Artificial Intelligence and the New World Order: Russia Between China and America

From the 19th century to the present, Russia’s strategic dilemma has remained constant: East or West? From Peter the Great, who built Saint Petersburg as a window onto Europe, to Alexander Herzen, who saw Russia as a bridge between two civilizations, the future of this continental-sized country has always hinged on the direction it chooses. Today, in the 21st century, the dilemma has grown existential: align with the West, or sink into strategic dependence on China.

China as the Absolute Rival of the West

In every dimension—economic, technological, military, cultural—the only real rival of the United States is China and its project of totalitarian modernization. From the mass production of advanced technology to the exploitation of natural resources in Asia and Africa, Beijing does not hide its ambition to challenge Western hegemony.

Yet it is in Artificial Intelligence—the most significant industrial revolution in human history—where the stakes become truly existential. As thinkers like Francis Fukuyama and Yuval Harari have understood, technologies that control AI will also shape the “new anthropology of humankind.” This is not merely an economic issue: it is a question of the survival or demise of liberal–Western civilization.

Russia Between Two Worlds

Russia is a power that cannot be ignored. As a nuclear state, a controller of parts of the Arctic and Eurasian energy corridors, and heir to a deep cultural legacy, it is not simply a satellite that can be expected to fall into China’s orbit.

A Beijing–Moscow alliance is artificial, founded solely on shared hostility toward the West. Russia’s long-term interests stand in opposition to China’s: Moscow sees itself as a sovereign power, whereas Beijing views Russia as an energy province and a secondary partner.

Here lies the historic moment: for the first time since the Cold War, the West has a unique opportunity—to draw Russia into a comprehensive agreement with the U.S., laying the foundation for a new global order.

Trump and the New Geopolitical Vision

This is where Donald Trump enters the equation. Despite widespread criticism, he apparently remains the only Western leader who understands that the decisive battle is not Ukraine—but Artificial Intelligence. His meetings with Vladimir Putin—from Alaska to his most recent visits to the White House—carry a clear symbolism: to restore U.S.–Russia dialogue to a strategic dimension that goes beyond the bloody conflict in Eastern Europe.

Trump sees China as the sole existential threat. To win this battle, America must be free on its Russian front—and more than that, it must have Russia as a partner. This is a pragmatic calculation that echoes Henry Kissinger’s words: “In diplomacy, the problem is never among friends, but among rivals you cannot avoid.”

The Energy Dimension: The Foundation of the AI Race

A comprehensive U.S.–Russia agreement would not only have political and strategic dimensions but also a direct impact on the energy sector.

Today, one of America’s greatest weaknesses lies in its aging, overloaded energy grid, which struggles to support the burgeoning demand from data centers. Meanwhile, China has built a modern, powerful infrastructure with deep ties to renewables and nuclear reserves—granting it a clear advantage in the AI race.

Should Russia and the U.S. join forces in this domain, the benefits would include:

• Joint energy development—from natural gas projects to investments in new electrical infrastructure.

• Greater stability for American markets, delivering more affordable and secure energy to corporate data centers.

• A stronger domestic energy grid in the U.S., forming the backbone for AI development.

Thus, a U.S.–Russia alliance would not only foster geopolitical stability but also yield tangible economic and technological gains.

Rare Minerals: The Lifeblood of the New Technology

Just as coal underpinned the industrial revolution and oil defined the 20th century, rare minerals are the lifeblood of the AI era. Without them—no chips, no supercomputers, no green energy, no data centers.

China controls over 70% of the global supply chain for these minerals, granting it a strategic monopoly and a critical advantage. On the other hand, Russia holds vast reserves of nickel, palladium, titanium, and other essential elements. A joint U.S.–Russia agreement would open direct and secure access to these resources for the West.

Such cooperation would weaken China’s monopoly and create a more diversified, resilient supply system. Geopolitically, it would be a “new Yalta” of technology, where rare minerals are granted the same strategic importance once accorded to oil.

The Economic and Technological Dimension

This vision is not just diplomacy—it is buttressed by an economic reality emerging through unprecedented-scale projects: Stargate and other mega-initiatives for data centers and supercomputers, backed by trillions of U.S. corporate dollars in cooperation with other nations.

These projects are not ordinary investments—they are the “new cathedrals” of Western civilization. Just as railroads and canals once built the industrial world, so today will data centers and energy networks shape the AI world.

If Russia remains outside this architecture, allied solely with China, it risks becoming a dependent periphery. But if it enters into a comprehensive agreement with the U.S., it could become a co-architect of a new world—securing investment, technology, and a guaranteed role in the emerging global equilibrium.

History as a Warning

History teaches that moments when the world rewrites the global order arise from such encounters. Yalta (1945) divided the world into two camps for a half-century. Alaska (2025) could mark the beginning of a new era.

As German philosopher Hegel wrote: “History advances through great moments when the idea becomes reality.” Today, the idea is clear—without a comprehensive U.S.–Russia agreement, the West risks losing its greatest battle against China.

The Essential Alliance

This is why Russia must be drawn toward the West—not as a romantic gesture, but as the cold logic of strategic survival.

• For America: this is the path to winning the AI race.

• For Russia: this is the opportunity to preserve sovereignty and avoid dependence on China.

• For the West: this is the guarantee of survival in the face of the greatest revolution in human history.

In this battle, there is no luxury for losers. As Tocqueville would say, “The future of societies is determined by the forces capable of understanding the revolution of their time.”

The revolution of our time is AI. America must not lose it; Russia must not remain in the shadow of China; the West must not accept its own demise.