Russia’s war against Ukraine is about much more than just capturing a few regions of Ukraine. Rather, all this is about Russia and China’s efforts to undermine the liberal democratic world order and construct a new one divided by spheres of influence, where Eastern Europe and Eurasia are under Russian domination while the Indo-Pacific comes under China’s sway.

Another major signal the parade has sent to the international community, and especially to the West, that Beijing is more willing and able to make use of its own expanding network of friends and supporters, through bilateral diplomacy but also via organizations like the SCO and the recently expanded BRICS-plus grouping, to cement China as a strategic hub and an opposing pole.

These are tough times for the U.S.-India strategic partnership. Over the last few months, President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have sparred over various issues, including U.S. reciprocal tariffs (currently at 25%), U.S. sanctions for India’s continued import of discounted Russian oil (another 25%), and an apparent reset in U.S.-Pakistan ties. Recent disagreements have sunk Washington and New Delhi’s relations to the lowest point since 1998.

In sum, neither the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska nor the U.S.-Europe summit at the White House achieved any real progress on a ceasefire. With issues of territory, NATO membership, and security guarantees unresolved, a negotiated settlement remains unlikely.

Congratulating Thailand’s newly endorsed premier, Anutin Charnvirakul on September 7, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet pledged to “work closely” to restore relations “to normalcy,” rebuild trust, and transform the border into a zone of “peace, cooperation, development, and shared prosperity.”

When Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un walked side by side during the September 3rd military parade in Beijing, the image symbolized the emergence of a China-led coalition challenging the U.S.-dominated international order.

On July 24, Member of Knesset (MK) Boaz Toporovsky initiated a statement, according to which “the systematic exclusion of Taiwan from international forums is unjustified and internationally irresponsible.” The statement provoked sharp criticism from the spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in Israel, who wondered “in what direction certain MKs intend to steer China-Israel relations.”

Despite the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s recent losses in both the Upper House and the Lower House of the National Diet, it is possible that Shigeru Ishiba will continue as prime minister of Japan. Furthermore, under the current schedule, there is no plan to hold the election of both the Upper House and the Lower House of the National Diet over the next three years.