influence. Tillerson is overseeing much-needed changes during a transformative time, under a president that practices Twitter diplomacy.
Keep on reading at Foreign Policy