CRINK
CRINK is a term used by Western analysts to refer to the grouping of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea and the growing anti-Western collaboration between these generally recognized autocratic states, beginning in the early 2020s.
According to analysts, the loose alliance between the four countries generally presented itself in diplomatic addresses and public statements as an "anti-hegemony" and "anti-imperialist" coalition, with intentions to challenge what it deemed to be a Western-dominated global order, and reshape international relations into a multipolar order according to their shared interests. While not a formal bloc, analysts have said these nations have increasingly coordinated their economic, military, and diplomatic efforts, making strong efforts to aid each other to undermine Western influence.
Term
At the 2023 Halifax International Security Forum on November 17, 2023, president Peter Van Praagh introduced the acronym "CRINK" during his opening remarks:According to Politico, a wide range of Axis-related concerns were shared by Forum participants and remained a central theme throughout the event. The term was further used in the forum, with two of its plenary sessions being titled "Victory in Ukraine = Message to the CRINKs" and "Never Mind the BRICS, Here's the CRINKs".
International usage
After the 2023 Forum, the term "CRINK" was picked up by international media outlets. It has been adopted internationally by news outlets in Chile, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, and Belgium. The term "CRINK" has also been mentioned in reports concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Middle Eastern crisis, and is widely used in discussions regarding the rise of anti-Western sentiment.Neo-Authoritarian Bloc, Axis of Upheaval and other terms
The term Neo-Authoritarian Bloc was coined by Gerard McDermott in an article for Prachatai in November 2022. In an April 2023 article for The Diplomat, McDermott further elaborated on his definition of the Neo-Authoritarian Bloc. He uses the term "Neo authoritarian bloc" to refer to the consistently high level of collaboration and exchange between China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, and Myanmar since the beginning of the 2020s.The term Axis of Upheaval was coined in the April 2024 article "The Axis of Upheaval", written by foreign policy analysts Richard Fontaine and Andrea Kendall-Taylor for the Foreign Affairs magazine, as part of the Center for a New American Security United States-based national security think tank. The term has been used by many foreign policy analysts, military officials, and international groups. Fontaine picked the phrase due to it representing the group of nations' shared disdain for and desire to uproot Western influence and values without using language that was "too overbearing", such as with the terms "Axis of Evil", President Bush's 2002 phrase referring to Iran, Iraq and North Korea; or "axis of autocracy".
Among more neutral terminology, NATO policy planning head Benedetta Berti expressed that she preferred to use the phrase "strategic convergence" instead of "axis" when describing the coalition of nations. On the other hand, the US think tank Institute for the Study of War has described the grouping since June 2025 as an "Adversary Entente".
Background
The roots of cooperation among the nations stretch back decades during the onset of the Cold War, based on the divide between the First World and Second World. The Soviet Union represented the lead superpower of the latter, providing assistance to and sharing communist, anti-Western philosophies with the People's Republic of China and North Korea.While these nations have generally remained on neutral or good terms since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, their alliance intensified significantly following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Foreign policy analyst Andrea Kendall-Taylor stated that it seemed that Russian President Vladimir Putin misjudged the level of "extraordinary" Western coordination between the United States, Europe, and other West-friendly countries on economic sanctions and military aid to Ukraine. She also expressed that the West's hardline and absolute response inadvertently served as a catalyst for Russia to accelerate pushing for closer economic and diplomatic ties with nations at odds with Western nations, due to it seemingly marking a "point of no return" for Russian–Western relations that increased Putin's determination to move past them.
In 2021, Clifford May described Russia, China and Iran as neo-imperialist powers who "seek to restore what they consider their rightful realms, and all see the U.S. as their biggest obstacle. It's on this basis that they now have a flourishing alliance". Discussing Russian neo-imperialism in Ukraine, Orlando Figes wrote in 2022 that "we can see a new type of empire arising in Eurasia, uniting countries with historic grievances against the West". He said that "ideas of a nationalist, socially conservative, anti-Western and religious character... underpin dictatorships in Russia, China, and Iran".
Characteristics
While CRINK is not a formal union or alliance, it is generally united by a shared opposition to what it calls U.S. hegemony and the Western-led international order. The countries have dramatically increased their economic and military cooperation while coordinating their diplomatic, information, and security efforts, operating as a loose coalition of like-minded states in resistance to economic or ideological pressure from Western nations. Collectively and individually, the CRINK members, are globally known for their countries' authoritarian leadership, their opposition to the West and involvement in military conflicts. The countries have no formal alliance, but are seemingly united by common interests akin to the motto of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."Anti-Westernism
The motivations driving the loose alliance are multi-faceted, but are primarily centered on a desire for greater regional influence and control away from Western powers' imperialism. The members reject Western-defined universal values and the "championing of its brand of democracy as an attempt to undermine their legitimacy and foment domestic instability". They view U.S. presence in their regions of influence as a threat to their interests and sovereignty, stating that they should hold the right to instate democracy based on their own institutions and culture instead of being forcibly shaped by Western principles. Collectively, they represent themselves as anti-imperialists sharing the goal of creating a multipolar world order that diminishes U.S. global dominance, which includes resisting "external meddling in their internal affairs, the expansion of U.S. alliances, the stationing of American nuclear weapons abroad, and the use of coercive sanctions".Autocracy and neo-imperialism
All four states have been described as autocratic or authoritarian with extensive state propaganda campaigns, while Russia, Iran, China and Turkey have also been described as seeking to challenge the post-1945 world order. In addition, North Korea is one of the few remaining personalist dictatorships, as well as the oldest surviving dictatorship in the world, with a pervasive cult of personality.Economic cooperation
Economic ties among the CRINK members have strengthened considerably; following an early 2022 signing of a joint agreement between General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin establishing a "no-limits partnership", China has become Russia's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching record levels in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, trade between Russia and China exceeded US$240 billion, with Russia replacing Saudi Arabia's petroleum trade as China's largest petroleum source. Iran and Russia have agreed to conduct trade in each other's national currencies to reduce each other's dependency on the U.S. dollar in international transactions. China has also increased its purchases of Russian oil and natural gas, providing crucial economic support in the face of pressure generated by wide-sweeping Western sanctions. Many of these trade agreements, alternative networks, and transactions across shared borders appeared to be set in place specifically in order to circumvent Western sanctions and trade restrictions.For Iran, exports from Russia increased by 27% from January to October 2022. Russia also defied United Nations Security Council sanctions by unfreezing North Korean assets worth several millions in USD.
Military cooperation
Military collaboration has also intensified between the four states, with Iran providing unmanned aerial vehicles, such as Shahed drones, to Russia for use in Ukraine. From the beginning of Russia's invasion to the end of April 2024, Russia used ~3,700 drones designed by Iran in combat, and expressed plans to collaborate with Iran on constructing a Russian drone factory. Russia reciprocated the military assistance by granting Iran new air defense, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, modern aircraft, and cyber abilities. Russia has also provided Iran and Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah with more weapons, especially following the onset of the 2023 Israel–Hezbollah conflict.While China has publicly avoided transferring weapons to Russia, it has been exporting over US$300 million in dual-use items that can be used both by civilians and in the military if shipped components are put together or adapted for military use. Dual-use items exported to Russia from China include microchips, jamming equipment, telecommunications equipment, jet plane parts, sensors and radar, and machine tools, each of which helped to sustain its war effort and avert shortages caused by Western sanctions. From 2018 to 2022, Russia supplied 83% of China's military arms imports. China's exports to Russia contributed to half of its growing supply of computer microchips and components, reaching levels close to where they were prior to the invasion.
North Korea has supplied Russia with roughly 2.5 million ammunition rounds and ballistic missiles. In October 2024, it was revealed that North Korea started sending troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine. The four nations have also engaged in various kinds of joint military exercises, including naval exercises between China, Iran, and Russia in the Gulf of Oman over the past three years, and Russian-proposed naval exercises between it, North Korea, and China.