In a very frank interview with Chris Ryan, former UN Ambassador and National Security Advisor, John Bolton discusses the foreign policy moves which have been made during early days of the Biden Presidency; explains the reluctance of leaders to deal with problems in the Middle East; evaluates the sanctions which the US has placed on Russia in response to the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny; and assesses the current situation in North Korea.
Ambassador Bolton says that the Biden Administration has been so busy dealing with the COVID pandemic problems left behind by President Trump that they haven’t been very involved in foreign policy issues. John Bolton did list several measures which the Biden Administration have put forward: the US has rejoined the Paris Climate Accord; has made overtures to reopen the 2015 Iran nuclear deal; and an Iranian lack of interest in reopening talks and aggressive acts on their part have caused President Biden to retaliate with air strikes in Syria. John Bolton describes the Biden foreign policy as, so far, not being very adventurous.
The Middle East has problems that won’t go away and seem to be impossible to solve. The thorniness of the problems there make presidents reluctant to get involved in an area which is frequently described as a quagmire. However, Ambassador Bolton points out that the volatility and economic importance of the region will always drag each administration into dealing with the Middle East which remains a major source of oil and terrorism.
Ambassador Bolton goes into detail in describing how the Trump Administration struggled to respond to acts by Vladimir Putin. John Bolton was Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor. In the interview, Bolton repeatedly refers to President Trump always reacting and not having any interest in developingforeign policy strategies. John Bolton calls for President Biden to develop a broad, comprehensive strategy of dealing with Russia which would involve increased cooperation from our European allies. John Bolton believes that Germany and the European Union needs to cut off the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. This source of Russian natural gas would make Europe dependent on Russia for their energy needs and provide Putin with a tremendous revenue stream.
Recent satellite photos have indicated that North Korea is working on its nuclear weapons program. Ambassador Bolton explains how difficult it is to stop a country which is determined to join the nuclear club of nations. He lists how US Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama were unable to stop the North Koreans on their march toward developing weapons of mass destruction. Bolton criticized the Trump negotiations with Kim Jong Un, “When you try for photo-opportunity summits, you’re giving Kim Jong Un and his regime more time.”