Rex Tillerson and a positive agenda for Turkish-US ties

Donald Trump is giving signs at every opportunity that he will follow a very different line from the past U.S. presidents we have known until now, and that his management style will not be much different than that in his own real estate business. In the run-up to Jan. 20, 2017, when he will take over from Barack Obama, he has almost completed his cabinet, filling it largely with retired generals and businessmen.

The position of secretary of state was the most curious choice for which we all waited. He met and interviewed potential candidates one by one. Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney was almost sure to get the prestigious post. The legendary mayor of New York City, Rudolph Giuliani, who sided with Trump during his toughest days, hoped to emerge as the prize winner. Then Republican Senator Bob Corke joined the list of hopefuls, followed by David Petreaus. 

None got the job. They all seemed to have old baggage, one way or the other. Trump did not want to favor anyone for such a critical position. He has looked for the most ideal person he can possibly get.

At the height of his uncertainty, former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Robert Gates came to visit Trump in his tower for a totally different topic. During the conversation, the name of ExxonMobil's 64-year-old chairman, Rex Tillerson, came up as a potential candidate. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also whispered Tillerson's name into Vice-President Mike Perce's ears.

After Trump's sounding out with his daughter, son-in-law and sons, as well as the advisers he trusts in the transition team, he fixed his choice as Tillerson, and characterized him as an "embodiment of the American Dream" with deep geopolitical understanding and an effective network of...