Wondering how Donald Trump might actually change American foreign policy? You didn’t get any clarity from the Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 11 for his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson, the chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil. Mr. Tillerson said he and Mr. Trump had not even discussed Russia, the main topic of interest to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “That has not occurred yet,” he said.
Mr. Tillerson did not explain how he plans to overcome the challenges, ethical and strategic, of dealing with an authoritarian leader, Vladimir Putin, with whom his company has done many billions of dollars worth of business. And some of his policy assertions put him at odds with positions the president-elect has taken in the past (never a sure guide with Mr. Trump).
