China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are acting as a strategically aligned bloc even without a formal mutual-defense treaty, according to a new Foundation for Defense of Democracies book warning that their cooperation could leave the United States confronting multiple crises simultaneously.The book, "Axis of Aggressors: Countering the Cooperation of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea," examines how the four authoritarian governments support one another across military, economic, cyber and technology domains.Its authors acknowledge that the grouping is not a NATO-style alliance.It has no unified command, comprehensive defense commitment or complete trust among its members.
But they argue that its practical effects are already visible in active conflicts.TRUMP TO CONFRONT XI AT HIGH-STAKES SUMMIT OVER CHINA BACKING FOR IRAN, RUSSIAIn this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, China’s President Xi Jinping and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un walk before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Sept.3, 2025.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is seen at left in the background.(Sergey Bobylev / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)"I just got back from a couple of weeks in Ukraine, and when I’m sitting in Ukraine, it’s really obvious to me that Ukraine is fighting Russia, North Korea, Iran and China," retired Rear Adm.
Mark Montgomery, one of the book’s three authors, told Fox News Digital.Montgomery pointed to North Korean ammunition and troops, Iranian drones and production expertise, and Chinese economic and technological support for Moscow."China is backstopping the whole thing, providing the economic backstop to Russia’s economy so they can survive this four-year catastrophic event for Russia," Montgomery said."They’re providing microelectronics that we see in ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles."T...