Source: Book published by the Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers
Source: Book published by the Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers
The agency of MENA states and nonstate actors and their multilayered interactions with the United States, China, Russia, and the EU have helped shape the complex outcomes of the great power competition.
Trump likely will again withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement and possibly from the UN climate change framework governing it. U.S. influence on climate affairs may diminish, but the upheaval could give way to other approaches.
Since launching its all-out assault on Ukraine, Russia has drawn closer to China, Iran, and North Korea. But have they really formed an “axis?” Their interests have aligned but not merged. It makes little sense and can be even counterproductive to treat these four countries, each guided by its own vision, as a unified coalition.
A coordinated multilateral response will be more effective than a national one.
Too many people in Washington and Canberra presume that the strategic challenge from China alone will make defense coordination within the alliance easy. The reality is that it could sharpen contradictions around the kind of operational planning that will be needed to enhance deterrence. Australian and American defense strategies, while closely aligned, are not identical. To build the alliance will require aligning resources, building complementary regional relationships, and investing in resilience.