Is a New Alliance Forming in the East? -- By Walter Russell Mead & Staff, The American Interest

Putin’s actions in Ukraine may be pushing Russia closer to China and Iran. A smart piece by Seyed Hossein Mousavian, former Iranian Ambassador to Germany, considers the possibility that an empowered Iran-China-Russia alliance will emerge from the aftermath of the Ukraine crisis. Mousavian predicts that the frost over U.S.-Russia relations will make it extremely difficult for Washington to solicit help from Moscow in its attempts to counter Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran would only be rational to seize this opportunity to warm up to Russia. Meanwhile, Putin may use his leverage with Iran to bargain for less severe sanctions against Russia.

China, meanwhile, historically a staunch anti-interventionist, has taken a surprisingly strong position in support of Russia’s foray into Ukraine. As Beijing expands its military and pushes the boundaries of its own strategic sphere, it is keeping tabs on the West’s response to Crimea. Both Iran and China are carefully gauging just how much the West can be pushed around by Putin, with an eye to their own Golden Eggs, such as Syria and Taiwan.

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