The West is in more danger than it has ever been in, the head of NATO said in a dire warning on Saturday as he warned of an “alliance of authoritarian powers” working against the West’s democracies.>>>CONTINUE READING HERE
Jens Stoltenberg highlighted the ever-strengthening relations between Russia, Iran, China and North Korea as he warned that the world is “more dangerous” and “much more unpredictable” and “violent” than it ever has been in an interview with the BBC.
“China is propping up the Russian war economy, delivering key parts to the defence industry, and, in return, Moscow is mortgaging its future to Beijing,” he told Laura Kuenssberg.
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Russia is also providing technology to both Iran and North Korea in exchange for ammunition and military equipment, the NATO Secretary General noted, which is an incredibly dangerous trade amid the ongoing war in Ukraine sparked by a Russian invasion in February 2022 and the raging conflict in Gaza, sparked by Iranian-backed militant group Hamas’ invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, which was followed by intense retaliation by Israel.
The US and its NATO allies are on the side of Israel and Ukraine, while Iran, Russia, North Korea and, to a lesser extent, China, are on the side of Russia and Hamas, though the Gaza conflict is more complicated than the one playing out in Ukraine.
Essentially, danger stems from the possibility of a NATO country becoming fully involved in a conflict that one of the so-called “authoritarian” countries have their hands in, as an all-out war could break out, becoming World War III.
That’s what the US and its allies fear now after Israel launched a deadly airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing seven of the country’s top officials as Iran vowed to seek revenge against not only Israel but also demanded the US be held responsible for the strike.
NATO is hoping to send a “very clear message” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Stoltenberg said, as the bloc urges the country to do “significantly more” to reduce civilian casualties in the conflict.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed more than 33,000 people in the conflict so far, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, and many of them have been women and children. The IDF’s incessant bombing of hospitals and refugee camps in the region has led to mass casualties as dozens are killed in strikes that are meant to slay just one person.
The war in Ukraine is another story. The US and its NATO allies have been providing aid to the country as it wars with Russia — which is essentially what the treaty bloc was established for, to keep Russia at bay amid the Cold War decades ago.
Stoltenberg told the BBC that he’s urging NATO and its allies to provide more funding to the region but that there’s only so much NATO can do to help its ally, which he said will have to be OK with some “compromises”.
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A long-term funding deal is expected to be reached by members of the military alliance in July, he said as he tirelessly continues to lobby member states to fork up more money for the Ukrainian war effort. He wants to provide €100 billion (£86billion) to the country, but many countries, the US included, have been reluctant to contribute enough to meet that total.
He added: “Even if we believe and hope that the war will end in the near future, we need to support Ukraine for many years, to build their defences to deter future aggression.” But Ukraine itself will need to chip in, too, he said.
Stoltenberg said NATO allies are working with other allied countries around the world, including Japan and South Korea, to stave off aggression from the “stronger alliance of authoritarian powers”.>>>CONTINUE READING HERE