'Allies should be treated better than adversaries': Leaked memo shows Tillerson had to learn basic diplomacy

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose tenure at Foggy Bottom has resulted in plummeting morale among America's diplomats, has had to be tutored in the very basics of diplomacy.

A leaked memo shown to Politico reveals that Tillerson earlier this year got a crash course in Diplomacy 101 -- and it included instructing America's top diplomat on the importance of treating allies better than adversarial countries.

"Allies should be treated differently—and better—than adversaries," read the memo, which was cobbled together by Tillerson policy aide Brian Hook. "Otherwise, we end up with more adversaries, and fewer allies."

Hook's memo also suggested that Tillerson should only lecture adversarial countries on their human rights abuses, and should also go easy on friendly human rights abusers such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.

"We should consider human rights as an important issue in regard to US relations with China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran," Hook writes. "And this is not only because of moral concern for practices inside those countries. It is also because pressing those regimes on human rights is one way to impose costs, apply counter-pressure, and regain the initiative from them strategically."

Read more about the memo at this link.