Rex W. Tillerson, former chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil, has resigned as the United States Secretary of State. Tillerson, the nation’s 68th Secretary of State, assumed the role on February 1, 2017. On March 13, 2018, President Donald J. Trump accepted Tillerson’s resignation and announced that current CIA Director, Mike Pompeo, would be taking his place.
Tillerson, the former chairman and CEO of the world’s largest publicly traded international oil and gas company was known for his tough stance on foreign relations. He had been widely criticized for being out of touch with the realities of statecraft and leaving large gaps in many areas of foreign policy. As Secretary of State, he was also frequently at odds with the president’s more aggressive and isolationist outlook.
Despite his often clashing views with Trump, Tillerson nevertheless implemented many of the president’s policies, including the controversial Muslim travel ban enacted in 2017. He was also a vocal proponent of the president’s plan to crack down on illegal immigration in the US. However, his views on the Paris climate accord, nuclear disarmament, and the Iran nuclear deal all went against Trump’s agenda, and he ended up resigning after being on the brink of being fired.
Throughout his tenure as Secretary of State, Tillerson navigated a multitude of tricky foreign policy issues, such as the North Korea nuclear weapons crisis, the Syrian conflict, the Qatar crisis, and the Middle East peace process. In spite of this, he was widely seen as a weak secretary by both political allies and adversaries.
Tillerson took over the State Department during a time of great turmoil in the United States and around the world. During his tenure, the US government experienced several serious crises, including the Las Vegas shooting, hurricane Harvey, the Charlottesville protests, and the ongoing opioid crisis. Tillerson’s most significant impact came in the realm of cyber security, in which he personally spearheaded the government’s response to the Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. He is also credited with making substantial progress in the current nuclear standoff with North Korea, as well as NATO and the United Nations, despite his often hostile relationship with both.
In recent months, Tillerson has faced sharp criticism for his handling of key issues, including the US response to the Syrian civil war and chemical weapons attacks, the terrorist attack in Niger, and the Qatar crisis. His lack of diplomatic experience was a stark contrast to the more experienced leaders of US foreign policy in the past. In a statement following Tillerson’s resignation, Trump credited him for his “tremendous pressure” on the North Korea nuclear weapons negotiations.
In the wake of Tillerson’s resignation, analysts observed a deep divide between State Department officials and the White House. Tillerson’s resignation follows numerous reports of tension and disagreements between the Secretary and the President. Trump reportedly had grown increasingly frustrated with Tillerson’s refusal to publicly support his “America First” foreign policy, and his failure to effectively implement it.
Despite the turbulence of his tumultuous tenure, Tillerson leaves the State Department with some successes under his belt, including a series of positive meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his influential role in the negotiations with North Korea. In addition, his successor, Mike Pompeo–the current director of the Central Intelligence Agency–has a reputation as a leading foreign policy hawk who is likely to serve as a “yes man” for the president. However, it is unclear whether Pompeo will be able to bring about the same degree of stability and competence to the State Department.
Ultimately, the debate over Rex Tillerson's legacy as Secretary of State will continue to rage on for years to come. What is certain, however, is that he ushered in a new era for U.S. foreign policy, one that reflects President Trump’s own views on America’s role in the world. Despite the mixed record of his tenure, he steered the country toward a more contentious interpretation of international relations, and it remains to be seen how long his influence in the field will last.
