Rex Tillerson in Trump campaign vs. Trump administration

On Foreign Policy: Join with NATO allies alarmed at Russian resurgence

In his opening statement, Tillerson said that Russia poses a danger and NATO allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Moscow. He argues, however, that Russia's resurgence happened in the "absence of American leadership" and will call for open and frank dialogue with Moscow. "We must be clear-eyed about our relationship with Russia," Tillerson says. "Russia today poses a danger but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests. We need an open and frank dialogue with Russia regarding its ambitions, so that we know how to chart our own course."

On War & Peace: Opposed US sanctions against Russia over Crimea annexation

Tillerson opposed U.S. sanctions against Russia in 2014 over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine because he thought they would be ineffective.

In 2012, Tillerson received the "Order of Friendship" award from Putin. The same year, Exxon deepened its cooperation with Russian oil company Rosneft to expand an oil drilling project in the Arctic after U.S. sanctions over Ukraine were imposed.

On War & Peace: Destroy the Islamic State; be wary of China's behavior

On War & Peace: Create right conditions for negotiations with North Korea

At the State Department and CIA, respectively, Tillerson and Pompeo have both prioritized the North Korean nuclear threat and focused on pressuring North Korea economically and diplomatically. But whereas Tillerson has expressed eagerness to create the right conditions for negotiations with North Korea, Pompeo has voiced profound skepticism about what such talks can accomplish.

Whereas Tillerson has been associated with a faction in the administration resistant to military options to deal with the North's nuclear program, Pompeo has taken a more aggressive position. Tillerson declared that the US wasn't seeking regime change in North Korea; Pompeo suggested ways to "separate" Kim Jong Un from his nuclear weapons.