New Axis of Upheaval

What does this burgeoning anti-Western alliance mean for global security in an increasingly erratic world? When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, few expected North Korea to rush to Putin’s aid. Several years later, however, North Korea and Russia praise their ‘invincible alliance’. Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with millions of rounds of artillery and thousands of troops in exchange for financial, food and technological assistance. Moscow has also procured invaluable dual-use technologies from Beijing and drones from Tehran. Edward Howell asks whether the rapprochement between North Korea, Russia, China and Iran represents a new authoritarian alliance or is merely a marriage of convenience.