“The Loss of General James Mattis”
Defense Secretary, General James Mattis, resigned in the period before Christmas this year, following President Trump’s decision to pull troops out of both Syria and Afghanistan. The decision to leave Syria and Afghanistan have since been modified by cooler heads, specifically with the intervention of Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator from South Carolina. He and others managed to persuade our errant President that if we pulled out of Syria immediately, we would set up the slaughter of our long standing allies, the Kurds in Iraq and Syria by Turkey, who views them all as terrorists. Further, leaving Syria now effectively would cede it to both Iran and Russia to have their full sway in this troubled area of the world, which would certainly not bode well for Israel, another important ally.
The scathing letter given to Trump by General Mattis caused diplomatic stirrings around the globe, particularly among our European allies, who no longer view Trump as a reliable actor on the world scene. Described by those who know him as “erratic” and “mercurial,” it is reported he never reads the briefings given him by his White House chief of staff, John Kelly (who has also left the White House, becoming the 28th person to resign or be fired during the Trump administration (see Jonathan Marcus, “Why Did Trump’s love affair with US generals turn sour?” BBC News, January 5, 2019).
We also know of the resignation of General Michael Flynn who lied to the Vice-President Pence over his contacts with the Russians. Trump’s national security advisor, Army General HR McMaster, who is a respected military thinker, is gone as well.
The new Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo, who was sworn in as the 70th U.S. Secretary of State may be the only adult left in the room. He is the President’s chief foreign affairs advisor. Many persons, including myself, have been grateful for the expertise and commitment of General James Mattis and his commitment to the European alliance, which since World War II has been a defining characteristic of our foreign policy. The primary wisdom has been that there is a need to contain the ambitions of the former Soviet Union – now Russia, which has sought strategic and sometimes real domination of certain countries around the world. The attack on the democracy of Ukraine, the downing of the passenger airliner by Russian soldiers, the attack on Russian citizens in the UK with nerve agents, the support of Assad in Syria, Russia cozying up to Iran, and the certain interference by Russia in the US election of 2016, with multiple indictments of Russian operatives by the Mueller investigation—need I say more—are all examples of Russia’s opposition to the Western Democratic Alliance.
President Trump’s naiveté and apparent real ignorance of world geopolitics has played perfectly into Putin’s hand. It is not yet known if our President is compromised on a deep level by Putin’s Russia, but it is certain President Trump does not view Putin with as much suspicion as either President Barak Obama or democratic candidate for President, Hillary Clinton, our former Secretary of State. She did not view Putin as either a friend or an ally.
One of the most telling signs of President Trump’s ignorance of Putin’s power to deceive was seen at his last summit in Russia, described by Senator John McCain as a “horrible performance for an American President on the world stage.” Trump said and did things at that summit with Putin which he is still trying to defend.
It is likely that President Trump over time simply quit listening to General Mattis’ advice on foreign policy and General Mattis had no other choice than to resign.
The question of today is “to whom will President Trump listen?”
Various persons who do news analysis have said that Trump’s style is “transactional.” In other words, Trump wants to know what a person (or state) can do for him before he will do anything for them. Trump wants to negotiate the best deal. But he is extremely impatient. Global politics plays out over a long period of time. One President’s term is often not long enough to bring to an end a particular policy of government, as it takes time to extract from a US commitment so as to prevent disappointment in allies. The commitment to both the Kurds in Iraq, who served alongside US forces helping defeat ISIS in Syria and the perceived alliance with the emerging democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq requires long standing commitment of US forces. Trump’s decision to leave Syria and Afghanistan is neither rational nor wise.
Trump’s weakness as a commander in chief is his impulsivity. The question has arisen in US leadership circles, “If Trump gave the order to use the nuclear option, would it be questioned and disobeyed?” Would we really know that any decision this President makes is wise or in the best interests of the United States and its citizens? He is widely unpopular. It is unlikely that this nation would ever want to follow him into war!
I am not a politician. Neither have I studied at the War College as have many of our generals. So my opinion may not count for much. But I am a concerned citizen and a loyal and patriotic American. I salute our flag and mean it, because I believe in our democracy and in our institutions of government. I registered for the draft in 1972 like all of my peers, but I was never called into service. But I would have gone if I was asked to do so.
I express my concern again and again for this our President, as I simply do not think nor feel in my heart that he is qualified for the job. We can do better than this! Any man or woman who sits in the highest office of our government should be willing to listen to advice. What would have happened to the world in October, 1962, if President John F. Kennedy had not listened to his advisors? At least he had Robert McNamara. Even President Richard Nixon had Henry Kissinger to help him in the Middle East and with China. Who does President Trump have that he will listen to their advice?
In my opinion, these are truly dangerous times. The Russians recently warned that without lines of communication and dialogue with this White House something leading to world war could occur.
For this reason, I penned an article on how we might pray for President Trump. I hope concerned Americans will take up this task. May God in God’s gracious mercies help us all:
A Hymn
“Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”
“Dear Lord and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways;
Re-clothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard beside the Syrian sea
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Like us, like them, without a word, rise up and follow thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with thee the silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!
Drop thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess the beauty of thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!”
“Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” is a hymn with lyrics taken from a poem, “The Brewing of the Soma” by American Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier.
Used with permission.
Bill Wilson
Modern Stories of the Way 