In the situation where the global and regional order is undergoing significant changes following the Russia-Ukraine War, there has been an increased interest in the special relationship formed between major actors in international politics, Russia, In...
In the situation where the global and regional order is undergoing significant changes following the Russia-Ukraine War, there has been an increased interest in the special relationship formed between major actors in international politics, Russia, India, and China. This study has introduced a new conceptual framework called the "strategic cooperative triangle’ aiming to analyze this special relationship.
This study defines the ‘strategic cooperative triangle’ as a 'triangle of three pairs of complex relationships characterized by cooperation, competition, and conflictual. This kind of relationship is relational and procedural rather than fixed or static, and it is a relationship that is formed based on the interaction between various units constituting international politics.
A Strategic cooperative triangle is built on the basis of interactions between strategic actors who recognize the necessity of cooperation under a specific international political environment. This study suggests that the strategic cooperative triangle is operating with the following steps; coordination of attitudes through communication, sharing of strategic vision and interests, and implementing the project.
In order to explore the strategic cooperative triangle between Russia, India, and China that appeared in Central Eurasia, this study examines the regional order in Central Eurasia that has fluctuating since the post-Cold War to the present. And then, this study explores the three states’ perceptions toward the regional order and three pairs of bilateral interactions.
The US goal of filling the geopolitical vacuum that emerged in Central Eurasia after the collapse of the Soviet Union was achieved to some extent through the 2001 War on Terror by establishing military bases within countries in some regions of Central Eurasia. Achieving the aforementioned goal was possible not only with the US efforts but also with the acceptance of US presence in Central Eurasia by some major regional countries such as Russia, India, and China, which aimed at stabilizing regional security through the cooperation with the US.
However, the US attempts to expand its influence politically and militarily, which can be represented by the anti-regime movement that occurred within the countries of Central Eurasia since 2003 and the Iraq war aroused opposition from those countries, which have increased their power compared to the past. As a result, the regional order experienced a change once again.
In order to resist the US expansion and protect their sphere of influence in the region, Russia·India·China decided to develop their bilateral strategic partnership. This study showed that it is not a coincidence that Russia-India, Russia-China, and India-China relations were developed exceedingly in this period.
Observing these changes, this study assumes that the development of these three bilateral relations had an impact on the formation of the Russia·India·China strategic cooperative triangle. Meanwhile, Declination of the US’ influence after 2008 and the rise of China after 2010 had an impact on the change of the regional order. As China's western vector expansion invaded India's sphere of influence, the relationship between India and China stiffened. The clash of the sphere of influence of the two major powers arose the concern that the formation of the cooperative triangle could be stagnated. However, as shown in this study, even under these circumstances, the three countries that tried to form the strategic cooperative triangle continued their efforts to manage and coordinate their bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, the geopolitical era returns with the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and the strategic competition between the US and China. Even under these circumstances, the three countries kept their communicating and coordinating their relations. These were possible because the three countries tried to recover their trilateral cooperation to secure their sphere of influence in the region and build a multipolar international order.
Observing the aforementioned changes, it could be assumed that Russia·India·China strategic cooperative triangle has entered a new phase. And finally, with India obtained its membership of SCO, the strategic cooperative triangle could enter the completion stage. After the 2017, the Russia·India·China summit, which had not been held since 2006, was held twice. The strategic cooperative triangle that entered a new stage continues to operate after the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war, affecting the formation of international order.
With regard to the operation mechanism of the strategic cooperative triangle, Russia, India, and China tried to coordinate their possible conflict and competitive factors both bilaterally and trilaterally. Also, they established an institution for regular meetings and discussed international political issues in the stage of coordination of attitudes through communication. And then, they discussed their foreign visions and possible fields of cooperation to achieve security and economic interests shared among them in the stage of sharing strategic visions and interests.
Finally, this study revealed that SCO and BRICS are the projects implemented by Russia, India, and China. As this study shows, Russia, India, and China’s triangular relationship operates as a pivotal network within the two multilateral organizations and guide SCO and BRICS members to discover new agendas for cooperation. Russia, India, and China share and communicate various topics discussed or to be discussed in the SCO and BRICS at a trilateral level. Also, this study shows that Russia·India·China strategic cooperative relationship plays an important role when SCO and BRICS sought to expand their membership.
The implication of this study is that it sought to analyze the unique relationship formed between Russia, India, and China, which are major actors in international politics, with the novel conceptual framework ‘strategic cooperative triangle’.