I Started My Career Covering John Bolton. This is what I have learned
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
I got my start in journalism covering John Bolton when he was the US Ambassador to the United Nations. At the time, I was a reporter for the political monthly The American Prospect. My reporting at the time culminated in a cover story that was published in January 2006 that detailed Bolton's tenure thus far at the UN and broke a few scoops about his conduct.
In this special episode of the podcast I am going to share a few anecdotes from my reporting at the time that might shed some light on how he will conduct himself as the National Security Advisor to Donald Trump.
I’ll also survey some key issues around the world, including North Korea, Iran, Trans-Atlantic Relations and the United Nations to see what Bolton’s past interactions with these issues might suggest for the future of US policy. I’ll also explain the position of National Security Advisor to help you understand where, exactly, Bolton will fit in in the bureaucratic politics of US foreign policy making.
That this is a different kind of Global Dispatches episode. This podcast is typically an interview-based show in which I have conversations with experts about topical issues, or I have longer discussions with people who have had interesting careers in foreign policy. In these conversations, I’ll occasionally interject my own views. But for the most part, the other person is talking.
But this time around, I am something of the expert. And I think other people see me as such, based on my past reporting. So this episode is just me talking.
If you have 25 minutes and want to learn the implications of John Bolton ascending to the most important foreign policy position in the US government, have a listen.
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Links:
My Iran Deal episode with Spencer Ackerman