West facing greatest peril since Second World War, says ex-general

The emerging axis of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea has created “the most serious and dangerous challenge” for the West since the Second World War, a former top US military chief has told The Times.

General Jack Keane, a retired four-star general and former vice-chief of the US Army, is one of the most influential military figures in Washington. Everyone seeks his advice, Democrats and Republicans, including the man who is to be the 47th president.

They go way back. When Donald Trump won the election in 2016, he wanted Keane to be his defence secretary. But Keane’s wife had just died, and he reluctantly declined the job.

Now with Trump about to return to the Oval Office, Keane has been laying out the