From Vienna to Tianjin: Eurasia builds a new order

... best unfriendly. But sooner or later, the Western refusal to acknowledge the sovereignty of its main competitors will force these partners to make choices. They will face political or economic risks if they continue to resist American pressure. For Eurasia to stand on its own feet, it must accept that legitimacy starts with mutual recognition among ourselves. Historical limits of Western models The classic European model of legitimacy arose from conditions that no longer exist. In the early 19th century, the world’s fate rested in the hands of five powers – Russia, Britain, Austria, Prussia, and France – two of them vast ...