International | The new non-aligned

How to survive a superpower split

We analyse the crafty countries that don’t want to pick sides

Image: Mel Haasch
|BEIJING AND JOHANNESBURG

Caught between America, China and Russia, many countries are determined not to pick sides. As the American-led order in place since 1945 fragments and economic decoupling accelerates, they seek deals across divides. This transactional approach is reshaping geopolitics.

This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “How to survive a superpower split”

How to survive a superpower split

From the April 15th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Vladimir Putin’s spies are plotting global chaos

Russia is enacting a revolutionary plan of sabotage, arson and assassination

Illustration of a metal periscope emerging from a large pile of white ballot boxes against a solid blue background

Over a billion have voted in 2024: has democracy won?

Half the world has had elections so far this year


Photo illustration of from left, Kim jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Ali Khomenei, all in profile overlapping and facing left

A new “quartet of chaos” threatens America

The rulers of China, Iran, North Korea and Russia are growing worryingly close


A UN vote on Palestine underlines America’s weakening clout

Russia and China are riding a surge of support for the Palestinians since the Gaza war started

Sport is getting hotter, harder and deadlier

As players vomit and boil, even John McEnroe reckons “it is not humane”

How encrypted messaging apps conquered the world

And why governments want to wrest back control