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– We hope they are convulsions for an angry old man, who does not accept that the world does not go his way, says former Defense Minister Espen Barth Eide.
The Trump administration just carried out sweeping replacements at the Pentagon, replacing civilian Pentagon leaders with Trump loyalists. It comes a day after President Donald Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper.
The US media write that the replacements have raised alarm among military and civilian officials at the Pentagon.
A total of four senior Pentagon officials, including Esper, have been fired or themselves since Monday. The replacements take place a few days after Joe Biden was elected the next president of the United States, and just over two months before Donald Trump has to leave the White House.
Also read: Trump kicks Defense Secretary Mark Esper
The online newspaper has interviewed one of Norway’s most experienced foreign and defense politicians. The representative of the Storting, Espen Barth Eide (Labor Party), has experience as a former Foreign Minister and Minister of Defense. He is concerned about development.
– I know well both the Pentagon (Department of Defense) and the US State (Department of State). What is important to know about the Pentagon is that it constitutes the political and military leadership. The Defense Minister, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top leaders of the various arms branches are in the Pentagon, Barth Eide tells Nettavisen.
– As I know the US military, they are very concerned that they serve the country and the constitution. It seems to me that there is growing self-defense concern about what Trump will be able to use the Pentagon for, says Barth Eide.
– This worries me more right now
– As a former Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State, and Secretary of State in both ministries, I have had a lot to do with both the Pentagon and the State. It is important to understand that the Pentagon is a much more important institution than the US State Department. The Defense Minister is almost considered to be second in line after the President. It’s a very important position with responsibility for the world’s largest energy appliance, he says.
– We’ll see if these replacements are Trump’s latest seizures, or if he has plans to do more. The Pentagon replacements are the development that concerns me most in the United States right now. And now it is claimed in various US media that he intends to do the same with the leaders of the CIA and the FBI, says Barth Eide.
Espen Barth Eide knows several of the people who served in the Pentagon during the Obama administration. He says that several of them are concerned about what is happening at the Pentagon.
Photo: Ole Berg-rest (NTB)
– Seizures of an angry old man.
– Media claim in the USA that outgoing defense minister Esper tried to limit Trump’s desire for an early withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Is it conceivable that Trump will fulfill his electoral promise to end all American wars by a total withdrawal of soldiers in the Middle East, Barth Eide?
– Trump remains Commander-in-Chief (Commander-in-Chief of Defense). It is above all the president who decides on foreign policy and on the use of defense. The president has much more power abroad than at home: the president does not pass any budget or law without the approval of Congress, so the restrictions on national politics are greater. So in principle, you can do a little bit of everything as long as you have that control, he says.
But US officials, particularly the top executives of the Pentagon’s arms branches, have a kind of personal responsibility for failing to carry out orders contrary to the constitution. The powers of the Commander-in-Chief are restricted by the Constitution. In fact, we are talking about a democratic and constitutional rule of law, says Barth Eide.
– We hope they are convulsions for an angry old man, who does not accept that the world does not go his way, and that it will be fixed in a few days or weeks when the count in all the states is completely finished. But on the list of things to worry about now in the United States, the replacement at the Pentagon is probably at the top, says Barth Eide.
Barth Eide believes that the White House is characterized by a bunker mentality. The photo shows a soldier outside the west wing entrance, indicating that the president is in the Oval Office.
Photo: Evan Vucci (AP)
Bunker-mentalitet
As is well known, President Trump refuses to acknowledge the outcome of the election, instead making a series of undocumented allegations of voter fraud. Trump has been rightly backed by Republican heavyweights like Senate Leader Mitch O’Connell and Attorney General William Barr to use the judiciary to challenge the election result.
– The White House now seems more and more as if it has entered a bunker mentality where corrections are not accepted from the outside, says Barth Eide.
Also read: He affirms that there is an internal battle in the party due to the lawsuits for electoral fraud
Joe Biden has received a clear mandate from the people to rule the United States for the next four years. Preliminary figures (the count is not completely finished yet) show that it has received 50.8 percent support. Thus, it exceeds Ronald Reagan’s support of the 50.7 percent that Reagan received in the presidential election against incumbent President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Biden has thus received the most support that a challenger has had since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.
– Remember something you see in authoritarian states
– Senior Pentagon officials, with whom CNN has spoken, use dictatorial language to describe replacements. What do you think of that choice of words?
– Not wanting to resign after a legal democratic election is often how dictators are created. Many leaders we would describe today as dictators have at one time been elected by the people, but then remained in power in hindsight. They will not accept the result when they lose an election. I really don’t think it happens in America. I believe that the constitution and the institutions will win. I am confident that America will remain a democracy and that the next president will be Joe Biden, says Barth Eide.
– But that Trump, his sons Eric and Donald jr. and your inner circle is doing it right now, actually remembering something you see in authoritarian states. It shows how important strong institutions are. Power is said to corrupt. It almost seems like Trump has lost his temper, to the extent that he’s had it before, when it comes to what the bureau asks him to do. It’s nice to get power from the people, but it’s at least as good and important to leave it to others in a peaceful way, says Barth Eide.
Also read: These are Trump’s orders that Biden wants to hit with a stroke of the pen
President Trump sent his sons Eric and Donald jr. in the breeze to promote and spread undocumented allegations of voter fraud, as well as to pressure Republican heavyweights to endorse the president’s election fraud allegations.
Some Republicans are resorting to drastic measures to unearth alleged evidence of electoral fraud in the election campaign. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick recently promised a reward of up to $ 1 million (9 million crowns) for leads on voter fraud.
Christopher C. Miller (55) has been appointed Acting Secretary of Defense and will therefore be the head of the US military for the next 70 days.
Photo: Tom Williams (AP)
– In a democracy, power is limited when you have it and is limited in time. Then you must get it back or give it away, says Barth Eide.
The experiences of democracy building in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, in which regional organizations such as the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the African Union have worked extensively, show that the first democratic election is not necessarily the most challenging. but choice number two. The challenge lies in the fact that a leader has become accustomed to the privileges of power, says the former foreign and defense minister.
Eide says Trump’s reluctance to acknowledge electoral defeat sends dangerous signals to the world.
– There is a risk of sending a signal to aspiring autocrats that it is possible to do it this way.
Stamped Obama as “Terrorist Leader”
Controversial retired Brigadier General Anthony Tata is one of Trump loyalists who has been granted a new leadership position in the Pentagon. Tata has previously made countless anti-Islamic and insulting statements, and has promoted various conspiracy theories, according to CNN’s KFile, which runs serious journalism related to social media. Among other things, he has referred to Barack Obama as a “terrorist leader.”
Also read: Trump receives the support of a powerful party colleague
Tata was nominated for the Pentagon undersecretary position earlier this summer, but the nomination was withdrawn due to cross-party opposition. He enjoys sufficient support in the White House, but even Republicans on the Senate Defense Committee said they would not approve the nomination.
Tata replaces James Anderson, who decided to resign the day after boss Mark T. Esper was fired. Anderson holds one of the most important political positions in the Pentagon and had the following message for his staff on his last day of work:
– I leave you with the knowledge that the team will survive, whatever happens in the future. I urge everyone to stay focused on the mission, stay apolitical and never forget your oath of office, Anderson said.
President Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) says Esper’s firing is disturbing evidence that President Trump intends to spend his final days in office creating chaos in American democracy and around the world.
Photo: Erin Scott (Reuters)
– Pentagon employees fear replacements.
CNN writes that various military and civilian sources at the Pentagon fear the replacements will pave the way for measures that the Pentagon has previously been negative about. One of the measures mentioned is the application of the Insurrection Act, which gives the president the opportunity to mobilize US military forces and the National Guard on US soil in special circumstances.
Also read: How much damage can Donald Trump do in recent weeks?
Another scenario is to override the military councils and bring the Afghan soldiers home before Christmas. The military advice has been very clear, and is based on specific conditions to be able to carry out a justifiable American withdrawal.
The conditions are for the Taliban to break ties with al-Qaeda and advance peace talks with the Afghan government. These conditions are not currently met.
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