Tillerson tries to separate from Trump at confirmation hearing

US Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson seems to be almost at variance with President-elect Donald Trump over key foreign policy issues, which he would face as America’s top diplomat.
At his confirmation hearing, the former Exxon Mobil Corp CEO, under intense questioning on US-Russian relations and other foreign issues, called Russia a danger and vowed to protect America’s European allies. The nominee said his position on the NATO, which calls for the US and other allies to militarily defend other treaty members if attacked is ‘inviolable.’ That’s in line with decades of foreign policy convention that Trump has repeatedly questioned.
He called for a more assertive US world leadership, which presents a sharp contrast to president-elect ‘America First’ vision for fewer entanglements abroad.
The oil man also said that the latest sanctions on Russia for hacking the 2016 election, which Trump has criticized, should remain at least for now.
He also faulted a lack of US leadership for encouraging Russia’s aggressiveness in places such as Crimea and Syria, citing “weak or mixed signals with ‘red lines’ that turned into green lights.”
On being asked by Senator Marco Rubio whether he thinks Putin is a war criminal for the Russian military’s role in bombing the Syrian city of Aleppo, Tillerson said those were very serious charges to make and he would want to have much more information before reaching a conclusion. Rubio snapped back saying that Tillerson inability to cite a clear answer which was globally accepted was discouraging.
In the recent past weeks, Trump ridiculed the US intelligence agencies’ accusations that Russia hacked and leaked emails, spread ‘fake news’ and took other actions to interfere with the US election. Tillerson, in contrast to his boss, accepted the intelligence agencies’ findings. He further added that the hacking couldn’t have taken place without Putin’s consent.
Trump sent chills through much of Europe when he suggested the US might not defend its NATO allies if they came under attack, unless they’d contributed enough to the alliance’s collective defense costs.
Tillerson also tackled the question on IS extremism. He said defeating IS terrorists should be “the foremost priority in the Middle East.” He also called for full review of Iran nuclear deal.
He accused China of failing to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program and for stealing US intellectual property. He said China should not be allowed to have South China Sea isles. On the other hand, Tillerson talked about the need to see the positive aspect of the US relationship with China. He said that economic
well-being of both nations is intertwined and Beijing has been a valuable ally in curtailing elements of extremism. He said that disagreements over other issues should not be allowed to jeopardise productive partnership.
Several times over the course of the hearing, Tillerson’s statements differed from Trump’s. Tillerson said that he took the job because of his optimism that Trump was open to hearing his views. “My sense is we’re going to have all the views presented on the table, and everyone will be given the opportunity to express those, and the president will decide,” Tillerson said.
Tillerson also showed shades of difference with Trump on issues such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying he wasn’t opposed to the trade deal that Trump has vowed to abandon after taking office January 20.
After eight hours of hearing, many members were undecided over confirming Tillerson. They were of the view that the nominee needed to say more about what should happen to Russia in response to its campaign hacking. Beyond the nuanced differences with Trump, Tillerson’s remarks are a stark turnaround for an oil baron who staked billions of dollars on Russia’s crude bonanza.
Tillerson’s assertion that the world risks plunging “deeper into confusion and danger” without American leadership seems to resonate with the prevailing global opinion.