Opinions
RIC in 2026: What It Can and Cannot Do
The Russia–India–China (RIC) framework is neither obsolete nor transformative. Its value is limited but real: it keeps channels open and enables selective, low-cost coordination among three Eurasian powers in a fragmented order. With realistic expectations, RIC can function as a pragmatic stabiliser; burdened with grand ambitions, it will likely disappoint and expose the fractures it cannot resolve, Nong Hong writes.