Bolton may herald rightward shift

New NSA adviser supported Iraq war

WASHINGTON: John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser – and his third to date – is a divisive foreign policy figure who was an unabashed supporter of the Iraq war and advocates regime change in Iran.

The rise of the moustached Bolton, a former UN ambassador under President George W. Bush who served in three federal agencies under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, is likely to herald a rightward shift in Trump’s foreign policy and an embrace of more hard-line policies.

Bolton, 69, has been an especially outspoken critic of the Iran nuclear agreement.

Trump had campaigned against the deal and vowed to end it, but instead heeded the advice of two outgoing aides, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to delay the move.

Since firing Tillerson and announcing his intent to replace him with CIA director Mike Pompeo, Trump has signalled he is eager to make good on his promise on Iran.

On Tuesday he coyly said: “You’re gonna see what I do.”

When George W. Bush became president, Bolton served as the State Department’s pointman on arms control, where he battled other governments over nuclear weapons tests, land mines, biological weapons, ballistic missile limits and the International Criminal Court.

An unabashed proponent of American power and a strong supporter of the Iraq war, Bolton was unable to win Senate confirmation after his nomination to the UN post turned off many Democrats and even some Republicans.

He resigned after serving 17 months as a Bush “recess appointment”, which allowed him to hold the job on a temporary basis without Senate confirmation.

The human rights group Amnesty International called Trump’s choice “reckless”.

“Bolton’s influence over national security policy could result in even more civilian deaths and potentially unlawful killings given his disdain for international law and international institutions,” said an Amnesty spokesman.