DID Press: The magazine Foreign Affairs argues that the US-Israel war against Iran has created a strategic opening for Russia and China, allowing both powers to weaken Washington’s global influence and erode the US-led international order.
The analysis says Moscow and Beijing view the conflict as an opportunity to strain U.S. military capacity, gather intelligence on American systems, and exploit divisions within Western alliances.
According to the report, Russia and China are using a mix of diplomatic, military, and covert tools to observe and indirectly benefit from the war. It adds that prolonged U.S. engagement in the Middle East could mirror strategic entanglements that weaken American global positioning.
The article also claims that Russia has benefited economically through shifts in energy markets and expanded military cooperation with Iran, including drone-related collaboration, while also capitalizing on growing rifts between the U.S. and Europe.
China, meanwhile, is portrayed as gaining diplomatic advantage by presenting itself as a stable alternative power advocating negotiations and restraint, strengthening its image across parts of the Global South.
Foreign Affairs concludes that neither Moscow nor Beijing seeks full-scale escalation, but both prefer a prolonged, low-intensity conflict that drains U.S. resources and influence while reshaping global perceptions of American power.