A 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. Taking North Korea’s perspective as its starting point and drawing upon new evidence—including interviews with government officials—A New Axis of Upheaval argues that while these states have distinct interests, their shared opposition to the post-war international order cannot be ignored. This compelling and timely account also explores the implications of these relations for the military-political hotspot of East Asia, particularly South Korea and its neighbours.

With North Korea likely to maintain its ties with Russia in a post–Ukraine War world, and China continuing to coerce the US and its allies, the West must prepare for the unsettling prospect that the axis of upheaval will persist longer than many hoped.