The resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis has prompted alarm around the world over President Donald Trump¡¯s national security thinking. Mattis¡¯ resignation letter is a scathing attack on the president¡¯s thinking and instincts, unprecedented in the modern presidency. The world now waits with mounting anxiety for Trump¡¯s next decisions.
Mattis was enjoying retirement at Stanford University when Trump picked him to be his secretary of defense. The president was attracted by several features of Mattis¡¯ resume: a distinguished military career that culminated in service as commander of the U.S. Central Command; a fierce reputation, captured by his nickname ¡°Mad Dog¡°; and notable disagreements with President Barack Obama over priorities in Middle East policy, especially concerning Iran: Any readiness to disagree with his predecessor was a plus in Trump¡¯s estimation.
Mattis accepted the offer, motivated by an opportunity to serve his country, the chance to steer a foreign policy neophyte and to again focus his ¡ª and his country¡¯s ¡ª energies on Tehran, which he considered the real source of regional instability. U.S. allies and partners took great comfort from Mattis¡¯ presence in the administration, viewing him as a source of continuity amidst Trump¡¯s gyrations and declarations. The secretary of defense, along with Chief of Staff John Kelly and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, were widely viewed as ¡°the adults in the room¡± ¡ª guardrails to contain Trump¡¯s more impetuous decisions. It was widely reported a year into the administration that the three men had vowed that one of them would remain in Washington at all times to prevent the president from making a spontaneous move that could be injurious to the national interest.
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