America’s new NSA is ‘rigid, bombastic ideologue’
24 Mar 2018
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“John Bolton’s extremism could lead the country to catastrophe,” warned the headline to the editorial in the Washington Post on Friday.
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| America’s new NSA, John Bolton |
“The President’s national security adviser is meant to coordinate policy formation inside the administration, manage disagreements among agencies and tee up important decisions without imposing his or her own views,” said the editorial.
But Bolton, who will take over the position next month, is unsuited for that role. “His record is that of a rigid, bombastic ideologue with a history of bullying colleagues and twisting intelligence. His advocacy of extreme policies, including preventive war against North Korea and Iran, could lead Mr. Trump and the country to catastrophe,” added the newspaper.
Indeed, the appointment of Bolton has stunned not just Americans, but even government leaders around the globe. Many worry that his ‘hawkish views’ on Iran and North Korea may result in Trump seeking military solutions to diplomatic issues.
Bolton’s views match those of the American President at present, but there are fears that with Trump changing his views so rapidly, there could be a big divide between the two.
The new national security adviser has over the years expressed hawkish views with regard to US foreign policy. In the 1990s he urged President Bill Clinton to oust Saddam Hussein, the then Iraqi leader. Later, during the reign of George W Bush, he was confident that the Iraqi leader had “hidden weapons of mass destruction,” a concept that proved to be disastrous following the war.
The new national security adviser also wants to bring an ‘end’ to North Korea. Diplomats and analysts worry that the Trump-Bolton combine could wreck US foreign policy, resulting in disastrous moves that could destabilise the delicate balance of power around the globe.
