Lead:
On the international political stage, Mr. Kissinger's name is undoubtedly a resounding presence, especially in China. However, a recent interview with him has attracted widespread attention. In this interview, Mr. Kissinger made a controversial point: if World War III broke out, only three countries in the world would dare to strike at the United States. So, which are these three countries? In this article, we will explore Mr. Kissinger's view and analyze it in depth.
Before approaching this view, let us recall Mr. Kissinger's great achievements.
Historically, he maintained close relations with the Soviet Union in New China and relative hostility to the United States. However, in the late fifties, relations between China and the Soviet Union began to deteriorate, and it was not until the decline of Soviet power in the eighties that the threat from the north gradually diminished. Due to changes in the international situation and domestic needs, the continent carried out diplomatic détente with the Western superpower United States in the seventies, which was regarded as a very successful diplomatic move. Mr. Kissinger played a key role in this historical process, actively promoting President Nixon's visit to China and helping to facilitate the historic moment of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.
In addition to his diplomatic achievements, Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and remains active in the political arena, albeit over 100 years old. This is very rare, and even more impressive, that Kissinger is still thinking clearly, and in a recent interview, he spoke about the topic of US national security and made thought-provoking observations. He mentioned that if World War III broke out, only three countries in the world would dare to attack the United States. So which are these three countries?
First, Kissinger believes that the Asian country of North Korea is one of them. Despite its relatively weak economy and conventional military, North Korea has a strong antipathy to the United States for historical reasons and decades of U.S. policy toward North Korea.
While North Korea has relatively limited long-range strike capabilities, including Air Force warplanes and missile technology, it possesses nuclear weapons that make a threat to the U.S. homeland a reality. However, North Korea's relatively weak nuclear weapons delivery capability has somewhat allayed U.S. concerns.
The second country is Russia, a great power across Eurasia. Russia has inherited a strong Soviet military legacy, despite the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991
It has experienced a downturn, but the country's conventional and nuclear military capabilities remain very strong and pose a potential threat to the United States. Like North Korea, Russia is under Western sanctions and is not friendly to the United States.
While the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war may have raised doubts about Russia's military strength, in reality Russia may have reservations for a number of reasons, and Ukraine is not their real opponent. In the event of a war with the United States, Russia's military will be far stronger and larger than Ukraine's. Kissinger was impressed by the fact that the Soviet Red Army fought against the mighty German army at all costs.
The last country is China. Compared with the first two countries, Kissinger believes that China's comprehensive strength is the strongest. Not only does China not have obvious shortcomings in conventional military forces, but it is also relatively socially and economically developed, and the growth rate is still amazing.
Since the development of nuclear weapons in the sixties of the last century, China's army has been very effective in combat. In the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the volunteers of New China left a deep impression on the United States, mainly relying on the army and a small amount of air force.
In recent years, China's naval power has also experienced a huge improvement as the economy has boomed, and it already has three conventionally powered aircraft carriers and a large number of new destroyers and frigates, and its ocean-going combat capabilities have been greatly improved. But perhaps the biggest concern for the United States is China's missile technology. This allows China to deliver nuclear warheads precisely and remotely, which is China's killer feature and objectively makes its strike capability against the United States more powerful.
However, it is worth emphasizing that Kissinger has repeatedly stressed that his statement is based solely on his observations of military power and an objective analysis from the perspective of U.S. defense, and does not mean that these countries will take substantive war actions in the short term. Kissinger himself was a peace-loving man who did not want to see the outbreak of a large-scale war. These views remind us that in today's world, peace and diplomatic conflict resolution remain the best option, and that avoiding military conflict is essential for all humankind.
While the three countries are believed to have the potential to strike the U.S. homeland, the international community generally expects them to resolve their differences diplomatically and maintain global peace and stability.