Realignments
The Russia-Ukraine war has probably created a “major shift in the world order”, writes Amit Kumar. On the one hand, the US and Europe have moved closer to each other. On the other side, how close have Russia and China moved to each other? This is a particularly worrying question for India, he writes, because “one of India’s historically most trusted partners now possibly shares an indispensable friendship with India’s primary adversary”. Russia and China have several points of convergence: “The first point of convergence between China and Russia emanates from their shared antipathy for the US-dominated economic order and financial system. Both countries have been subject to a range of Western economic sanctions and export restrictions.” Russia as the oil source addresses another critical fear of China. Oil from the Middle East has to go through the Indian Ocean, a route which can be blocked (in times of war). Conversely, China as the new consumer of Russian oil helps Russia nega