New alliance forging in the east

Amirmohammad Bagheri, Contributor | 

Over the past few years, Russia, North Korea, Iran and China have formed a partnership with one another that keeps on expanding as the years go by. This partnership is geared toward their need to gain control of their respective spheres of influence, the sanctions imposed by the West and their resentment toward the United States for blocking their paths to expansion.

Russo-Ukrainian war

Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukrainian territory continues as the war moves toward its third year of hostilities. 

Over these two years, the U.S. and its allies have imposed more than 16,500 sanctions on Russia. With Russian forces unable to restock their inventory of weapons and ammunition due to these sanctions, two new powerful clients stepped up to the task. 

Ukraine is now facing a new threat of Iranian-made missiles and lethal drones, plus millions of artillery rounds that come from North Korea. In addition, China has been boosting Russia’s deteriorating economy by purchasing its oil as well as supplying the country with materials used in various military equipment.

North Korea’s needs

The western sanctions accumulated throughout the past decade have lowered the exports of North Korea by a significant margin. This has not only taken a toll on the economy of the nation, but it has imposed critical humanitarian problems on its population. 

On June 19, 2024, Putin’s brief meeting with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un brought to fruition a defense pact that promises military aid if either country is invaded. North Korea received food, energy and advanced technology in return. 

Development of nuclear weapons have also made changes in North Korea’s strategy to reunify the South with the North. 

At the end of 2023, North Korea started a campaign to indoctrinate its citizens and get rid of any notions of fraternal bonding with their South Korean neighbors. In that same campaign, they mentioned that South Korea should be considered the North’s “primary foe.” 

This came as a surprise since North Korea has treasured and promoted national unification as the country’s top priorities for well over seven decades. With a steady increase in its nuclear capabilities, such a drastic change could cause heightened tensions between the North and the South.

Iran’s interest in the Middle East

By deploying militias across various Arab nations throughout the years and their pursuit of a nuclear program, Iran has been working toward becoming a powerhouse in the Middle East. 

While on the verge of another revolution with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, the Islamic nation’s partnership with Russia favors them with supplies of advanced weaponry to improve its defenses against Israel. In light of the same sanctions imposed by the West, China has also become the number one importer of Iran’s oil. 

China’s interest in Taiwan

For about two years, China has set its eyes on reunifying with Taiwan, its former colony, either through peaceful means or, if necessary, by force. The strategic importance of Taiwan, which is an island situated in the middle of US-friendly territories such as South Korea and the Philippines, is one of the reasons why China wants to own it. 

Taiwan also plays a crucial role in the world’s electronics, and most computer chips that are used in phones and electric cars are made there. According to the BBC, over half of the world’s market in the semiconductor industry belongs to a single Taiwanese company, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, (TSMC). Despite insisting that its intentions are peaceful, U.S. Admiral John Aquilino, head of the Indo-Pacific Command, reports of China’s increased military spending of more than $223 billion and believes that Xi Jinping is set to invade Taiwan by 2027.

The United States has been arming its allies, such as Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, to obstruct these 4 countries from expanding their influence. A developing alliance between Iran, China, North Korea and Russia would be based on common opposition to Western dominance alongside a mutual need to survive despite the various sanctions aimed at weakening them. 

Although the partnerships between the 4 countries are transactional and more or less on the surface level, their leaders have been meeting each other more frequently while signing more agreements.