Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers has expressed concerns that a rising number of countries, including China, Russia, and the Middle East, are aligning themselves and gaining global influence. “I think [it] is a huge challenge for the United States,” he cautioned.

Larry Summers on Countries Banding Together Against the US

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers expressed concern on Bloomberg TV Friday about an increasing number of nations coming together and gaining global influence against the U.S. He made these remarks on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

Summers is currently the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University. He previously served as Director of the National Economic Council and the Treasury Secretary of the United States, as well as chief economist at the World Bank.

He explained that a growing number of countries are aligning themselves on the opposite side of the U.S., elaborating:

There’s a growing acceptance of fragmentation, and — maybe even more troubling — I think there’s a growing sense that ours may not be the best fragment to be associated with.