John Bolton was the national security advisor to Donald Trump from 2018 to 2019. He worked in important roles for Republican Administrations in the US dating back to the Reagan era. He has now admitted that he helped plan coups.
During a recent interview on CNN, it was put to John Bolton that “One doesn’t have to be brilliant to attempt a coup.” Bolton responded that he disagreed and went on to observe that, “As somebody who has helped plan coups d’etat – not here [in the US] but, you know, other places – it takes a lot of work.”
According to a Washington Post article in 2016. the US tried to change governments in other countries 72 times between 1947 and 1989 Bolton confirmed US involvement in the unsuccessful plot by the Venezuelan opposition leader to displace President Nicholas Maduro, following elections in 2018. In 2007, Bolton regretted America’s apparent loss of the ability to overthrow foreign governments. See: “John Bolton Admits Planning Coups: ‘Not Here But, You Know, Other Places’”.
Richard Cullen is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong. He was previously a Professor in the Department of Business Law and Taxation at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
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