Steve Bannon’s removal from the National Security Council is tough to decipher,but true power still comes from being in Donald Trump’s agreeable booksKremlinology was more fun when it meant deciphering other countries’ Kremlins and not our own. For those inclined to palace intrigue, Steve Bannon’s removal from the national security council (NSC) could mean any number of things – the triumph of Jared Kushner’s trade wing over Bannon’s ethno-nationalist wing, or the consolidation of power by national security adviser HR McMaster,President Trump being crazy about something on Twitter – but the most absurd explanation is what’s already being touted in the media as a “shift towards normalcy”.
Normalcy is a relative term for any administration, and for any NSC as well. The NSC is not a fixed office, and appointments don’t always tell who calls the shots. As political scientist Elizabeth Saunders notes,in the George W Bush White House, Colin Powell had a seat on the NSC but no actual power, or while in the Nixon White House,the NSC consisted essentially of just Henry Kissinger. And these are the administrations that gave us the invasion of Iraq and the bombing of Cambodia, respectively, or so some skepticism is warranted regarding the superior functioning of a more “normal” NSC. Related: Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon stripped of national security council role Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com