Title : John Bolton: Syria Is a ‘Sideshow’
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John Bolton: Syria Is a ‘Sideshow’
President Trump appears to be gearing up to bomb Syria, but his new national security adviser has said he believes Syria to be something of a “sideshow.”
It’s only John Bolton’s first week on the job as Trump’s national security adviser and all eyes are on him for clues about how the administration will respond to the apparent chemical weapons attack in Syria. So far, there have been just a few tea leaves to read in his 48-hour tenure in the White House. But before that Bolton left a slew of op-eds and Fox News appearances offering some clues to his views on the war there.
The picture that emerges from his commentary is of a hawk who accepts much of the conservative catechism on Syria but hasn’t great enthusiasm for it.
“I believe since the Syrian civil war broke out nearly seven years ago that the subject of Syria is, sadly, tragic though it might be, is a sideshow in terms of the bigger strategic picture in the Middle East,” Bolton said on Fox in February, using his preferred epithet for the conflict.
While many of his ideological fellow travelers have argued that Assad is the primary problem causing Syria’s many conflicts, Bolton instead posited that the dictator of Damascus was at best a tertiary concern, ranking him “a distant third” behind Iran and ISIS in terms threats to the region. “If you want to know where to go to at least resolve the bulk of the problems we face,” he told Fox’s Martha MacCallum, “it’s not getting rid of Assad in Syria. It’s getting rid of the ayatollahs in Tehran.”
The Trump administration hasn’t made regime change in Iran its policy, but Bolton’s hawkish views toward Tehran are likely to find a receptive audience with the president, particularly around the Iran nuclear deal. Trump has labeled the agreement the “worst deal ever” and Bolton’s argument to undo it may have already won the day before the newly appointed national security adviser stepped into the White House. While James Mattis supports the Iran deal, the defense secretary, long considered an Iran hawk, may find common cause with Bolton over the shared goal of rolling back Iranian influence in the Middle East.
Bolton supported the last round of strikes on Syria and seems inclined to do so again, but his Syria commentary paints a picture of a man who comes to the White House with a preference to focus on regime change in Tehran rather than deal with the thorny problems in Damascus. READ MORE
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