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The shockwaves emanating from Russia's invasion of Ukraine have fundamentally unsettled the peace in Europe, exposing vulnerabilities and forcing geopolitical recalibrations. While much scholarly attention has focused on the conflict's European dimensions, this paper examines its underexplored implications for East Asia and the burgeoning Russia-North Korea security partnership. Drawing on the existing scholarship on authoritarian alignment, we analyze the evolution of their relationship to uncover the mechanisms by which the two states have forged strategic partnerships that transcend traditional bilateralism. We argue that this partnership not only redefines Russia-North Korea ties but also signals the emergence of a broader alignment involving China and Iran. We contend that this collaboration poses a major challenge to the architecture of post-war East Asian security.

Informed by the ongoing structural shifts in inter-state relations, this study proposes Critical Theory of International Relations (CTIR) as a framework to analyze China’s foreign policy doctrine. It holds that the critical method best reflects China’s conceptualization of international relations due to its emphasis on the state’s principal function to lead historical progress and emancipation, as opposed to traditional theories which either ignore the state and give priority to sub-state or supra-state structures, or do not recognize its potential to serve as an emancipatory agency. This essay, in this respect, represents an introductory attempt to apply CTIR to contemporary international relations, maintaining that China’s material and ideational emergence signifies a radical transformation of the post-war global order and the role of the state.

In his seminal work, Gramsci, Hegemony and International Relations, Robert W. Cox reflects upon Gramsci’s political ontology. Analyzing how Gramsci reasoned about the relationship between civil society and the state, he explores the ways in which Gramsci’s conceptualization could be adapted to international relations studies. With a particular focus on the concept of hegemony, Cox maintains that just as hegemonic relationships are formed among social classes within the state, similar structures may be found in the larger global framework. By adopting the Coxian approach, this essay attempts to apply Gramsci’s notion of a historical bloc to the analysis of the post-Cold War world order and the rise of China as a viable architect of a new international governance model. It thus maintains that the contemporary global economic and political developments indicate the ongoing formation of an alternative historical bloc which, despite currently falling short of Gramsci’s conceptualization of imminent radical change, signifies major implications for inter-state relations and world peace and security.