Are we witnessing the rise of a new global autocratic bloc? There are growing revelations about the scope of North Korea’s assistance to Russia in its war in Ukraine, just as there is increasing evidence of cooperation between Iran and Russia. A key question is whether the trade in arms and assistance between Moscow, Pyongyang, and Tehran is a marriage of convenience or something more formalized and permanent. Regardless, what does it mean for the future of wars in Europe and the Middle East? How does China fit in?
FP’s Ravi Agrawal goes to the heart of this budding alliance with Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert at the Stimson Center, and Chung Min Lee, a Korea expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. They discussed the incentives and risks behind this bloc, as well as how the West should respond.