Trump made a “horse move”: what can Russia expect?

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On March 13, US President Donald Trump made a crucial personnel decision - he appointed a new US Secretary of State. Instead of Rex Tillerson, the US Department of State was led by CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Recall that Rex Tillerson held the key position of the US Secretary of State from February 1, 2017 to March 13, 2018, and before that he headed the ExxonMobil oil company for more than ten years.





Changing the head of the State Department is an exceptional decision. Not all American presidents change their secretaries of state during their presidential term. But here is a different situation. Apparently, the overly independent Rex Tillerson did not fit into the general course policy Donald Trump In a difficult foreign policy situation, especially against the backdrop of preparations for negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Trump decided to exchange an independent Rex for a more obedient Mike. Incidentally, this was actually acknowledged by the American president himself, stressing that with Pompeo they understand each other almost at once.

Under President Trump, Mike Pompeo managed to direct the most important American intelligence service - the Central Intelligence Agency. Mike is 54 years old, behind him is the end of the illustrious military academy at West Point, service in the American army for five years, then for many years doing business, and then politics. In 2010, Mike Pompeo became a Republican congressman, and after the victory of Donald Trump was appointed director of the CIA.

Mike Pompeo's views - both foreign and domestic - can hardly be called original. His worldview fits quite well with the model familiar to the Republican Party of the USA - conservative Christian values, the struggle against abortion and the preservation of the right to arms, and criticism of the democrats' migration policy. It is difficult to suspect Pompeo of sympathy or even neutrality towards Russia or China - he repeatedly accused Moscow of aggressive politics, of threats to European security, called Iran the sponsor of terrorism, and China - the creator of real tension in the modern world.

At the same time, Mike Pompeo is known as a very pragmatic politician. It is possible that Trump chose his candidacy precisely for this reason. Some adjustments to American foreign policy are already expected from Pompeo. After all, Tillerson acted too clumsy and straightforward, which quickly led the Trump administration to serious foreign policy problems - a new round of the Korean crisis, a trade war with all of humanity, and another aggravation of the confrontation in Syria. However, Russia is unlikely to benefit from the change of Tillerson to Pompeo. The former CIA director is no less Russophobe, only more obedient to Trump than Tillerson. The essence of American foreign policy from the appointment of Pompeo will not change much, although the form may undergo "cosmetics."
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