{"id":82563,"date":"2023-09-25T12:30:29","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T02:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=82563"},"modified":"2023-09-25T12:30:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T02:30:29","slug":"the-axis-of-outcasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-axis-of-outcasts\/","title":{"rendered":"The axis of outcasts"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin had obvious reasons for hosting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at Vostochny, Russia\u2019s new spaceport in eastern Siberia, this month. Owing to his illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, Putin is running low on both friends and ammunition.<\/p>\n

The Vostochny spaceport has a troubled history. Intended to replace the Baikonur facility in Kazakhstan, its construction was plagued by repeated delays and allegations of corruption and mismanagement. Now, it is rarely used\u2014though it did launch the high-profile Luna-25 mission that crashed<\/a> into the moon recently.<\/p>\n

Russian\u2013North Korean relations have a similar backstory. Once upon a time, the bond between the Kremlin and the Kim regime was tight. After all, communist North Korea was essentially a Soviet creation, and it relied heavily on Soviet support for decades. But following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian leaders saw more to gain by developing relations with booming South Korea. The Kremlin effectively switched sides, joining the (unsuccessful) international effort to prevent the hermit kingdom from developing nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n

Now the situation has changed once again. Putin\u2019s attempt to erase Ukraine from the map of Europe has made Russia an international pariah\u2014just like North Korea. Most of the world\u2019s developed economies have signed on to comprehensive sanctions against Russia, and the UN General Assembly has issued several resolutions<\/a> condemning Putin\u2019s war of aggression. The very few countries that have sided with Russia constitute an international rogues\u2019 gallery: Eritrea, Syria, Nicaragua, Belarus, Mali and, of course, North Korea.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, many countries that have abstained from these UN votes have increasingly made known their objections to Putin\u2019s war. At the recent G20 summit in New Delhi, for example, the final joint declaration<\/a> included a clear affirmation of the principle of territorial integrity\u2014an obvious reference to Russian aggression and the Kremlin\u2019s misbegotten strategic objectives.<\/p>\n

Putin expected a quick victory when he launched his war in February 2022, but Russian forces have since lost roughly half<\/a> of what they captured during the initial invasion. After nearly 600 days, they are bogged down and struggling to defend themselves against an independent, democratic Ukrainian polity that is determined to defend its freedom.<\/p>\n

Under these conditions, when Putin needs every friend he can get, North Korea is suddenly back in the Kremlin\u2019s favour. With its thoroughly militarised society and abundant stocks of old Soviet-standard artillery ammunition, Kim\u2019s regime looks like a lifeline for Russia\u2019s flailing war effort.<\/p>\n

Putin therefore had little choice but to roll out the red carpet for the North Korean dictator. Though the details of the Vostochny dealmaking will remain undisclosed, it\u2019s safe to assume that Russia will get ammunition in exchange for various essentials that North Korea desperately needs, not least food and energy. Beyond that, there has also been talk of Russia assisting North Korea in developing and deploying satellites<\/a>, an area in which it has been singularly unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

Whatever the details, there can be little doubt that the deal violates the UN Security Council\u2019s sanctions against North Korea, which were originally put in place with Russian support. In claiming<\/a> that the North Korea sanctions regime is a UN matter, not a Russian one, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is being dishonest in the extreme.<\/p>\n

We are witnessing the emergence of an axis of outcasts: countries united in their willingness to violate international law by starting wars, developing nuclear weapons and violating sanctions. This list also includes Iran, where Russia has been acquiring kamikaze drones with which to attack Ukrainian cities and civilians.<\/p>\n

But make no mistake: reaching out to a country like North Korea is a sign of profound weakness. China and India might not openly condemn Russian aggression, but nor have they endorsed it or done much to help Putin\u2019s war effort (other than purchasing Russian hydrocarbons). And whatever support Belarus, Eritrea, Syria or Mali is capable of offering, it will not help the Kremlin achieve the aims of its \u2018special military operation\u2019 in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, these outcasts, driven by desperation, will deepen their cooperation, introducing new risks to regional stability and the global order. For example, if Russia furnishes North Korea with the technologies it needs to advance its missile or nuclear program, it is bound to have repercussions for Northeast Asian security.<\/p>\n

Russia and North Korea may be failing in their space efforts. But their sanctions-busting and rule-breaking here on earth are sure to have a destabilising effect on the international order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Russian President Vladimir Putin had obvious reasons for hosting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at Vostochny, Russia\u2019s new spaceport in eastern Siberia, this month. Owing to his illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, Putin is …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":527,"featured_media":82564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[181,86,163,379,744],"class_list":["post-82563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-international-order","tag-north-korea","tag-russia","tag-sanctions","tag-vladimir-putin","dinkus-russia-ukraine-war"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe axis of outcasts | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-axis-of-outcasts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The axis of outcasts | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Russian President Vladimir Putin had obvious reasons for hosting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at Vostochny, Russia\u2019s new spaceport in eastern Siberia, this month. 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