How a New Axis Called CRINK Is Working Against America
China, Russia, Iran and North Korea have united to defy Western sanctions and undermine U.S. interests
By Timothy W. Martin, Ming Li and Roque Ruiz, The Wall Street Journal, March 28, 2025
An axis uniting China, Russia, Iran and North Korea—dubbed CRINK by some Western officials—has emerged from the war in Ukraine, a loose alliance united by a mutual disdain for the U.S.-led world order.
That coalition’s cooperation has steadily deepened as the four have exchanged food, oil, arms, diplomatic support and military assistance in a manner designed to remain beyond the reach of Western sanctions…
The four are “promoting alternative systems to compete with the United States, primarily in trade, finance and security,” according to a recent assessment by U.S. spy agencies…
As the world’s second-largest economy, China provides the economic ballast for the quartet, making it the indispensable partner for the entente…
If left unchecked, the nexus between Russia and North Korea, which both already possess nuclear arms, and Iran, which is nearly able to produce an atomic bomb, could prove a serious threat to the West…[end quote]
There are a lot of moving parts here. China, as the world’s second-largest economy, clearly has plans to become the dominant superpower of the 21st century. It’s not likely to cut off ties with the West because these are the largest markets. The other members don’t have the same commercial ties and could present an existential danger due to nuclear weapons.
Wendy