John Bolton, Mike Pompeo & Trump's Foreign Policy(Interview with Thomas Wright)

The Irish Times World View Podcast

Today's guest is Thomas Wright, director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Washington-based thinktank The Brookings Institute. Last summer, Thomas talked to us about his expectations of the Trump Administration in the foreign policy arena. Almost a year on, the Trump Administration has made many consequential foreign policy moves, including pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, striking in Syria and agreeing to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump has also made major changes in his foreign policy staff, most notably the replacement of former senior figures and "adults in the room" H. R. McMaster and Rex Tillerson by the more hawkish John Bolton and Mike Pompeo. We asked Thomas back to talk about a chaotic year of Trump foreign policy. Will Bolton and Pompeo empower the President - and can they work together? Is the Trump administration still a genuine player in the Middle East peace process after the bloodshed of recent days? Is the forthcoming Korea Summit set up to fail?