Sources familiar with the transition discussions told POLITICO that talks with State officials have convinced the president-elect’s transition team that the department is underutilized and overshadowed by the Pentagon and the White House-based National Security Council, which have typically taken the lead on the counterterrorism front. Beefing up State’s anti-terror focus also dovetails with Trump’s tough campaign rhetoric, as well as the anti-Islamist views of several of his aides.
A retooling plan would likely include enhancing State’s intelligence unit, eliminating several special envoy positions and promoting the use of the contentious term “radical Islam.” At the same time, the department is looking to de-emphasize policies that are centered on nation-building abroad, in keeping with Trump’s “America First” rhetoric, according to the sources.
On counterterrorism, “State has really been the least useful in terms of the president’s day-to-day tool kit for exercising power and meeting challenges,” a person familiar with the transition deliberations said. He insisted that the goal isn’t to “militarize State” but rather to shepherd its wide-ranging diplomatic efforts more toward stopping the spread of terrorist ideology.
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