DEADLY QUARTET OR ALIGNMENT OF EVIL?

The curious thing about the group of four is that they are not natural bedfellows. All of the historical grievances and anxieties that they have with each other have not magically disappeared.

- JOHN DOBSON

One of the most sinister and troubling trends in world affairs today, other than the potential re-election of convicted felon Donald Trump with his nominated isolationist vice president, J.D.Vance, is the challenge to the US-led rules-based international order by the group of nations led by dictators: Russia, Iran, North Korea and China. “We’re confronted by a deadly quartet of nations increasingly working together” said former NATO Secretary General, George Robertson, last week. Flanked by UK’s new defence secretary, John Healy, Robertson was reflecting on western concerns that the quartet is increasingly sharing arms, components and military intelligence, primarily in Russia’s illegal invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine. Adding to anxieties last week, President Joe Biden highlighted his view that the four countries are increasingly working together. “It’s a concern that you have China, North Korea, Russia and Iran, countries that have not necessarily coordinated in the past, are now looking to figure out how they can have a better impact”, said the Covid-stricken Biden, without offering any solution. The Washington Post went further last week, calling the quartet an “alignment of evil”

The figures speak for themselves. Since the invasion in February, Moscow has deployed some 4,000 Iraniandesigned drones and is now collaborating with Teheran to build a drone factory inside Russia, so that it can boost its own production from the current 300 per month. On 30 December last year, Russia for the first time used ballistic missiles against Ukraine supplied by North Korea, which is believed to be selling many more to Moscow as the war continues. Pyongyang has also supplied Russia with anti-tank missiles and portable surface-to-air missiles, as well as rifles, rocket launchers, mortars, 5 million artillery shells and more than 2.5 million rounds of ammunition.