If Russia does not swiftly enact democratic reforms, China and Russia will continue to battle for dominance of the world order for the next ten years. It is anticipated that it will involve the Global South and turn into a confrontation between the forces attempting to preserve the status quo. Leading the effort to overthrow the US-centered current order are China and Russia. It is expected that the result will be known with certainty once both teams have increased their level of competition. Rather, as the argument rages on, feelings will most likely begin to show. Effective competition management is essential for both parties to prevent destabilising factors such as inadvertent confrontations and unanticipated escalation. Whether or not China can be prevented from using force to alter the status quo unilaterally will be the primary element determining how the battle for international order plays out in the future.
Khalid et al. (Sat,) studied this question.