Bolton firing brings more instability to Trump admin

By Mitchell Blatt
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, September 12, 2019
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A file photo of John Bolton. [Photo/Xinhua]

With the departure of John Bolton one day before September 11, Donald Trump is on track to have had more National Security Advisors in his first term than Barack Obama did during his entire presidency.

Bolton was the third NSC advisor to be formally appointed by Trump. Trump's first NSC advisor, Michael Flynn, who served for 24 days, faces sentencing in December for lying to the FBI. George W. Bush and Bill Clinton both had only two NSC advisors during their eight years in office.

The position is now temporarily filled by Charles Kupperman in "acting" capacity, the latest of a series of "acting" heads of agencies chosen without Congressional approval after the original chief was fired or resigned. Among the highest-level appointees in Trump's cabinet, four are temporary appointees who have not been formally approved. The Department of Homeland Security has been led by an acting administrator since April.

Chaos? Not at all, say Trump's surviving officials. At a press briefing that was originally supposed to include Bolton, Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin was asked by a reporter, "Is this national security team a mess?" to which he replied, "Absolutely not. That's the most ridiculous question I've ever heard of." 

Mnuchin added that the national security team is larger, including the Secretary of State and Defense, as well as many other people. But the Secretary of State and Defense are also both in their second iterations.

The instability of constantly changing leadership positions is surely influencing American foreign policy, which is also unstable and unpredictable. Administration officials and diplomats are frequently contradicting each other. Trump's own statements vary in tone from day to day.

Bolton was a major part of that dysfunction. In contrast to Trump's self-styled image as a negotiator who wants to make a deal with tough regimes and stay out of foreign wars, Bolton has a long record as a neo-conservative who supports enforcing America's will on other countries with military force. When the U.S. took sides against Venezuelan leader Maduro, he was seen suggesting sending troops to Venezuela's border.

Bolton opposed Trump's negotiations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Taliban and tried to sabotage them. It was, reportedly, his office's leaks undermining Trump's proposed talks with the Taliban that once and for all led to his dismissal. Bolton's staff was quoted off-the-record in the New York Times criticizing the plans.

When anyone leaves the Trump White House, it is often not clear whether they were fired or resigned. Trump announced (by Twitter) that he demanded Bolton resign – essentially firing him – but Bolton suggested he offered to resign on his own volition. Bolton produced a two-sentence resignation letter that offered no reason. In this case, both parties potentially have motivation to lie; Trump likes to present himself as being always in charge.

Nonetheless, it is not surprising that Bolton and Trump would run into conflict. Bolton's reputation as a war hawk was well known to anyone who has paid the slightest attention. He has worked in the administrations of Reagan and Bush Sr., and has long been vocal about his desire to overthrow the Iranian regime. When he was first appointed, many analysts pointed out it seemed a strange choice for a "non-interventionist" administration.

But Bolton's attitudes did compliment one aspect of Trump's foreign policy: the pressure. His idea is to put "maximum pressure" on adversaries, force them to the table, and then push them to give in to America's demands. In the case of Iran, the maximum pressure, in the form of harsh sanctions, began shortly before Bolton's appointment and has come to a head in recent months, including threats to strike Iran. Now, Trump, at times, says he wants to talk with Iran, though his commitment to talks does not seem strong. 

Bolton's harsh instincts have outlived his purpose if Trump wants to change course, but that remains to be seen.

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm

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