FOREIGN POLICY/JAMES MATTIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday [12-20-18] while delivering a stunning rebuke to President Donald Trump, expressing differences on issues including the president’s treatment of U.S. allies and the need for a ‘resolute’ approach to Russia…The highly public end to Mattis’ two years as Pentagon leader came a day after Trump announced an abrupt pullout of U.S. forces from Syria, a move that shocked allies in the region and knocked military commanders off guard. It also followed reports that Trump is poised to order a similarly swift withdrawal from Afghanistan. And his departure unnerved lawmakers who had looked to the retired four-star Marine general as a rare force for stability in Trump’s administration — someone who had repeatedly counseled the president against taking precipitous actions in hot spots like Syria, Iran, and the Korean peninsula.”
–Conner O’Brien and Bryan Bender, “Mattis breaks with Trump in resignation letter,” Politico, December 20, 2018 9:46 pm