Devex: Tillerson’s firing leaves Africa trip a missed opportunity for U.S.
“The sudden firing of Rex Tillerson as U.S. secretary of state on Tuesday came less than four hours after America’s now ex-top diplomat landed back in Washington, D.C., following an early return from his first official visit to Africa, a move that some development experts argue has undermined diplomatic advances made during his time there. … Experts pointed out that relations between African countries and the U.S. were already on rocky ground … Some African experts are not convinced that Tillerson’s truncated visit changed local opinions that Africa is a low development priority to the U.S., and some warned that [Trump’s nominee to replace Tillerson, CIA Director Mike Pompeo,] might even change tack or retreat from Tillerson’s commitments…” (Roby, 3/13).