Many prophesy that China’s rise will not be peaceful. If Beijing proves to be bent on unacceptably revising or overthrowing the prevailing international order, it would find a natural ally in a disgruntled Russia. Accommodating Russia in order to prevent it from getting closer to China is not a sign of weakness but, rather, one of prudence. Such a strategy was at the hallmark of Bismarck’s hub-and-spokes system of alliances that allowed him to unify Germany and keep the rest of Europe off balance for nearly two decades. Winston Churchill advocated pursuing a similar strategy towards Mussolini in order to isolate Nazi Germany.
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