Bolton’s book on Trump: The final official nail in the coffin

John Bolton the former American National Security Adviser has written the book " The Room Where It Happened" about the Donald Trump administration. The book has attracted attention around the world more than expected even before it has been released to go on sale. However, Trump has called John Bolton "incompetent" and a "boring old fool" and he attempted to stop the book's release.

The importance of this book comes not only from Bolton’s critics on Trump's ignorant of basic geographical and political knowledge and facts. But because the book is disclosing Trump's main decisions based on his personal desire to be re-elected. That could have a significant impact on the upcoming US election at the end of this year. furthermore, the book seems to be the latest and final nail in the coffin of Trump's presidential election.

In his book that should go for sale today, Bolton tries to show Trump's inexperience on basic knowledge which is unexpectable for such US president. For instance, in his meeting with Russian President Putin in Helsinki, Trump did not know if Finland a separate state or part of Russia. Also, in his meeting with the UK prime minister 2018, Trump said to Theresa May "oh, are you a nuclear power?", despite the UK is a member of nuclear-armed states since 1952.

The most stunningly in Bolton’s book about President Trump is how he tried to use his authorities and relationship with the other states in favour of his personal interests. Added to that, he even had to overwhelm the American principles, democracy, and national interests in some occasions. For example, President Trump has agreed with the Chinese president XI treatment of the Uighurs minority by building a camp for them despite the world’s condemn in this case. That had happened in Trump’s meeting with President of China according to Bolton, and asked his counterpart for support to be re-elected “stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election , alluding to China's economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he'd win," .

According to the former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s book, since 2017 when Trump’s administration began. The US policy towards the Middle East has been a change in different and even shocking way comparing to the decades of history of American involvement in the Middle East. He also had mentioned in his book several examples of how President Donald Trump had supported the dictatorship regime in China and Turkey, and “give personal favours to dictators he liked,”.

The book portrays Trump’s offer to support the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2018 when the American administration was running an investigation on Iranian economic sanctions that have been broken by Turkish companies close to the Erdogan. However, the most embarrassing incident during the Trump administration had happened after Turkish presidential security attacked American demonstrators and police in front of the White House during Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit. In this crucial case for the US sovereignty and principles, Trump again was looking for making another deal with his Turkish counterpart. Simultaneously, the US pastor was detained in Turkey at the time of the incident and Ankara offered a deal to release the pastor and “give US Syria policy to Turkey”.

Bolton describes the US dealing with main reliable ally such a Kurds and Syrian Democratic Forces was in favour of Turkey’s national interests. That was more obvious when the pro-Turkish ambassador James Jeffrey became anti-ISIS envoy and holdover Brett McGurk in 2018. At that period, Turkey’s officials were ordering the American president what to do in Syria and their policy towards the Kurds. As a result, the US president agreed to Turkey’s invasion in Northeast Syria. The Turkish-backed jihadist group had attacked Kurds in Syria in October 2019.

To sum up, Bolton’s book could have a crucial impact on American policy not only in the Middle East but also it can affect the ongoing President Trump’s election campaign as he desires to win the second time.

Zara Saleh