Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers said a week of high-profile pageantry in China with Xi Jinping hosting Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, senior Iranian officials and India's prime minister Narendra Modi, shows U.S. strategy has "united our adversaries and divide[d] our friends," calling it a "spectacular" failure of American national security policy.
Former Treasury Secretary Warns Of A ‘More Dangerous’ World
Summers reiterated the view on social media after first making the argument in a Thursday TV interview. "One has to see the heads of China, Russia, North Korea and prominent Iranian officials — along with the Indian Prime Minister, all gathered in the Chinese capital at a time of an unprecedented military parade, as a spectacular, continuing long-term failure of American national security strategy," Summers wrote.
"The classic maxim of foreign policy is to unite your friends and divide your adversaries. We have pursued policies that have managed to unite our adversaries and divide our friends. I think that makes the world much more dangerous for all of us," he added.
Beijing World War II Anniversary Parade Draws Global Leaders
Summers' comments followed days of World War II anniversary events and leader-level meetings in China. Reuters and other outlets reported Putin and Kim at the Beijing parade, while Modi joined a separate Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, highlighting a rare convergence of more than 20 leaders on Chinese soil.
Western Worries Over Tightening Authoritarian Coordination
The gathering has drawn Western concern about tightening coordination among Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang, even as China maintains economic ties that have helped cushion Russia from sanctions.
Other warnings surfaced this week. Former national security adviser John Bolton argued President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy has "shredded" decades of U.S. efforts to pull India closer and counter China. Separately, Trump used Truth Social to accuse Xi, Putin and Kim of "conspire[ing] against The United States of America" by meeting at the parade, highlighting the moment's political charge.
Summers has been a frequent critic of the administration's economic moves, particularly broad tariffs. In April this year, he warned Trump's proposed and enacted levies could ultimately cost the U.S. economy "about $30 trillion," roughly "$300,000 per family of four" over time.
Photo Courtesy: IAB Studio from Shutterstock
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