The West must face a ‘deadly quartet’ of global adversaries | Real Time Headlines

LONDON — After last week’s NATO summit highlighted the threats and “systemic challenges” posed by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, geopolitical and defense experts say the West must now prepare to deal with these adversaries.

Former Nato secretary-general George Robertson warned on Tuesday that Britain’s armed forces must be capable of fighting a “lethal quartet” of adversaries, as he launched a strategic review of Britain’s defense capabilities.

“We face a deadly situation in which four countries are increasingly cooperating,” he said in comments. sky news report.

He added: “We as a country and the NATO alliance… must be able to confront this particular Quad and other issues that are prevalent around the world.”

Robertson did not explicitly name the Quad members, but the other three countries were identified as Russia, Iran and North Korea – countries that Nato said last week posed a threat and systemic challenge to “Euro-Atlantic security”.

The use of the word “lethal” to allude to China follows an increase in rhetoric directed at Russia’s allies at last week’s NATO summit, where Beijing’s status as an adversary is more openly acknowledged than ever.

exist Summit DeclarationChina was described as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine and a “systemic challenge” to Euro-Atlantic security, with the military alliance citing its “sustained malign cyber and hybrid activities” and its efforts to diversify Beijing’s nuclear arsenal. Worry and spatial ability.

Nato leaders meeting in Washington agreed that China’s “coercive” policies and ambitions challenged the defense pact’s “interests, security and values”, positioning Beijing as the alliance’s main rival.

The NATO statement also said China’s “deepening strategic partnership” with Russia was “deeply” concerning, although Russia and its ongoing war in Ukraine clearly remained the alliance’s most pressing concern.

The alliance said Moscow had “undermined” peace and stability in the West and “seriously undermined global security.” Russia’s nuclear capabilities and hybrid actions through proxies, such as malicious cyber activity, provocations at allied borders and disinformation campaigns, are considered special threats.

Russia’s allies North Korea and Iran have also been accused of “fueling Russia’s aggressive war in Ukraine” by providing direct military support to Russia, such as munitions and drones, which NATO said “seriously affects Euro-Atlantic security” and Undermining the global non-proliferation regime.

Russia and North Korea deny that arms transfers took place. Iran has previously said it would provide drones to Russia. but claimed it had shipped these before the war began. China has been accused of delivering “dual-use” materials such as weapons parts and equipment to the Russian defense sector for use in domestic weapons production, and has been threatened with sanctions.

China denies supplying weapons to Russia Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reportedly called NATO’s latest remarks “prejudicial, defamatory and provocative.” He also viewed NATO as a “relic of the Cold War.” China’s mission to the EU said the NATO statement was “full of Cold War mentality and bellicose rhetoric”.

Ian Bremer, founder and president of the Eurasia Group, said the latest NATO summit showed that the West and its opponents appear to be placing themselves in a “new Cold War posture.”

He said in emailed comments on Monday that labeling China a major adversary would increase “pressure on Europeans to decouple from China in areas of strategic importance… and given the presence of Asian allies as strategic partners of NATO, Beijing is increasingly There is a growing sense that broader containment could plunge the world into a new Cold War situation.

Focus on China and so-called “rogue states” One security expert noted that this is an important step for NATO, but it still does not clearly spell out how Western allies might face the axis of hostile power.

“The statement states that ‘the People’s Republic of China cannot wage the largest war in Europe in recent history without negative consequences for its interests and reputation’ and is an important step for the Alliance to demonstrate its hostile intentions,” Royal United Services Institute said Ed Arnold, senior fellow for European security at the think tank International Security Department.

“However, it is mainly about identifying and appreciating the problem rather than outlining what measures NATO should take,” he noted in comments last week.

Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said the West’s economic superiority can help it win, while its opponents put severe pressure on their own economies and resources – whether through waging war ( in the case of Russia), or by supporting conflicts elsewhere, according to North Korea and Iran.

“The liberal and advanced democracies of the global West are facing increasing challenges in an increasingly multipolar world,” Schmieding said in emailed comments on Monday.

He pointed out: “Russia is waging a high-intensity war against a fellow European, while China is actively safeguarding its own strength.”

“As defenders of freedom, peace and democracy, it is easy to be pessimistic about the prospects of advanced nations. But that would be wrong. Time is not on the side of the enemies of the global West. China’s share of global GDP (GDP The total (gross domestic product) appears to have peaked, Russia will be struggling to wage a costly war in the coming years, and Iran is becoming more like North Korea, with a struggling economy and very limited resources.

Schmieding said the “global West” has superior resources and “if it is willing to use its power, support Ukraine, pay for its defense and play the long game, it can win while the troublemakers suffer from overstretched consequences” for their economy. “