WASHINGTON – US new NSA designate John Bolton hardline views and advocacyof military power, including pre-emptive strikes against adversaries, haslong been public.
He is ferociously opposed to Iran, wants punitive strikes against NorthKorea , and is leery even about India.
In the time he was the US link>ambassadorto UN during the Bush years, he worked actively with his Chinesecounterpart to thwart New Delhi’s bid for a permanent membership of the UNSecurity Council, clashing frequently with India’s then UN ambassadorNirupam Sen over a range of issues.
But it is his recent stand on North Korea, Russia, Iran and free trade —and his walrus mustache — that has the Washington commentariat wonderinghow long he will last in the Trump White House.
In fact, the walrus mustache was what held up his appointment in the firstplace, with President Trump reportedly expressing disapproval of whiskersthat he thought were out of place for a senior aide.
Eventually, the president has had to endure the facial hair after hedispensed with a bald NSA whose cerebral presentations were reportedlybeyond his bandwidth.
Not that this relationship is going to be smooth sailing. Some of Bolton’spositions are distinctly different from Trump’s — for instance, he is ahawk on Russia, while Trump is deferential to Moscow; he is also a votaryof free trade; Trump isn’t.
They both agree on the Iran nuclear agreement is a “bad deal”. However, itis Bolton’s views on North Korea that is coming up for increased scrutinyagainst the backdrop of a proposed summit meeting between Trump and KimJong-un.
“It is perfectly legitimate for theUS link> torespond to the current ‘necessity’ posed by North Korea’s nuclear weaponsby striking first,” Bolton wrote in a Wall Street Journal in February thisyear, a stand made by a country that is 6,800 miles away and armed withnuclear weapons, but one that is terrifying South Korea and Japan, whichare next door to North Korea and a short missile strike away. Theconservative American media though celebrated Bolton’s appointment.