By Paul McLearyOne day after President Donald Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea during his first speech to the United Nations, Defense Secretary James Mattis insisted that Washington is still looking for a diplomatic solution. But Mattis also echoed other senior administration officials who have underscored military options to deal with Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear tests. He also stressed the importance of global alliances: “Nations with allies thrive, and those without allies decline,” he said. Since taking office in January, Mattis has often made a point of softening Trump’s rhetoric or expressing contrary views to those of his boss. Separately, Mattis also attempted to scale back expectations for a tidy outcome to the 16-year U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Source: National Post September 20, 2017 21:31 UTC