14:40 Arj Singh

Trump must keep short temper in check

Donald Trump must keep his short temper out of global affairs because nuclear war is an increasing threat for the world, the former head of MI6 has said.



Sir John Sawers said the United States president-elect’s “fierce” reactions when he perceives he has been insulted could have dangerous consequences unless he keeps a cooler head.

He said he feared a nuclear clash between the US and China or the US and Russia, which would cause “widespread devastation”.

Sir John told BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “We’re getting back into a world which is quite dangerous, and I think that is the biggest threat.

“It’s got worse over the last five or six years partly because, frankly, one of the failures of President Obama’s administration is managing its relationships with Russia.”

(Image: Reuters)

Mr Trump’s biggest test will be forming good relationships with Russian president Vladimir Putin and particularly Chinese premier Xi Jinping, in order to deal with the potential North Korean nuclear threat.

The “worse case scenario” would be those relationships turning more confrontational, either through Moscow or Beijing misreading a situation or if the Trump administration “overreacts”.

“I don’t think Donald Trump quite yet knows what the pressures will be on him when he becomes president,” Sir John said.

“We’ve seen that when he feels slighted, when he feels criticised, he reacts quite fiercely.

“If you translate that into global affairs it could have consequences which are dangerous for everyone.”