WASHINGTON (Reuters) – John Bolton, who was named by President Donald Trump on Thursday as his new national security adviser, has a history of taking hardline positions on foreign policy.
He has been an active presence on television and on Twitter. His recent tweets give some insight on what he will bring to Trump’s White House.
ON NORTH KOREA
“It’s important to stand behind our South Korean allies, but if we pay heed to the lessons of history, talking to #NorthKorea would be fruitless.” (Feb. 13)
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“We have a very limited amount of time left before #NorthKorea gains deliverable nuclear weapons. We’ve got to look at the very unattractive choice of using military force to deny them that capability.” (Jan. 11)
ON RUSSIA
“There needs to be a strategic response to Russia’s new nuclear missiles to show our allies in Europe that we will not let #Russia push the U.S. or its allies around.” (March 2)
“The U.S must strengthen its allies in Central and Eastern Europe through #NATO and ensure that there are effective countermeasures to the cyber war that Russia is engaging.” (Feb. 20)
“Washington and its allies do not need more #Russian adventurism in #MiddleEast, especially given the Moscow-Tehran-Damascus-Hezbollah axis.” (Jan. 24)
ON IRAN
“The #Irannucleardeal was a strategic mistake in 2015. This deal needs to be abrogated and America must craft a new reality that reflects the actions of the Iranian regime.” (Jan. 29)
“If the Iranian opposition is prepared to take outside support, the US should provide it to them.” (Jan. 5)
ON THE MIDDLE EAST
“The Middle East peace process has long needed clarity and an injection of reality, and Trump has provided it by making the decision to move the US embassy in #Israel to #Jerusalem.” (Dec. 14, 2017)
(Writing by Yara Bayoumy and James Oliphant; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney)
