While Africa is frequently overlooked in discussions of U.S. foreign policy, The Other Superpower is working to expand its presence on the continent. China, Russia, and Iran are working with local governments to advance their revisionist agendas, secure diplomatic and material backing, and displace Western influence whenever possible. Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Vandenberg Advisory Board member, and Joshua Meservey, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, join to examine The Other Superpower’s strategy in Africa, the potential frictions among countries within this anti-American coalition, and how the United States might best respond.

(1:24) Africa as a Theater for Great Power Competition

(3:51) Impact on Americans

(9:56) China’s Political Warfare in Africa

(22:04) Russia’s Presence in Africa

(26:28) Russian Arms Supplies

(31:54) Are China and Russia on a Collision Course?

(35:58) Iran’s Presence in Africa

(41:28) Recommendations for U.S. Policy

The influence of The Other Superpower is growing rapidly in the Western Hemisphere. China, Russia, and Iran are actively deepening their ties with local regimes, partnering with countries like Venezuela and Cuba, while also making inroads with non-state actors, building a hostile network just beyond our borders that directly threatens American interests. Ryan Berg, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Evan Ellis, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and research professor of Latin American Studies at the U.S. Army War College, join to illustrate how The Other Superpower is metastasizing in our hemisphere and steps we can take to thwart these treats.

In this episode of “The Other Superpower,” we turn our focus to North Korea, the “agent of chaos” within the anti-American coalition. North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has built strategic ties of varying depth and for varying reasons with The Other Superpower, most notably supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine with troops, ammunition, ballistic missiles, and drones. Victor Cha, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins to discuss the current state and evolution of North Korea’s relationships with America’s other adversaries and how U.S. policymakers can effectively respond.

On the third episode of “The Other Superpower,” we dissect one of the most consequential partnerships between our adversaries to emerge in recent years: the relationship between China and Russia. These two powers are now as close as ever, as indicated by the “no-limits friendship” declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the two countries have seen areas of collaboration expand in scope and scale since this declaration. Rebeccah Heinrichs, Vandenberg Advisory Board Member and Director of the Keystone Defense Initiative at Hudson Institute, and Mary Kissel, Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute and Executive Vice President at Stephens, a privately owned financial firm, join to discuss the implications of this partnership and offer policy directions for the United States. 

On the second episode of “The Other Superpower,” we analyze the complex and evolving relationship between China and the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 2021, China and Iran signed a 25-year strategic accord—perhaps a testament to their shared desire for deeper cooperation and to thwart the American-led system. But is this partnership truly as solid or enduring as we may think it is? Craig Singleton, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and China Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Ray Takeyh, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, join to explore this partnership. 

"The Other Superpower" is a series produced by The Vandenberg Coalition highlighting that current Great Power Competition is not exclusively between the United States and one other nation, but instead between the United States and a dangerous and growing coalition made up of Iran, Russia, China, and other actors. For this debut episode, our guests shed light on the growing relationship between Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Though historically foes, these two nations have moved steadily closer over the last 20 years, accelerating further following the Syrian Civil War, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Joining us to unpack this complex and evolving partnership are Behnam Ben Taleblu, Vandenberg Advisory Board member and Senior Director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Kateryna Stepanenko, Russia Deputy Team Lead and Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. Together, they shed light on why this partnership should concern Americans and how the United States can effectively respond.