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Symposium

Hauser Symposium: The Axis of Autocracies

Event date



In recent years, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have deepened their cooperation, raising concerns about an emerging “Axis of Autocracies” challenging U.S. global leadership. From military support and weapons transfers to economic backing, these alliances are reshaping the geopolitical landscape. This symposium will examine the extent of their collaboration, its global implications, and how the United States should respond to the threats it poses to U.S. national security.

Click here to view the full agenda.

This Hauser Symposium is made possible by the generous support of the Hauser Foundation.

In-Person Session I: The Rise of the Axis of Autocracies

Panelists will discuss the expanding ties among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea and the rising concerns over a potential “Axis of Autocracies” challenging U.S. global leadership. This session will explore the depth and durability of this partnership, evaluating whether it is a temporary alignment of convenience or a lasting coalition with the power to reshape global politics.

Speakers

  • Christopher S. Chivvis
    Senior Fellow and Director, American Statecraft Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 

Presider

  • James M. Lindsay
    Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy and Director of Fellowship Affairs, Council on Foreign Relations

Transcript

LINDSAY: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the Council on Foreign Relations. I am Jim Lindsay, the Mary and David Boies distinguished senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy and director of Fellowship Affairs here at the Council.

It is my great pleasure and honor to open today’s Hauser Symposium on “The Axis of Autocracies.” It is a timely topic. For the past decade, but particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we have witnessed growing bilateral cooperation between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. These countries are in some ways strange political bedfellows. China is a Marxist-Leninist state. Russia is a personalist dictatorship that positions itself as a defender of Orthodox Christianity. Iran is a militant Shia Islamic theocracy. North Korea is a family dynasty. But whatever their differences, those four countries appear to share a common goal of reducing U.S. global influence, which they see as a threat to their interests and an obstacle to their national ambitions. The challenge for U.S. foreign policy is to understand the nature of the cooperation among the members of what has been variously called the Axis of Autocracies, the Axis of Upheaval, and the Quartet of Chaos to assess its sustainability and...

In-Person Session II: The Axis of Autocracies and the Global South

Panelists will examine how China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea aim to weaken U.S. global influence by engaging the Global South, promoting alternative institutions like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and challenging the dollar’s dominance. This session will evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts, particularly in shaping the positions of key global swing states such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.

Speakers

  • Tanvi Madan
    Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy, Center for Asia Policy Studies; Brookings Institution
  • Ebenezer Obadare
    Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Presider

  • Laura Trevelyan
    Journalist; Chancellor, Cardiff University; Former Anchor, BBC News; CFR Member

Transcript

TREVELYAN: Hello, everybody. Welcome to this afternoon’s Council on Foreign Relations Hauser Symposium. It’s entitled “The Axis of Autocracies and the Global South.” My name is Laura Trevelyan. I’m a journalist. I’m the new chancellor of Cardiff University in the U.K.

And I would like to introduce you to our distinguished panelists. We have Tanvi Madan who’s here. She’s from the Center for Asia Policy Studies at Brookings Institution. The Council on Foreign Relations’ very own Ebenezer Obadare is here, Douglas Dillon fellow for Africa studies. And joining us remotely from Brazil is Feliciano de Sá Guimarães at the Brazilian Center for International Relations.

So the framing for our panel is about the Axis of Autocracies and how they seek to undermine the U.S. global interest through things like the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, challenging the dominance of the dollar, and particularly the role of the Axis of Autocracies in trying to get at those so-called global swing states of Brazil, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. However, I think we do have to start our session by asking, if the Trump administration itself is redefining what the U.S. global interest is, which it’s busy doing, how does...

In-Person Session III: The Four-Power Problem—How Should the U.S. Respond to the Rise of the Axis of Autocracies?

Panelists will discuss how increased cooperation between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea poses a potentially unprecedented threat to U.S. national security and how the U.S. should respond.

Speakers

  • Heather Conley
    Senior Advisor, Evenflow Macro, LLC; Former President, German Marshall Fund; CFR Member
  • Ivo H. Daalder
    Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs; CFR Member

Presider

  • Suzanne Nossel
     Board Member, Meta Oversight Board; Former Chief Executive Officer, PEN America; CFR Member

Transcript

NOSSEL: (Off mic)—Suzanne Nossel. I’m delighted to be here. I’m presiding over this discussion with Heather Conley and Ivo Daalder. We’re going to bring home this fascinating seminar that’s been taking place this afternoon.

Just to kick it off for both of you, do you think this notion of a kind of quadrangle of authoritarian powers—China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—is that a useful framing or not? There’s been a lot of debate about that this afternoon. And where do you guys come down?

DAALDER: Go ahead.

CONLEY: I think it is useful. You know, there are so many names for it. I think it’s useful for us to understand an alignment of America’s adversaries, how they interact, and what the evolution of their objectives will become. I think it’s valid. I think you can’t throw too much on it, but I think it’s a worthwhile framework.

DAALDER: So I thought it was a useful framework until January 2025, when the United States decided to join the Axis of Autocracies. (Laughter.)

NOSSEL: We are going to have so much fun. (Laughter.)

DAALDER: And I’m quite serious about this. I actually do think the United States looks at its role in...