A New Leviathan?
Russia, China, and the Westphalian Grammar
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Much divides the unequal allies China and Russia, but the fear of opposition movements at home unites them. Russia's response to the Ukrainian Euromaidan, its “preventive counter-revolution”, and the annexation of the Crimea have received little criticism among officials and much approval within society. At first glance, this runs counter to China’s own strong interest in respect for the principles of territorial sovereignty and non-interference. As an attempt to rewrite the rules of international rela-tions and put something in way of the oft lamented hegemony of the West, Russia’s actions are quite in line with China’s policies of recent years.
(Osteuropa 5-6/2015, pp. 99–112)