Trump ousts his combative national security adviser

President Trump abruptly fired John Bolton, his national security adviser, with whom he had fundamental disagreements over Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan.

Mr. Bolton, a foreign policy hawk who insisted he resigned, objected to attempts to pursue diplomatic avenues with players considered American enemies. And he angered Mr. Trump with a last-minute battle against a peace agreement with the Taliban.

Mr. Trump said he would appoint a replacement in the “next week.”

Voice of restraint: Mr. Bolton was the in-house skeptic who checked Mr. Trump’s most unorthodox instincts. Whether it was inviting the Taliban to Camp David or cooperating with Russia, he was the national security adviser who said no.

Related: The Trump administration’s decision to pull the plug on negotiations with the Taliban at Camp David inadvertently provided the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, with a lifeline, bringing his re-election bid back into the spotlight.