The “consensus” evolved at the G20 summit last week regarding Ukraine war is, in reality, a passing moment in the geopolitical struggle between the US and Russia, as embedded within it is the existential crisis Russia faces

ASEAN countries are choosing their own path, which is not to choose sides between the US and China. Simply put, the Southeast Asian states want a stable geopolitical environment to focus on their economic development and do not want to be forced to “take sides” in any hegemonic rivalry

The 2024 elections in Russia (in May) and the US (November) are generating comparable pressures, constraints and obligations for both leaderships

The Northeast Asian theater is going to be a crucial arena in the brewing big-power confrontation, what with the Arctic hotting up and the Northern Sea Route becoming operational. This will catapult the strategic importance of the Russian Far East and Siberia as the powerhouse of the world economy in the 21st century

China’s Defense Minister has made it clear that his government is open to dialogue with the US. However, he has put forward a precondition – mutual respect

The Xi’an Declaration, issued after the First China-Central Asia Summit at Xi’an on May 18-19, takes a direct hit at the West’s interference in the region. It also contradicts the notion in Washington and Brussels that Russia and China’s dominance on the Central Asian steppe is not sustainable

The China-Central Asia Summit, which took place in Xi’an on May 18-19, was every bit a geopolitical event as much as the G7 summit in Hiroshima

What neocons in the US are yet to grasp is that they failed to subjugate Russia despite the humiliations poured on its national honor, history and enviously rich culture. Why would Russia normalize with states that appropriated its sovereign wealth and imposed such draconian sanctions to bleed and weaken its economy

Such cooperation demonstrates a high level of trust and requires a possible integration of Russian and Chinese systems

The specter that is haunting Washington is that the stabilization of Syria following Assad’s normalization with the Arab countries and with Turkey will inexorably coalesce into a Syrian settlement that completely marginalizes the “collective West” 

Evidently, the regional states are tapping the “feel-good” generated by the Saudi-Iranian deal. There are signs of an overall easing of tensions

The Anglo-Saxon clique is watching with dismay the talks in Moscow between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. To be sure, Moscow and Beijing have decided to stand together to bury the US hegemony