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America's defense secretary James Mattis has announced his resignation.
This comes a day after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria,... against the pentagon chief's advice.
Park Ji-won sheds light on the situation and how his departure could affect the Korean peninsula.
After two years serving as the Trump administration's defense chief,... U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis tendered his resignation Thursday.
President Trump himself tweeted late Thursday local time,... announcing that Mattis will be retiring at the end of February.
Mattis indicated in his resignation letter,... that he was resigning over differences with the president’s policies.
The retired Marine general also stressed the importance of U.S. cooperation with its allies, ties which have frayed under Trump.
Mattis said President Trump has the right, quote, "to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned" with him,... but reiterated that the U.S. is strengthened by the solidarity of its alliances,... in its efforts to create an international order that is conducive to the U.S.
The president's decision to pull troops out of Syria reportedly went against the wishes of his own defense officials.
As Mattis was often dubbed "Warrior Monk,".. for his reticence and stable way of commanding the military,... and some people have considered him a necessary restraint to Trump's somewhat unpredictable policies.
However, one international relations expert here in Korea says not much is likely to change with the change of the defense chief in the U.S.
"I don't think there will be any major changes in the U.S. policy direction of focusing on diplomatic negotiations with North Korea for the time being. As Trump reportedly said that he had appreciated Mattis' deep military knowledge and his political sense,.. I think a next defense chief will also continue to have a similar approach to North Korea policy, at least from the Pentagon's perspective."
But another international relations expert said uncertainty on the Korean peninsula could be somewhat increased.
"Mattis has supported U.S. military strategies based on traditional U.S. hegemony and stability. He is known as a figure who could exert significant restraint on President Trump's unpredictable foreign policies. To me, it seems like we have lost one figure that could exert a restraining influence on Trump, if the Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the House, presses Trump on domestic politics next year, and if denuclearization talks with North Korea do not live up to expectations."
Retired Marine general James Mattis was nominated as Secretary of Defense by then-President-elect Trump and confirmed by the Senate in January 2017.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.