Last October, against the backdrop of the Russia–Ukraine war, the Israel–Hamas war, and the crises in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stated that the world now faces a new “axis of evil” consisting of China, Russia, and Iran.
Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. A month later, Houthi forces began attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, disrupting international maritime trade.
As a result, global attention shifted away from the Russia–Ukraine conflict, and a substantial portion of U.S. military resources were redirected to the Middle East.
The Pentagon sent two aircraft carrier groups, each with about 7,500 personnel, to the Middle East. The United States also sent two amphibious navy ships with thousands of Marines. In addition, 2,000 troops were ordered to prepare to deploy to the Middle East.
The diversion of U.S. resources has put Ukraine in a precarious position.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told members of Congress in a private meeting on Jan. 17 that Ukraine will exhaust some of its air defense and artillery capabilities in the coming weeks if Congress fails to authorize additional military aid to Ukraine in the next few days.
Russia has Iran to thank for the waning support in Ukraine because Iran is behind Hamas and the Houthis.
While Russia and Iran are waging wars in Europe and the Middle East, North Korea is also on the prowl. On Jan 5, its military fired hundreds of artillery shells in the waters near the South Korean border islands.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared in late December that his country no longer viewed South Korea as a “partner in reconciliation and unification” but as an enemy to be conquered, if necessary, through nuclear war.
The Chinese Communist Party often pretends to be a peacemaker, but in reality, it only adds fuel to the fire. Shortly after the Russia–Ukraine war started, It strengthened its ties with Russia while stirring up trouble in the Taiwan Straits and South China Sea.
Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center in Hawaii and Epoch Times contributor, told The Epoch Times that the United States now faces “serious challenges” from the four-country evil axis.
“The [current] situation is very similar to that of the 1930s when Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union were working separately from each other but concurrently, to undermine the post-World War One status quo guaranteed by British leadership. Britain and its allies were suffering internal political divisions that precluded a unified alliance response. Britain chose appeasement until it was too late. World War Two was the result,” he said.
