A new “quartet of chaos” threatens America
The rulers of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia are growing worryingly close
Antony Blinken, America’s secretary of state, was unusually blunt on a recent visit to Europe: “One of the reasons that [Vladimir] Putin is able to continue this aggression is because of the provision of support from the People’s Republic of China,” he said. China was, he added, “the biggest supplier of machine tools, the biggest supplier of microelectronics, all of which are helping Russia sustain its defence industrial base”. American officials are reluctant to discuss details of what they think Russia is giving its friends, but Kurt Campbell, deputy secretary of state, recently said Russia has provided China with submarine, missile and other military technology. Separately, America says that Iran has been busy sending Russia hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles.
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This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “A new “quartet of chaos” threatens America”
International September 28th 2024
From the September 28th 2024 edition
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