Jim Mattis, US Defence Secretary quits, Trump announces Syria withdrawal
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis quit on Thursday. This happened right after President Donald Trump weathered an escalating backlash at home and abroad over his sudden decision to pull all troops from Syria.
Trump defended the withdrawal of the 2000-strong force from Syria. He vowed that the United States would no longer be the “policeman of the MIddle East”. He insisted that the Islamic State movement has been defeated.
Mattis is a retired general. He was seen as a moderating force on the often impulsive president. He made little attempt to hide his disagreements with Trump.
“Because you have the right to have a Secretary of defence whose views are better aligned with yours,” Mattis said in a letter to Trump, “I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.”
Jim Mattis hailed the coalition to defeat the Islamic State and also defended NATO, the military alliance between North America and Europe whose cost-effectiveness has been questioned the businessman turned president.
Mattis wrote, “My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed over four decades of immersion in these issues.”
The resignation came as soon as Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was also considering a substantial drawdown in a much larger US operation – Afghanistan.
Trump has surrounded himself with former military men. He was impressed with the scholarly and calm 68-year-old Mattis. He was diplomatic as he announced the departure. He said on Twitter that the defence secretary achieved “tremendous progress”.
Mattis will serve until the end of February. This has given Trump a short window to name a successor who can be confirmed the Senate.
Jim Mattis resigning is a show towards his displeasure of Trump’s decision. What do you think about it?
