The Beijing–Moscow Axis: Autocratic Alliances in a Reshaped World

On Sept. 3, 2025, in a show of unity against the West, China hosted a celebration commemorating the 80th anniversary of World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un joined Chinese President Xi Jinping for this solemn and symbolic occasion. Two days earlier, the leaders of China, Russia and India met in Tianjin China as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The changing global order reflected by these meetings sent an unequivocal message to Western leaders and America in particular: China is a global superpower and, along with its allies North Korea and India, is in lock-step with Russia against the Western effort to isolate Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. How did the United States, and more broadly its Western allies, arrive at what by all accounts is a decisive and, as some would argue, dangerous moment in foreign affairs? Do these developments reflect what some scholars and public policy specialists are calling “a new Cold War?”

This course will take a closer look at these recent events and what they might signify for the future of American foreign relations. It will offer suggestions about how to make sense of a new and rapidly evolving world order.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.

Register

Register by 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20