WASHINGTON—The Trump administration and its new secretary of state — assuming the Senate confirms Mike Pompeo in time — will face a confluence of foreign-policy decisions and potential national-security crises this spring that would challenge even the most experienced diplomats. On these and other challenges — including Russia — he has often been publicly at odds with Trump’s impulsive approach to foreign policy, counselling more traditional diplomacy rather than dependence on gut instinct. But much of what the new secretary of state will have on his plate will not wait. Tillerson and Mattis, who noted the close U.S. military relationship with Qatar, quickly issued even-handed statements calling for dialogue. Eventually, after months of openly criticizing Qatar, Trump was persuaded to change course, offering to broker a deal among them at a summit at Camp David, Maryland.

Source: thestar March 14, 2018 02:26 UTC