Last week, President Trump announced that John Bolton, the former United Nations Ambassador, would become his next National Security Adviser, replacing Gen. H.R. McMaster on April. 9. The announcement has certainly stirred controversy. The New York Times editorial board warned, for example, “Yes, John Bolton Really is that Dangerous.” But, as is usually the case with such hysterical lines of argumentation, the criticisms of Bolton are overdone. A more fair-minded assessment demonstrates that there is good reason to believe that Bolton will be a strong and effective national security adviser for Trump.
There is no doubt that Bolton will be ready for the job on day one. He has years of high-level government experience in the State Department and at the United Nations. In his time in the executive branch, he demonstrated an ability to achieve important foreign policy objectives, including shepherding the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolutions against Iran and North Korea and establishing the Proliferation Security Initiative — a multilateral effort aimed at preventing the illicit trafficking of weapons of mass destruction. He also developed a reputation as an effective bureaucratic operator.
