WASHINGTON — The extraordinary resignation letter that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis handed to a surprised President Donald Trump was not just a product of two years of accumulating frustration with an impulsive boss, but an outline of the strategic hazards facing the next Pentagon chief. ADVERTISEMENTIt was an outline of the challenges facing the nation and whoever takes over as defense secretary when Mattis leaves Feb. 28. In making clear that he could no longer tolerate Trump’s approach to American foreign policy, Mattis appeared to fashion a resignation letter that not only expressed his reasons for leaving but also sounded an alarm. German officials expressed polite irritation that Washington had not consulted them on the Trump decision to pull out of Syria. Mattis, 68, is the first Pentagon chief to resign in protest over a president’s foreign policy in many decades.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 21, 2018 22:41 UTC