According to their assessments, Europe is just one of three military arenas and does not occupy a central position within it. The main goal is to free up American resources to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, which implies that European countries need to independently maintain the security of NATO's eastern flank.
Photo by Council on Geostrategy
The analysis emphasizes that the West is forming a global "perimeter of containment" around the CRINK bloc, which includes China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The United Kingdom, in turn, seeks to integrate its military bases and expeditionary forces into a system of military presence spanning from the Arctic to the Indo-Pacific region, in collaboration with the United States and AUKUS allies.
AUKUS is a trilateral alliance between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, established to strengthen Western military influence in the Indo-Pacific region and counter China.
Particular attention in the analysis is paid to the possible role of Russia. Experts suggest that there may be attempts to draw Moscow out of the CRINK bloc through diplomatic efforts or prolonged economic pressure, including control over maritime routes and restrictions on the so-called shadow fleet.
If Russia does indeed exit this bloc, as noted in the study, it could lead to increased pressure on China, and the U.S. strategy may resemble the containment tactics used against the Soviet Union during the Cold War, which do not imply direct military confrontation but involve escalating economic and military costs.
