State Department's silence gives others an opening
(this is a most unsettling article)
State Department's silence gives others an opening
In a town full of talkers, the silence is deafening. For more than a month, as the US has tangled with China, floated new terms for Middle East peace, watched North Korea test a ballistic missile and proposed an overhaul of ties with Russia, the State Department has been quiet.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made his debut on the international stage over two days in Europe last week -- and said less than 50 words in response to press questions, according to pool accounts. On Wednesday, he departs for Mexico -- a trip Americans first learned of from the Mexican press.
The State Department is responsible for explaining US foreign policy to the country and the world, and is the only agency outside of the White House that traditionally speaks publicly every day through a televised news conference. But since January 19, there has been no State Department briefing and, after Tillerson recently took the helm, there has been little in the way of communication about Foggy Bottom's priorities, schedules or policies.
That silence may reflect ongoing upheaval in the Trump White House, administration power struggles, Tillerson's personal inclinations or the growing pains of a former ExxonMobil CEO adjusting to running a governmental organization. Regardless of the reason, diplomats, analysts and current and former State Department officials say there are risks if the dead air continues.
A voiceless State Department, they say, allows other countries to set the narrative about US policy and events, unsettling allies and potentially shortchanging US businesses, citizens and interests overseas.
"If you don't have the State Department engaging with the world in front of a camera, you lose the opportunity to shape the international interpretation of what US policy is," said Jeff Rathke, a former director of the State Department's press office now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "And you sacrifice an opportunity to steer the course of international events in a direction that's better for US interests than if you said and did nothing." In the three weeks since Tillerson's confirmation as the top US diplomat, Americans learned of the secretary's Tuesday phone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from Moscow's Foreign Ministry and of an earlier phone call to Saudi leaders from the Arab press. The State Department has refused to confirm many of the secretary's calls and meetings. His public schedule has been much lighter on details than other recent secretaries.This retreat from public engagement coincides with the White House adopting an often-hostile approach to the press.
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http://m.cnn.com/latest/2017/02/22/state-departments-silence-gives-others-an-opening?pageno=0&pagesize=10