With the hiring of Ambassador John Bolton as national security adviser, President Trump will directly be influenced by an individual who is far more hawkish than his predecessor, Gen. H.R. McMaster.
Not only was Bolton instrumental in President Bush’s Iraq War effort, he later wrote a New York Times op-ed in 2015 arguing for a preemptive strike on Iran.
The justification for such a strike sounded eerily familiar to the ones which led the U.S. into a 2003 invasion of Iraq.
When it comes to resolving issues of national security, the lessons of the Iraq War seem not to have wavered Bolton’s aggressive approach.
McMaster, whose approach to foreign policy could be described as cautious, consistently clashed with the president on how to deal with North Korea and Iran. It is without question that President Trump doesn’t like being told “No.”
Ironically, former United Nations diplomat John Bolton is far more likely be a “Yes” man when it comes to the use of military forces than the outgoing three-star lieutenant general.
Throughout his appearances on FOX News, Bolton unapologetically argued for a more aggressive approach toward North Korea and Iran.
Bolton’s “advice” regarding the two potentially deadly and costly conflicts will fall on the ears of a president who’s looking for a way to define his presidency.
Unlike his predecessors, Trump hasn’t become a “war president.”
George H.W. Bush has Iraq, Bill Clinton with Kosovo, George W. Bush with Iraq 2.0, and Barack Obama is forever shackled to Libya.
President Trump, a man who’s driven by increasing the value of his personal brand and constantly seeking to do things “greater” than anyone else, can probably do no bigger than dragging the world into either a Korean or Iranian war.
With John Bolton as his national security adviser, Trump has taken one step closer to building that legacy.
Sincerely,
Guadalupe Frederick Flores, Troy Student
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