I was about to go to sleep when the news just hit that General McMaster has been replaced with Bolton. McMaster is a General and a scholar of the Viet Nam War. Like most people who have actually been in the army and fought, he believed in doing everything you can short of going to war. Trump and Bolton have not been in the army. Bolton has been a strong supporter of using military force. He has proposed a preemptive strike on North Korea, and is a strong supporter of ending the Iran agreement.
I have to say sitting in Tel Aviv I really find this scary. I have been trying to understand why PM Netanyahu has been pushing at the moment to end the agreement. I understand he always thought it was a weak agreement, but the weakest part of it is that it partially sunsets in 8 more years. Why on earth would you force it to sunset now? With a US administration that is in chaos? With a US administration that is angered most of the world on what matter or another? With an administration that has just announced it is starting a trade war with China?
Just a late night rant- maybe now it makes sense why the Israeli government acknowledged our bombing of the Syrian reactor, despite the fact that the intelligence community thinks it was a bad idea- to show it can be done. Begin did it, Olmert did it now Bibi wants to do it. There was an article this week in Maariv that said the Bibi knows he will be indicted, he is just playing for time hoping for a miracle (or a war).
Three adults have left the administration in one week- Cohen, Tillerson and now McMaster. They are being replaced by people with less experience and knowledge whose main qualification is they know how to say yes to Trump.
Oddly tonight on the Israeli news Nadav Eyal did a piece on the Iraq War 15 years later, similar to what I wrote in my Newsweek column today and he was asked by Yaron London if there were anyone who still thought the war was a good idea- His answer John Bolton. Help….
I will stop writing and go to sleep, please excuse the typos-
One response
Should correct line 3. should say McMaster was a General. It says Bolton