Walter Russell Mead skriver at geopolitikken ikke er død. Den er tilbake. Økonomisk samkvem og internasjonalt samarbeid som de eneste temaene i internasjonal politikk er forbi. Kina, Russland og Iran gjør sitt aller beste for det:
«In very different ways, China, Iran, and Russia are all seeking to revise the status quo.»
«So far, the year 2014 has been a tumultuous one, as geopolitical rivalries have stormed back to center stage. Whether it is Russian forces seizing Crimea, China making aggressive claims in its coastal waters, Japan responding with an increasingly assertive strategy of its own, or Iran trying to use its alliances with Syria and Hezbollah to dominate the Middle East, old-fashioned power plays are back in international relations.»
Kim N. Gabrielli 