President Donald Trump has recently announced that any attempts at negotiating with North Korea are futile, saying that the secretary of state is wasting precious time hoping to reach an understanding with North Korea’s leader regarding nuclear testing. This claim is a serious blow to Rex Tillerson, whose reputation as Secretary of State had already been damaged by previous decisions, including cuts in the budget and department restructuring. Such decisions have singled the secretary of state out as the worst one the U.S. has seen so far, Politico reports.
As a result, others have already appeared to replace Tillerson, Nikki Haley being one, though everything remains uncertain for now. Ambassador Haley stands out as the most vociferous figure when it comes to expressing views on U.S. foreign policy, while the secretary of state has almost no say in it, with president Trump often ignoring his diplomatic advice.
CNN reports that at a press conference in China Tillerson said the U.S. was in direct communication with Pyongyang, trying to attain a peaceful resolution, but the president’s recent tweets appear to be in stark contrast to what the secretary of state is claiming. This development further complicates matters, as it appears that the president prefers a more hostile policy in ending North Korea’s missile testings.
Earlier in August, president Trump expressed his views of putting a not so peaceful end to threats coming from North Korea, claiming that they could destroy the country if such threats persist. It appears that there are two completely opposing approaches to resolving the issue, with Trump refusing to accept the Department of State’s diplomatic method of trying to halt further nuclear weapons testing.
However, anyone who may succeed Tillerson will probably face the same issues, lacking authority in the creation of foreign policies and opposition by the president on serious matters such as negotiations with North Korea.
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