James Mattis, the soon-departing American Secretary of Defence
It was not for nothing that, during their time working with the POTUS, H R McMaster and Rex Tillerson were regarded as adults in the Administration. The insinuation was that adults would usually be expected to act if things began to get out of hand.
The characteristics of the so-called adults were that they seem closer in age to the President and would probably have served in the Military.
There are those who may not agree with this 'adult business', believing that Americans usually elect a President at whose desk the buck should stop. This may be true. However, the reality is that every leader needs people who could help him/her achieve the goals of their administration, both domestic and foreign.
This brings us to the last two adults in President Trump's Administration, John Kelly and James Mattis. It would now appear that the two have also had enough. While Kelly leaves in January, Mattis will be leaving in February, 2019.
The question now is : Can the world afford a Trump White House bereft of adults?
James Mattis' decision to leave has sent shock waves around the West and the Middle East. The general was seen as a moderating influence on the President. Mattis is leaving for being continually ignored whenever decisions were being taken on issues that relate to his area of operation. The general seemed to have flipped at the latest snub when the President chose to announce the withdrawal of American troops from Syria without consulting his Defence Secretary.
It is right for the President to think America first. This is based on the sentiment that Americans are tired of being the Policeman of the world. However, as the leader of the Free World, President Trump needs to balance his responsibility to America with his responsibility to the Free World. There are ways the President can make America's allies contribute their quotas if they would not do so willingly.
The thing is that if this trend should continue, it would only make the Chinese and the Russians more influential around the world. It was hardly surprising that the first person to congratulate the American President on his decision to leave Syria was Vladimir Putin.
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