President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state Rex Tillerson is certain to draw a significant Senate confirmation fight. Of particular concern, how willing will Tillerson be to sacrifice the interests of his former employer, Exxon Mobil, when they clash with those of U.S. foreign policy?

According to Virginia Tech professor Besnik Pula, Tillerson’s business relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are certain to draw scrutiny, prompting many questions about the nature of these ties during hearings in the Senate.

Quoting“Maintaining and negotiating treaties and alliances with international partners and adversaries is different from negotiating business deals. The stakes are very different and, unlike in business, it is not always possible to recuperate the costs of failure, limit their scope, and there is no legal redress to turn to when the other side fails to stick to its commitments.”

BackgroundPula is a professor of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. His research expertise includes comparative political economy of developing countries, post-communist transformations, and the social and institutional impacts of globalization. His current interests include issues of European integration and what those processes have meant for both regional economies in Europe as well as the global political economy more generally.

To secure a live or recorded video interview with Besnik Pula from the Virginia Tech campus, contact Bill Foy by email at [email protected]; or by phone at 540-998-0288 or 540-231-8719.

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