Tocqueville Fellows Blog, Featuring Maddie Moore: China, Russia, and the United States: Legitimacy and Global Perception
Student analysis of U.S.-China-Russia relations and global legitimacy
By Maddie Moore
Whitesboro, TX | Class of 2027
Politics and International Affairs, History
Maddie Moore is a member of the Class of 2027 from Whitesboro, Texas, majoring in Politics and International Affairs and History. In this post, Maddie explores how legitimacy, diplomacy, and global reputation shape international relations among China, Russia, and the United States. Her insights connect EU politics, current events, and historical echoes.
Reflections from the Tocqueville Lectures and EU Politics Course
Introduction: The Power of Perception in Global Affairs
Dr. Sergey Radchenko in his Tocqueville Lecture, “The Russia Problem with an Eye to China”, said that “We are rooted in the past…we can find echoes of the past in the present.” This semester, I’ve been taking Dr. Nelsen’s Politics of the EU class, a foreign policy class that discusses the European Union and how it affects international relations among other nations in the world.
A common theme I have discovered while taking that class and I have found in history classes I have taken previously is the idea of legitimacy. This idea is understood as the idea that countries, groups of people, or laws have validity with other people or other groups of people in the world. With this, the idea that having a good reputation among other nation-states is a helpful idea if one country would like things to be accomplished with other nations. No one wants to leave a bad impression which could harm future opportunities with other countries.
Russia’s War on Ukraine: A Crisis of Sovereignty and Legitimacy
Sergey Radchenko spoke on US-Russia relations at the Tocqueville Center last March
In the modern age the three super nations of the world are the United States, China, and Russia. Europe and the European Union are once again forgotten. Right on the EU’s doorstep, Russia has been fighting with Ukraine for about three years now. They have lost an ally that would have helpful for the future via financial and military support. President Trump has promised to stop the war, but after conversations with Putin, and Putin’s broken promise to stop bombing, the EU has resorted to trying to control the peace between Russia and Ukraine. This would make sense. The countries of the EU have not This conflict started to seem like Russia is questioning the legitimacy of Ukraine, when Ukraine was one of the many states that came out of the broken Soviet Union.
But there is no need for a question of the sovereignty and legitimacy of Ukraine when Russia continues to bombard a place they want. It is an attempt to show the Russian strength, which would come at the cost of the European Union because of how close Russia is to Europe. Trump has been warned by countries to not get involved in a war the U.S. was not initially involved in. Germany’s Foreign Minister has even recently warned President Trump to not get involved anymore because Putin is stalling for a longer war and Germany sees that this will just lead to further conflict.
China’s Strategic Calculations: Between Caution and Opportunity
Susan Shirk spoke on US-China relations at the Tocqueville Center event on America’s Role in the World
China has always had a testy relationship with Russia. They have economic trade, yet they impose so many taxes because they do not want the other country in their own economics. They must work together on somethings, while completely disagree on others. Given the Ukraine War, China has supported the United States’ peace talks because it’s relationship with Moscow has grown. The more power and legitimacy the United States gives Russia, the better China has of indirectly influencing countries like Germany or the United States. China has always been a touchy subject to the EU but has been one of many economic trading partners for the countries of the world. If China is now becoming stronger allies with Russia, there may be a bigger threat to the world than people realize.
However, China fears that humiliation that happened to Ukraine would happen to them as well if they try to connect with the United States. According to Dr. Susan Shirk’s lecture, “Global Politics and the Rise of China,” this may be an opportune time for an American economic bargain with China. This may happen because of the tight economic positions the two countries are in, but who really knows because of the current administration’s handling of Foreign Affairs. As for some countries in the EU, they have deepened their ties with China at an economic basis, specifically France. The economic relations is important for China because of the current crackdown on businesses, but other than economic relations, China has no other foreign aid. This is because the current president is rejecting all other foreign help in regard to COVID responses and to the general response of public education.
History Repeating Itself? Lessons from the Cold War Era
I learned from the first Tocqueville lecture that the relations between Washington D.C. and Moscow leading to President Reagan’s visit in 1983. The Soviet Union also dissolved because it could not uphold the promises it made to its own people. This relationship can be seen now with Putin criticizing Trump during talks but the context being lost in translation. China, on the other hand, would like for an alliance with the U.S. but the true intensions are unknown because of hard relations and very censored government. I learned from the second night that the Chinese are also wary of what happened to President Zelensky when he visited the oval office, and they do not want the same to happen to them. There is a sense of hesitation in making deals with a president who has told the people that he likes to make deals.
Conclusion: Leadership, Legitimacy, and Global Reputation
Overall, these tense relations between Russia, China, and the United States have continued as we are moving forward in the 21st Century with the AI threats and attempted peace talks. If we take anything away from this whole dynamic involving the countries of the world and from history, it should be that things can happen drastically overnight. The views of country leader also matter in peace negotiations: some views could be for more personal gain and have a sinister outlook on what should be talked about; other views could have a hopeful outlook and perspective. No one really knows because of the many varied factors that occur, however it is known that the virtues of the leader of each country could play a part of how the outlook on the global superpowers view and respect each other. Ultimately, I think that the way these countries act in front of other countries affects how relations with other countries will end up.
References
- U.S. Bank. (2025, March 13). China’s Economy and Its Influence on Global Markets. Link
- China Briefing News. (2025, March 28). EU-China Relations After the 2024 European Elections: A Timeline. Link
- Picheta, R., Rios, M., & Humayun, H. (2025, March 2). Europe Seeks to Take Control of Ukraine Negotiations. CNN. Link
- Scheffer, J. (2025, February 24). Ukraine, EU Lost in New Reality Entering Fourth Year of War. Hungarian Conservative. Link
- Wolf, R. (2025, April 1). Germany Says US Talks on Russia-Ukraine War Are “Deadlocked,” but China Has Different Take. Fox News. Link