John Bolton and Mike Pompeo take Charge

By Stanley Chu 3/23/2018

The appointment of John Bolton as the new national security adviser and the nomination of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state has shook the diplomatic community.

Courtesy of Creative Commons

Bolton and Pompeo are both famous for hardline stances. Both men advocated for military intervention in the Korean peninsula and for leaving the Iran nuclear deal.

Diplomats around the world are reacting to these changes. Kim Hack-Yong, a South Korean lawmaker, told Reuters that these were “bad news” and said that “If Bolton takes office and talks with North Korea go haywire and yield bad results, I don’t know what we’ll do then.”

Israeli officials, who share Bolton and Pompeo’s view of Iran, have reacted positively, telling CNN that Bolton was a friend of Israel. A spokesman for Iran told CNN that Bolton has ties to anti-Iran groups and said his appointment shows Washington’s support terrorist groups against Iran. North Korea, who the two men will be negotiating with, have not commented, but in 2003 called Bolton “human scum,” and a “bloodsucker.”