Aftandilian in Al Jazeera on Bannon’s Dismissal
Gregory Aftandilian, Lecturer at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published a recent Op-Ed examining the power struggle within the White House that led to the dismissal of chief strategist, Steve Bannon.
Aftandilian’s Op-Ed, entitled “The White House Power Struggle That Toppled Bannon,” was published on August 19, 2017 in Al Jazeera.
From the text of the article:
Although White House intrigues and infighting are nothing new, the Trump White House has taken these brawls to a new level. After several weeks of very public feuds, Trump on August 18, under the influence of his new chief of staff, John Kelly, fired the White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon, who was rumoured to have been behind right-wing attacks on National Security Adviser HR McMaster.
Trump’s advisers are a mix of “alt-right” ideologues who believe that Trump should completely shake up Washington and pursue an “America-centered” policy, and pragmatists who believe the United Statesshould lead the international community and maintain traditional alliances.
The former was represented by Bannon, who was executive chairman of the alt-right Breitbart News organisation, along with some allies that were put on the staff of the National Security Council by Trump’s discredited former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. McMaster, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and now John Kelly, the new White House chief of staff, represent the latter.
Aftandilian spent over 21 years in government service, most recently on Capitol Hill where he was foreign policy adviser to Congressman Chris Van Hollen (2007-2008), professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and foreign policy adviser to Senator Paul Sarbanes (2000-2004), and foreign policy fellow to the late Senator Edward Kennedy (1999).