Why Russia and China Have Not Formed an Anti-American Alliance

Sino-Russian Relations as a Threat to US Hegemony?
Posted by: robgregory on Thu, 05 Jun 08 01:00:11 +0000

Chinese and Russian ties have not grown into the anti-US bloc some might have expected. This article makes this point, and then describes how relations have steadily improved between the two countries, though not to the level we might have expected. The two countries have worked together on important regional issues, arms trade, and sovereignty concerns, but a threatening partnership in opposition to the US has not materialized. The author details this relationship, the reasons behind its limitations, and then sets out a plan of how to break up any future threat (for the US). And the most convincing explanation is the most simplistic one. Sure, both China and Russia would like their cooperation to result in a multi-polar world order, an escape from American hegemony, but this need is less pressing, I think. The article points out that more immediate concerns such as regional security, and issues like terrorism, have resulted in the most integration of Sino-Russian interests and policies. The US becomes a problem when its policies affect these countries directly, naturally. Otherwise, pragmatic and immediate issues trump challenging the US, which has resulted in less confrontation towards the US. The article raises these possibilities and more.