Henry Kissinger warns the US is 'at the edge of war' as China sends troops to Russia

Former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, has warned that the US is on the brink of war with Russia and China in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 12 August. Are his concerns valid?

A 'dangerous disequilibrium'

According to the WSJ, Kissinger views today’s world as 'verging on a dangerous disequilibrium.' He warns that:

We are at the edge of war with Russia and China on issues which we partly created, without any concept of how this is going to end or what it’s supposed to lead to.

Kissinger puts this down to a lack of direction and purpose, and too much emotion on behalf of American statesmen:

I think that the current period has a great trouble defining a direction. It’s very responsive to the emotion of the moment.

When asked how the US could manage their 'two adversaries,' Russia and China, Kissinger said:

You can’t just now say we’re going to split them off and turn them against each other. All you can do is not to accelerate the tensions and to create options, and for that you have to have some purpose.

China sending troops to Russia

And his concerns might be valid. On Wednesday 17 August, news broke that China will be sending troops to Russia to participate in joint military exercises, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Last month, Moscow announced it would host 'Vostok' (East) exercises from 30 August to 5 September. At the time, it said that some foreign forces would take part but did not name them.

However, these joint exercises take place every four years, and include India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries, as reported byThe Guardian. In addition, China’s defence ministry said its participation was 'unrelated to the current international and regional situation.'

Regardless, it is believed that Russia will use the week-long military drills as a symbol of international support in the face of sanctions and other attempts to isolate the country as a result of its invasion of Ukraine, according to The Guardian.

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