SOAS Research Online

Abstract

From a vantage point of institutions, the paper examines Sino-Russian responses to UN humanitarian interventions attempting to interpret China and Russia’s world-order policies and strategies within the Global World Order (GWO). Drawing on both realist and internationalist perspectives, the paper argues that China and Russia's integration into key international institutions, particularly their roles as veto-wielding members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), provides significant insights into their world-order orientations. Sino-Russian responses and reactions to the UN-proposed Responsibility to Protect (R2P) interventions in Kosovo, Georgia, Crimea, Libya, Syria, and Myanmar reveal a complex realist approach. Both nations seemingly view R2P as a tool of Western imperialism, selectively opposing interventions based on geopolitical and geoeconomic interests. Overall, Sino-Russian strategies reflect a nationalist-driven realism aimed at balancing US dominance, prioritising regional stability and spheres of influence, and challenging the spread of liberal