Hardliner will gun for Iran, North Korea
New national security adviser third for Trump
The appointment of John Bolton as the new U.S. national security adviser sends a clear and unequivocal message that the Trump administration means business when it comes to dealing with its enemies.
As one of the leading lights of the neo-conservative movement, which is committed to exporting the virtues of liberal democracy around the globe, Bolton’s arrival will add a more robust dimension to Donald Trump’s policy-making team.
Not that Lt.-Gen. H.R. McMaster, the outgoing national security adviser, was a soft touch. A veteran of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, McMaster was himself regarded as something of a hawk, and was in the process of drawing up policy options for the Trump administration with regard to two of the world’s leading rogue states, North Korea and Iran.
But, as has so often been the case in the Trump White House, the general had reached the point where he no longer enjoyed the president’s favour. According to insiders, McMaster’s fate was decided when he was inadvertently quoted at last month’s Munich Security Conference saying Washington had “incontrovertible” evidence of Russian meddling in American politics.
He was unaware he was speaking in a forum that had a live video feed, and when his comments were broadcast around the world, he found himself in breach of Trump’s golden rule: only the president speaks for the president, particularly when it relates to the toxic issue of Russia.
So enter Bolton, a veteran of the second Bush administration and one of its cheerleaders for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. When ambassador to the UN, Bolton made one of his more memorable interventions concerning its effectiveness, saying that “if it (the UN building) lost 10 storeys, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.”
Bolton can now expect to bring his straight-talking, no-nonsense style to his new role as adviser on national security issues, an appointment that should be a serious cause for concern for America’s adversaries.
Bolton is particularly hawkish with regard to America’s approach to North Korea, and the rogue state’s attempts to acquire a nuclear weapons arsenal capable of striking mainland America.
He has argued that previous U.S. diplomatic efforts to persuade the North Korean dictator to adopt a more responsible approach have failed, and that Washington needs to develop a more robust policy, including preemptive military action.
The North Koreans are hardly fans: In August 2003, state media devoted an entire article to Bolton, personally insulting him by describing him as “human scum and a bloodsucker.” In the same article, a representative of the North Korean Foreign Ministry said Pyongyang would no longer deal with Bolton, the then-undersecretary of state for arms control and international security — indeed, Bolton did not attend talks with North Korea that took place the next month. Almost 15 years later, it is unclear whether that ban still stands.
“I am particularly worried that if the Trump-Kim summit fails, Bolton will take that as proof that we must hit North Korea,” said Robert Kelly, an American who teaches international relations in South Korea.
Iran is another issue on which Bolton, a staunch supporter of Israel, is a renowned hardliner.
A vocal opponent of the Obama administration’s desire to strike a deal with Tehran over its nuclear program, which he called “a massive strategic blunder,” Bolton will be using his new position to lobby hard for the Trump administration to cancel the deal and hold the Iranians to account for their anti-American stance.
“With the appointment of Mike Pompeo (to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State) on the one side, and John Bolton on the other, the group of personalities who have never made any mystery of their opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran is growing,” said Pierre Vimont, a retired French diplomat who has been involved in past negotiations with Iran.
The fears were less widely shared in Israel, where many are critical of the Iran deal. Education Minister Naftali Bennett called Bolton an “extraordinary security expert, experienced diplomat and a stalwart friend of Israel.”
But even in Jerusalem, his return stirred some concern.
While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lobbied for the U.S. to “fix or nix” the Iran nuclear deal, some Israeli security officials have warned against a complete collapse of the pact — a prospect that may be more likely with Bolton as national security adviser.
They argue that a flawed agreement is better than none at all. Bolton has said that the deal was a “strategic mistake” and should be “abrogated.”
His appointment has inevitably provoked howls of outrage from liberals, who like to portray him as some kind of Dr. Strangelove warmonger. The reality, though, is that his job is to serve as an adviser. The final responsibility for taking key decisions on war and peace rests with the president.