What to Make of the New Russia-North Korea Alliance
A new military alliance between Russia and North Korea has unnerved China as much as it has the United States and its Asian allies, owing to its potential to destabilize all of Northeast Asia. In developing its response, the West should leverage this strategic incongruence between China and its junior allies.
SEOUL – Not content with disturbing the peace in Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un. As troubling to China’s leaders as it is to Western officials, the deal is shaking up the geopolitics of Northeast Asia and sending reverberations around the world.