President Joe Biden is urging US national security agencies to develop new strategies to address the increasingly close ties between Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China, according to US officials ahead of Donald Trump’s regime. This came in focus as these growing alliances pose significant risks to US interests globally.
Biden’s national security memorandum, issued on Tuesday, outlines the deepening cooperation between these nations. In exchange for Iran’s support of Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, Moscow is providing Tehran with fighter jets, missile defense systems, and space technology. Additionally, Russian President Vladimir Putin is strengthening ties with North Korea by offering fuel, money, and technology, recognizing it as a “de facto” nuclear state. Furthermore, Russia and China are conducting joint patrols in the Arctic, increasing military cooperation in the region.
The memorandum has suggests a shift in US strategies, urging national security agencies to restructure their approach from a region-based framework to one focused on the connections among these four countries that span Europe and Asia. These policy recommendations, however, may be revised or rejected by the incoming administration of President-elect Trump.
The document emphasizes the need for coordinated sanctions, export controls, and crisis management strategies, as US adversaries are learning from each other’s actions. Despite this, there are limits to these alliances, with some officials noting tensions, particularly around Russia and Iran’s failure to support Syria’s Bashar al-Assad following his ouster.
Biden’s strategy aims to prepare the new administration for dealing with these evolving international dynamics.
