China, Russia, Iran and North Korea form 'axis of aggressors' that could overwhelm US, book warns

A new report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies details a concerning reality regarding global security. Research indicates that China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are acting as a coordinated bloc to challenge United States interests. While these nations lack a formal mutual-defense treaty, their cooperation across military, economic, and technological domains creates a significant strain on American defenses.

The authors highlight a phenomenon described as the simultaneity problem. Instead of managing individual regional crises, the United States now faces the danger of these four nations acting at once to stretch military resources. Researchers documented over 600 instances of security cooperation among the four countries between 2019 and 2025. This includes arms transfers, joint military exercises, and shared intelligence gathering.

Economic ties provide the foundation for this cooperation. China acts as a primary economic backstop for Russia, purchasing discounted oil while providing dual-use technology that sustains the Russian defense industrial base. Similarly, Iran and North Korea provide critical military hardware like drones and artillery, while receiving support for their own missile and nuclear development programs. This web of dependency allows these nations to bypass international pressure.

Experts warn that the blurring line between state-backed hacking operations and criminal activity further complicates the threat. Hackers from these regimes share infrastructure and operational tactics to conduct cyberattacks while maintaining plausible deniability. The report stresses that this integration, synchronization, and coordination among the four adversaries is more pronounced today than at any point in recent history.

To address these challenges, the authors suggest that policymakers prioritize expanded defense production, stronger coordination with international allies, and more aggressive enforcement of economic sanctions. They argue that Washington must stop treating these countries as isolated regional problems and instead address the axis as a unified threat to national security.