Daily Times

US President Donald Trump has named defence hawk and former United Nations ambassador John Bolton as the new national security adviser.

Trump wrote in a tweet Thursday that National Security Adviser HR McMaster, a three-star army lieutenant general is to be replaced by former Bush administration official and Fox News analyst John Bolton.

“I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18,@AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor.I am very thankful for the service of General H.R.McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend.There will be an official contact handover on 4/9,” Trump tweeted.

Bolton will be Trump’s third national security advisor in the first 14 months of the Trump presidency. The move came after weeks of speculation; although a sudden announcement was not unexpected. Trump appointed McMaster after he ousted Michael Flynn in February 2017. Flynn was dismissed for being dishonest to senior officials about his communication with the Russian ambassador to the US During McMaster’s tenure he dismissed a number of hard-line officials hired by Flynn. This irritated Trump’s cohorts who feared that McMaster’s actions undermined the right-wing policy objectives of the president.

Officials have long reported McMaster’s fraught relationship with Trump, describing how both struggled to build a rapport, with Trump often deriding the duration of McMaster’s detailed foreign policy briefings.

Nevertheless, McMaster in a statement on Thursday said. “I am thankful to President Donald J Trump for the opportunity to serve him and our nation as national security advisor.” He added, “I am grateful for the friendship and support of the members of the National Security Council who worked together to provide the President with the best options to protect and advance our national interests.” McMaster’s departure was imminent. Last week, White House officials attempted to quell speculations that McMaster was about to be ousted. Press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted “Just spoke to @POTUS and Gen. H.R. McMaster – contrary to reports they have a good working relationship and there are no changes at the NSC.”

Last week, Trump ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, replacing with him with CIA director Mike Pompeo, a hawkish former Tea party congressman.

Trump’s cabinet shake up creates one of the White House’s most hawkish national security teams in years. Appointing team members whose foreign policy views align with his own, indicates his shift to the right with national security issues. Bolton, a vociferous proponent of military action; doesn’t like the UN, has called for military action against North Korea, and has said the Iran nuclear deal is a “massive strategic blunder”.

In an interview on Thursday with Fox News shortly after his appointment was announced, he refused to comment on whether Trump should continue with meeting with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un. Pompeo has also spoken about ending the Iran nuclear deal and regime change in Pyongyang.

Trump is grappling with a number of key foreign policy decisions, including planned talks with North Korean leader and sanctions relief under the Iran nuclear deal.

Tillerson and McMaster were viewed as moderates who urged Trump not to end the Iran nuclear deal. Additionally, Tillerson supported talks with North Korea to resolve the rogue state’s nuclear programme.

Trumps new pick was met with opposition among Democrats who expressed fear that Bolton may lead the country into an overseas war. As President George Bush’s UN ambassador, Bolton was a vocal supporter of the Iraq war.

“With the appointments of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, @realDonaldTrump is successfully lining up his war cabinet,” tweeted Sen Ed Markey (D-Mass.).

“Bolton played a key role in politicizing the intel that misled us into the Iraq War. We cannot let this extreme war hawk blunder us into another terrible conflict.”

However, Republicans welcomed Trump’s decision. “Selecting John Bolton as national security adviser is good news for America’s allies and bad news for America’s enemies,” said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. “He has a firm understanding of the threats we face from North Korea, Iran and radical Islam.”

Published in Daily Times, March 25^th 2018.