Azerbaijan.US
A new phase of global power competition is unfolding, driven primarily by the United States and China, while Russia’s role on the world stage continues to weaken. This assessment was shared on Facebook by Azerbaijani politician and public figure Natig Jafarli.
According to Jafarli, the United States has effectively launched a new strategic doctrine – referred to by him as the “DonRo doctrine” – centered on power-based expansion and the consolidation of global influence. Washington, he argues, is moving toward undisputed dominance in its own hemisphere while simultaneously strengthening its positions in Europe, Asia, and Africa. At the same time, the U.S. has reinforced its leadership in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.
China, meanwhile, is accelerating its economic expansion. For the first time in history, China’s foreign trade surplus reached $1.2 trillion in 2025, underscoring the scale of its global economic footprint.
In the same year alone, Beijing invested more than $145 billion across various countries, building new ports and logistics corridors and reshaping global trade routes. From a technological standpoint, Jafarli notes, China has grown strong enough to compete directly with the United States.
Against this backdrop, Russia appears increasingly marginalized. Jafarli describes Moscow as having sunk so deeply into the war in Ukraine that it has effectively lost influence in Syria and Venezuela, while reaching its weakest position in decades in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. He suggests that Russia may soon lose Iran as a close ally as well.
Despite viewing China as a strategic partner, Russia, in Jafarli’s assessment, occupies an unequal position in that relationship. Beijing, he argues, sees Russia less as an ally and more as a source of cheap resources – and potentially as a geographic space for future expansion.
“While the world is engaged in a global game and a global confrontation, Russia has spent three months fighting near Pokrovsk over a forester’s hut, losing around 30,000 soldiers in the process,” Jafarli wrote. “Yet it still fails to understand how the West – especially the United States – has drawn it into this trap.”
He concludes that Russia is squandering its resources on tactically minor battles over villages and small settlements, allowing its overall position in global politics to erode.
“A smart neighbor is always a blessing,” Jafarli added. “Unfortunately, in this regard, we have not been very lucky.”
