Stephen Bannon likened China, Turkey, and "Persia" to the Axis powers of World War II in a new GQ interview, claiming that the so-called "new axis" must be defeated by America and its allies. In order to make his point, Bannon reportedly "sketched a triangle" for reporter Ben Schreckinger, with the three countries labeling each of its vertices.
"What we're seeing today is China, Persia, and Turkey — three ancient civilizations — coming together to form a new axis," Bannon said, using the name for Iran that faded from popular use in 1935. "It's confronting the Christian West and also a big part of Islam that is tied to the West. You're starting to see this form every day like in the 1930s. You're starting to see it crystallize more and more."
Bannon is famously obsessed with the patterns of recent and ancient history, but offered no thoughts on the Ottoman Empire, Weimar Republic, or Papal States. Read his full interview here.