Sometimes, the smallest gestures signal the biggest shifts. The sight of the leaders of Russia, China, and India carpooling and engaging in pointed exchanges at the SCO summit has been interpreted as a powerful symbol of a new, intimate alliance that is reshaping the world.
In the US, this display of bonhomie has been met with alarm. Political analyst Van Jones called the meeting a “historically big deal,” warning that these seemingly minor acts of camaraderie are signs of a “new world order” that excludes the United States. The image of the trio, he said, should be a “chilling” one for Americans.
This new intimacy is being fostered by a shared opposition to US trade policies. As Washington becomes more confrontational, other nations are finding comfort and strength in closer relationships. The SCO summit was a platform to showcase this new, more collaborative spirit.
Jones argued that this has left the US on the outside looking in, stuck on the “bad side of the triangle.” He warned that the country is now “in a box,” facing a world where “it’s everybody against us.” This shift, signaled by gestures big and small, is “not good for America.”
