Korybko To Sputnik India: Russia & India Jointly Stabilize The New Cold War’s Asian Front

The strengthening of ties between Russia and India serves as a counterweight to both China and the U.S. From Andrew Korybko at korybko.substack.com:

Here’s the full interview that I gave to Sputnik India last week, excerpts of which were published in their report titled “Indo-Russian Naval Alliance Key to Creating Multipolar Global Order”.  

1. How would an increased Russian participation change the strategic dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) vis-a-vis the US?

An increased presence could come about if the two countries finally signed the long-awaited Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics (RELOS) agreement that could allow each to use the other’s facilities for logistical purposes.

A greater and more regular Russian role in the IOR would balance out the Sino-US competition there by having Russia serve as a reliable third-party partner for countries to cooperate with instead of the seemingly zero-sum Sino-US choice.

Despite the NATO-Russian proxy war in Ukraine, Russia and the US are not in a hot war, and their competition in other countries is political and economic, not military. Also, even though China is a close Russian partner, it’s not a military ally.

Accordingly, partnering with it instead of the US or China shouldn’t be seen by either of those two as an unfriendly action. In fact, they might prefer for others to partner with Russia instead of with their respective superpower rival.

Therefore, far from worsening New Cold War tensions, an increased Russian presence in the IOR could eventually help alleviate them as the New Cold War’s main front is expected to shift from Europe to Asia under Trump 2.0.

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