US President Donald Trump has been facing criticism not just from the Democrats, but also from within his own Republican party. Senator Bob Corker has been a trenchant critic of Trump’s style of functioning.
Key differences have also emerged between Trump and his key colleagues including the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over key foreign issues such as the handling of North Korea, Iran and the Climate Change Agreement.
Tillerson has been firmly batting for a diplomatic solution to the rather challenging North Korean nuclear crisis. The US President on the other hand has not minced any words and made it clear that he does not think a diplomatic solution will work. The US President tweeted, “I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man… Save your energy Rex, we’ll do what has to be done!”
Tillerson may have had no prior experience in government, but he has a nuanced understanding of geopolitics as a consequence of his significant experience with Exxon, where he has dealt with a number of other countries and worked in different parts of the world.
Even on other issues such as Iran, the Climate Change Agreement and Qatar, the US President has publicly taken a contradictory stance, much to the discomfort of Tillerson. While Trump has spoken in favour of taking a belligerent stance, Tillerson who many have dubbed as a hardliner, has consistently pitched for a nuanced approach.
On the issue of Qatar, Tillerson spoke in favour of West Asian countries engaging with each other and resolving their differences. Trump on the other hand has lambasted Qatar, saying, “During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of radical ideology.”
If one were to look at the issue of Iran, President Trump has on more than one occasion lambasted the Iran Nuclear deal, much to the chagrin of many US allies like Japan and a number of European countries. In his address at the United Nations General Assembly, the US President while criticising the nuclear agreement with Iran, equated Iran with North Korea.
Tillerson, while taking a hardline approach towards Iran, has been a bit more guarded. Iran is “threatening the security of those in the region as well as the United States itself,” he said. In return he sought to extract concessions from the Iran.
On the issue of the Paris Climate Accord, both have contrasting views. Even Tillerson expressed his discontent publicly against Trump’s desire to walk out of the Accord. Said Tillerson, “I was free to express my views. I took a counter view to the decision that was made.”
Republican Senator Bob Corker, who has been scathing in criticism of Trump, attacked Trump for ignoring Tillerson. Said Corker, “When you jack the legs out from under your chief diplomat, you cause all that to fall apart.”
The key issues which arises is that while being an outsider to the political establishment and not being a conventional politician may be welcomed by many, building consensus and the ability to take along at least some members of a team are imperative.
Trump’s own team has on more than one occasion expressed their discomfort with his method of working. Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon has even warned the US President that his Cabinet is becoming resentful of his whimsical and authoritarian way of functioning.
Apart from Trump’s inability to carry his team forward, it is important to remember that the US has always been the flagbearer not just of democracy and liberal values, but has had a credibility because it has respected international agreements – irrespective of the party in power.
Under Trump, the US is in danger of losing this credibility.
What is also evident is that a transactional approach which Trump possesses may be handy in certain cases, but is excessively simplistic especially when it comes to dealing with complex domestic policy as well as security issues.
It is not just in America’s interest, but global stability that Trump tweaks his style of functioning. Otherwise global challenges, especially geo-political ones, are likely to multiply.
(Tridivesh Singh Maini is a New Delhi-based Policy Analyst associated with The Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. Sandeep Sachdeva is an Independent Policy Analyst. Tridivesh Singh Maini can be reached @tridiveshsingh .The views expressed above are the authors’ own. neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
TQ
