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| Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, pictured in the Oval Office, the White House. |
September 11, 2019
By Faris K. Barhoum
Well-known Neocon and conservative foreign policy maker and foreign policy official John Bolton recently and abruptly left his position as National Security Advisor to the current Republican administration. Mr. Bolton has served in several administrations, spanning three Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and most recently Donald Trump. Mr. Bolton's surprising exit has left many in Washington perplexed as to what went wrong. Two days after Mr. Bolton stepped down, it was widely reported that Mr. Trump had no appetite for a hawkish National Security Advisor, the likes of Bolton. Mr. Trump also blamed Bolton for his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in the pursuit of supposed weapons of mass destruction. The United States never found WMDs in Iraq.
On Wednesday [September 11th], President Trump was asked questions by reporters in the Oval Office and many of the questions asked by the White Press Corp centered around Bolton's resignation. According to President Trump, Mr. Bolton & he got along well and maintained a working relationship, yet President Trump did not hold back in his attacks and criticism of Mr. Bolton. For those looking in from the outside, it would seem odd that Trump would fire such a senior official, especially the likes of John Bolton because Secretary of State John Pompeo is no less a hawk and a Neocon than Mr. Bolton.
As stated by Quint Forgey of Politico.com, "Trump again claimed later in his remarks that it was he, not Bolton, who at times advocated for a more muscular foreign policy approach, despite Bolton's perceived proclivity for foreign intervention and championing of the 2003 invasion of Iraq from within former President George W. Bush's administration" (Forgey, 2). There is validity to Trump's argument when it comes down to John Bolton's foreign policy and his hawkish views. With that being said, Trump has no moral standing when it comes down to criticizing and attacking John Bolton because Trump vowed not to get involved in foreign entanglements around the globe. It is fair to point out the Trump has continued to widen American involvement in numerous countries, although his campaign called for putting America first.
U.S. involvement in Syria and Iraq is ever widening. President Trump bombed Syria twice in 2017 and 2018 (U.S. Special Forces have been in Syria in a limited role since 2015, under President Obama), & Mr. Trump has continued to aid Saudi Arabia in their war against Yemen through intelligence and arms exports (the war in Yemen started under President Obama); and U.S. involvement in Afghanistan has entered into its eighteenth-year. Trump has also advocated for a military coup in Venezuela on numerous occasions in the last year, & this past summer Mr. Trump called off a limited strike on Iran.
The Trump administration is fooling no one, especially those who are critical of is foreign policy. President Tump is trying to separate himself from Mr. Bolton, but President Trump's foreign policy is no different than that of previous Republican presidents, and for that matter Democratic presidents as well.
Article,
Forgey, Quint. Politico.com, "Mr. Tough Guy: Trump Delivers Vicious Take Down Of Bolton,"
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/11/trump-takedown-bolton-national-security-
1489690. 9/11/19. .
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