Exxon Mobil Chief Rex Tillerson, like almost all post World War II Secretary of State nominees, if confirmed, will come to the job with extensive international experience and a global network of high level contacts. International business experience with its focus on underlying political and economic trends, as in Tillerson’s case, involving extensive negotiation with foreign governments, is comparable to preparation for the job provided by prior diplomatic or high level military assignments. His responsibility for keeping Exxon Mobil teams safe and effective in dangerous, austere environments is also a plus in the “post-Benghazi” State Department. (Note: The author has served as an advisor to Exxon Mobil over the past four years)
But in the end, these are only “entry-level” skills that do not guarantee success. Of our 13 Secretaries with more than a one-year tenure since the Kennedy Administration, all had extensive international experience, but only five—Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, James Baker, Madeleine Albright, and Condoleezza Rice—are generally seen as successful, with the jury still out on the current Secretary, John Kerry.
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