... are deteriorating further. Geopolitical confrontation among major powers is escalating step-by-step, and the targeting and even hostility among them are deepening, particularly that of the United States and the West towards China and Russia. They view China and Russia as security threats, which has been officially confirmed in their national strategic documents. International security is now placed on a confrontational and antagonistic foundation similar to that of the Cold War period. However, unlike the Cold War period, there is no mutually accepted structural balance: no open or tacit rules, and no followed ...
... No. 99 / 2025
Report No. 99 / 2025
The following report focuses on the Middle Eastern policies of extra-regional actors and their transformation in changing conditions. It concentrates on studying the strategies pursued by Russia, the U.S., the EU, China and India in the Middle East. The report also examines how Middle Eastern countries perceive extra-regional actors as they aspire to build pragmatic and balanced relationships with external partners.
Extra-Regional Actors in the Middle East
, 1....
... in breaking the China-Russia partnership than its predecessor was two years ago.
Russian-Chinese Dialogue: The 2024 Model. RIAC Report
But let us imagine for a second that the US could have succeeded in playing the role of a malicious spoiler in the China-Russia relationship. Could such a development contribute in any way to international security or even to the long-term strategic interests of the US itself? Not very likely - no nation can possibly benefit from more tensions and less stability in the international system. The fact is that today, China-Russia relations stand ...
... world order after all. One thing is certain, Trump is not a wise, far-sighted strategist. And yet, he is not only bringing movement to the Ukraine conflict, he is also shaking up entrenched structures and beliefs.
The massive tariff dispute between China and the US has at least brought both parties to bilateral talks. Perhaps that is Trump's intention. What is certain, however, is that a complete decoupling from China is unrealistic. The country is too closely integrated into the global production ...
... preceded by years of mutual accusations, fuelled by new technological realities, the collapse of other arms control mechanisms (including the ABM Treaty), suspicions of new system developments, and the presence of such systems in third countries, notably China. During Trump’s first term, the extension of New START was nearly derailed, only to be salvaged under the Biden administration. In 2023, amid the SMO, Russia suspended its participation in New START.
The Stabilizing “Basic Principles”: Moscow ...
... Europe for tactical aviation, as well as to build new long-range standoff (
LRSO
) cruise missiles for strategic aviation.
Prospects for strategic stability
Zhao Huasheng, Andrey Kortunov:
Prepare for the Worst and Strive for the Best. Russia’s and China’s Perceptions of Developments in International Security
The concept of strategic stability has many different interpretations, with some broadening it to include the idea of comprehensive security, which inevitably shifts the discussion into the realm of political rhetoric. In contrast,...
... supplying large amounts of the military hardware and ammunition to Moscow. Many politicians and analysts suggest that the emerging partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang creates new significant problems not only for the West or for Ukraine, but also for China: from now on Beijing will find it more difficult to exercise any political pressure on North Korea, because the latter will use its newly established links to Moscow as a tool to lessen its dependence on Beijing.
Let us have a closer look at what ...
... manganese, limestone, phosphates, marble, salt, gypsum and oil—but will the trio manage to extract them on their own (though jointly) in commercial quantities to gain economic sovereignty, not just political one? Or all hopes are again pinned on Russia, China, Turkey, Iran and other non-Western nations? And if so, is “sovereignty” the right word here? Of course, “dependence” on Russia, for example, would differ from neocolonialism by ensuring “fairness” and “equality between partners,” ...
... further escalation. The U.S. has no interest in a major regional war in the Middle East with an uncertain outcome, especially in the run-up to the presidential election in November. Thus, Washington is focused on maintaining the regional status quo. China has even less reason to welcome such a conflict, in the first place because it would immediately drive global hydrocarbon prices up and create many transportation and logistics issues for Beijing.
Moscow could possibly count on some short-term gains ...
... optimal balance of allies and rivals will be able to conserve resources, and if confrontation is inevitable, will be able to withstand it, emerge victorious, and make use of the results of victory.
Ivan Timofeev:
Trump or Harris: Does it Matter for China?
The current state of international relations demonstrates a steady tendency towards the multiplication of deterrence tasks among the three key global centres of military power—the United States, China and Russia. Each of them has an increasing ...
