Trump Raises the Stakes in global power politics, With ExxonMobil Chief as Secretary of State Nominee
Mr Rex Tillerson, the boss of Exxon Mobil, the US oil mega conglomerate, has eventually been nominated as Donald Trump’s Secretary of State, the strongest indication so far that campaign rhetoric may not match shoulder to shoulder in the coming US Presidency. Tillerson, an oil internationalist with reaches in the Russian power set up is unlikely to follow the isolationist strand articulated by Trump. Strongly suggested by Tiller’s nomination is a US still absolutely committed to global primacy but through a disarming of the world, not through violence which has failed but through energy geopolitics. This time, it is energy geopolitics from the position of the US as a basically self-sufficient oil producer and a net exporter. Trump would be the first president of the US in this status ever in history.
With control of congress by the Republicans, Tillerson is not expected to confront any critical interrogation but what happens next is what the world will be watching. Middle ranking actors in the American and even global energy market have since become a force but giants such as ExxonMobil still hold the ace. Although, new players such as China’s PetroChina are on the front seat, ExxonMobil is still a referent player on a global scale. ExxonMobil is a key member of the conglomerates that defines the Pax Americana.
Will oil more creatively redefine global power politics than ever before?
