Nikki Haley: The Happy Surprise

Nikki Haley: The Happy Surprise

by Whitney Ahn

         Nikki Haley should have been one of the most ineffective and incompetent members of President Trump's generally ineffective and incompetent cabinet. Alongside Ben Carson, her appointment was criticized as unusual and ill-fitting her resume. She had always been nationally agreed upon as someone with bipartisan leadership skills and solid conservative but not extremist credentials, but never has she ever been considered a leader in foreign policy. And yet, she has evolved into the strongest and most effective member of Trump's entire administration, let alone his cabinet. In fact, former chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs and current Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) said that her committee opts to send letters on foreign policy matters to Amb. Haley as opposed to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

         Firstly, let it be said that Donald Trump has a history of equating the value of women to their attractiveness, and Ambassador Haley is certainly a beautiful woman. Through a bat of her eyelashes, Amb. Haley has an ability that is afforded to no other member of Trump's mostly male cabinet: the ability to seem unthreatening. Through this, she is able to make more forceful statements that contradict the president's words and thoughts without putting herself in the line of fire. She also seems to be able to use her Southern charm to help form relationships with fellow ambassadors in the United Nations.

         She also is one of the few members of the Trump administration with a fully functional and completed staff. This allows her to set meetings, know her goals for these meetings, and use her time effectively. Her chief of staff, Steven Grove (formerly of the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation) is her most important advisor, and the much more seasoned Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly also helps to advisor her. No other major sector of the executive branch has filled the positions necessary for those at the top to do their jobs as well as they should, with the possible exception of Mattis' Department of Defense.

        Nikki Haley continues to come out in front of both the President and Secretary of State on matters of foreign policy, establishing herself as, shockingly, the most important voice in American diplomacy today. She has taken it upon herself to speak out about the Chechen genocide of gay and bisexual men, the Syrian government's horrific actions against its own people, and the annexation of Crimea. Here's hoping she gets to keep her job long enough to stave off a major nuclear war.

Trump-Russia Ties Infographic

What Even is the Principals Committee?

What Even is the National Security Council?

by Whitney Ahn

        The National Security Council, aka NSC, aka Principals Committee, was established right after WWII to ensure that every administration had access to a solid national security policy-making process. Until Trump, it included, among others the President, Vice President, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the National and Homeland Security Advisors, UN Ambassador, and Secretaries of State, Defense, the Treasury, Homeland Security, and Energy (there's a longer list on Wikipedia).

        Donald Trump has decided to, for better or for worse, up-end this entire system by removing the DNI, former Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, and adding the Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon. This effectively removes the sole military and intelligence advisers from the NSC and replaces them with Steve Bannon.

        Many Republican policymakers, notably including Sen. McCain, have criticized this move, saying that the move was confusing and unprecedented. In defense of Bannon's addition to the council, some have said that past people with Bannon's position, such as the Bush administration's Karl Rove and the Obama administration's David Axelrod, have attended the NSC. However, neither served in any official capacity on the NSC and both have stated that they were barred from entering any meeting regarding national security issues, to keep a chasm between politics and national security.

        Some could argue, however, that both of the removed positions are rendered redundant by Trump's other administration picks. By selecting former DIA director Mike Flynn as his National Security Advisor, intelligence officials are represented. And, via Flynn and other former generals like Secretary Mattis and Secretary Kelly, some could even argue that the military realm is almost over-represented.

What do you think of the NSC changes? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.

Names to Know: Rex Tillerson

Names to Know: Rex Tillerson

by Whitney Ahn

We're back! And just in time for the inauguration of Donald Trump. Regardless of your opinion on him, he still gets to choose who will fill the key roles across government. Because we have a whole new administration of people to look at and analyze, our Names to Know series gives profiles of various major figures in foreign policy and national security, starting with the Trump cabinet and major advisors. Editor-in-Chief Whitney Ahn has begun our Names to Know series with Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson.

        Rex Tillerson is the CEO of ExxonMobil, and Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of State. Donald Trump's press releases suggest the primary reason for selecting Mr. Tillerson for this key diplomatic role, despite his utter lack of policy-making experience, is his extensive role in making foreign deals, in places such as Iran, Syria, and Russia, all of which the United States clearly has interests in (with regards to nuclear weapons, ISIS, and Ukraine).

       These deals also have lead to relationships with foreign nations that some describe as troubling, especially Russia. In 2013, Vladimir Putin awarded Tillerson the Order of Friendship, the highest civilian honor Russia gives. Tillerson also has a personal friendship with Igor Sechin, the man who makes the Kremlin's military policy and the second-most powerful man in Russia. His third tie to the former Soviet nation is his ownership of $15,000 worth of stock in the Russian technology company Yandex, which he would likely have to sell upon or prior to confirmation.

       Tillerson also has relationships with Africa and the Middle East. ExxonMobil's subsidiary, Infimum, made 53.2 million dollars in Iran, 1.1 million dollars in Syria, and .6 million dollars in Sudan, from 2003-2005. In 2011, in direct violation of Iraqi law (at this point Iraq was not yet a failed state), Tillerson signed a deal with Iraqi Kurdistan. America has a strong relationship with the Kurds, but a key ally in the region, Turkey, does not. In fact, some have argued (myself included) that Turkey is more focused on defeating the Kurdish rebel groups in Iraq and Syria than ISIS. Strong relationships with the Kurds would likely upset the Turkish government, without a delicate touch and strong negotiation skills.

       Tillerson and Trump have serious policy differences on a number of issues. For example, he said in a confirmation hearing on January 11th that the United States should take strong actions to deter Russia from further expansion in Ukraine, and that Barack Obama did not go far enough in his initial reactions. He also said that is a "fair assumption" that Putin was aware of Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 American presidential election. Both of these are sharp breaks from Donald Trump's policy of a cozier relationship with both Russia and Vladimir Putin specifically. However, Tillerson would not say whether or not he believes Vladimir Putin is a war criminal when pressed by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). Unlike Donald Trump, Tillerson does not believe climate change is hoax, but also thinks that scientific ability to predict its effects are highly limited. Again breaking from Trump's general patterns, given that Trump has made a series of comments many in Mexico's government have found offensive, Tillerson praised Mexico, calling the nation "a long-standing... friend of" the United States. Prior to the Senate committee hearing, Tillerson publicly expressed support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, whereas Donald Trump built his campaign around vitriol against trade agreements like the TPP.

       Despite the many concerns about Tillerson, he has received endorsements from an impressive number of major American foreign policy officials, such as former Secretary of State James Baker, who said he had the "management and negotiation skills, and... the international experience" necessary for the job. Former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley called it a "strong choice", and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called it an "excellent choice". Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he has "vast knowledge" and experience dealing with "governments and leaders in every corner of the world," and he also received endorsements from former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Assistant Secretary of State Robert Charles, Suzanne Maloney (of the notoriously liberal-leaning Brookings Institute), and Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint.
       Trump's nominee faces an unusually steep pathway to confirmation, more than likely will be the next American Secretary of State. The policies he will implement are largely mysteries. No one really knows how the policies he advocated for, to benefit ExxonMobil, will impact the policies he will advocate for, to benefit America. One thing is clear: If he can separate himself fully from the interests of Exxon and only focus on the interest of America, we will have a powerful advocate. If not, except America's global standing to fall. Now, it's Congress' turn to decide if the great risk is worth the great reward.