TOP GEO-POLITICAL EXPERT: 'Some good' may come from Tillerson's Russia ties, don't dismiss it as 'bad thing'
Tillerson's nomination as Washington's chief diplomat and the primary conduit between the United States and foreign governments has drawn criticism from those worried about his connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tillerson, who has no previous government experience or experience working as a diplomat, has ties to Russia that go back nearly two decades. Tillerson met Putin in 1999, according to Bloomberg, when he first represented Exxon's interests in Russia while it was under Boris Yeltsin's leadership.
"He's a strong executive," wrote Bremmer, who is president of the Eurasia Group. "He has a better relationship with Putin than anyone else Trump could have chosen, and before we dismiss that as a bad thing, we should consider the benefits of better communications with a guy that has a demonstrated ability to make all kinds of trouble for Washington."
Bremmer speculated that Tillerson might foster better US relations with Russia than the Obama administration did.
"As an oilman, Tillerson, like Trump, will take a very transactional approach to Putin," Bremmer wrote. "Some good may come from that. At the very least, it will produce better results for the US than Obama ever got from Moscow."
Bremmer also pointed out that the US government investigating Russian meddling in the US presidential election will only ratchet up tensions between the two nations and between Trump (whom Russia is accused of helping) and Congress.
Sonam Sheth contributed to this report.