SHAFAQNA- Tehran Times: In an interview, Nader Entessar, the Professor Emeritus of Political Science from the University of South Alabama said that Bolton’s firing was due primarily to personality conflicts in the upper-echelon of Trump’s foreign policy team and had very little to do with policy differences toward Iran.
He adds that “In fact, the whole foreign policy team is composed of hawks.”
Entessar says “Iran should never confuse Bolton’s firing with a change of course in Trump‘s foreign policy towards Iran.”
Following is the full text of the interview:
Q: What is your assessment of John Bolton’s dismissal? Will the militant faction become a minority with this layoff?
A: Bolton’s firing was due primarily to personality conflicts in the upper-echelon of Trump’s foreign policy team and had very little to do with policy differences toward Iran. In fact, the whole foreign policy team is composed of hawks. Iran should never confuse Bolton’s firing with a change of course in Trump’s foreign policy towards Iran. There has been no change in this regard, nor there will be one in the future under Mike Pompeo’s management of the U.S. State Department.
Q: What effect will Bolton’s dismissal have on U.S. foreign policy toward Iran?
A: As I indicated in my previous answer, John Bolton’s firing will have minimal or no impact on U.S. foreign policy toward Iran. Bolton was simply a bolt in the vast cog of the U.S. anti-Iran foreign policy machinery that has deep roots in various elements of the U.S. government, including the U.S. congress.
Q: With Bolton fired, it was speculated that Trump would be on a diplomatic course with Iran. On the other hand, Yemeni attacks on Aramco have prompted Washington to declare that it is ready to fight Iran. What is your assessment of this situation?
A: This incident clearly demonstrates that Bolton’s dismissal didn’t make a dent in the Trump administration’s Iran policy and that the pro-war hawks in the U.S. are still very much in charge.
Q: Since Pompeo has a Bolton-like approach, can Trump change Pompeo as well?
A: As Trump has demonstrated throughout the course of his presidency, nobody in his administration is immune from being fired. The only exception to this rule is the case of his immediate relatives, like his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. So far, Mike Pompeo has been an obedient soldier and has not challenged any of Trump’s major foreign policy moves. AS long he continues to play this role, Pompeo is probably safe.
Q: Given the change of personality like Bolton, are Israeli policies in the U.S. State Department going to fade or shift?
A: No. Israel has a staunch and unflinching supporter in Mike Pompeo and his entire U.S. State Department’s upper echelon. Pompeo is the most loyal Likud supporter who has headed the State Department in many years.
Read more from Shafaqna:
End of White House warmongering with John Bolton’s ouster?
UN envoy: Iran position on talks won’t change with White House reshuffles
Despite futility of previous sanctions, US once again resorts to sanctioning policy