Author: Brunson McKinley & Katy Cojuhari – 12/11/2025
Life in the «buffer zones» and Neutrality Alliance
Brunson McKinley, Katy Cojuhari
ABSTRACT – Is Trump relying on a form of transactional diplomacy aimed at engaging China and Russia in a global governance system shaped primarily by the interests of these three major powers? It looks like the consensus among them has yet to be reached. Medium-sized states are scrambling to balance relations with all three powers, hoping to protect their vital national interests. Small states, especially those stranded in geopolitical buffer zones, have it even worse: being forced to choose sides. In this polarization, countries with traditions of neutrality, and those now adopting pro-neutrality policy as a survival strategy, are becoming more and more important.
On the eve of the International Neutrality day on December 12, this analysis provides an overview of current global dynamics taking into account neutrality concept.
Key words: Neutrality, Buffer Zones, Strategic Independence
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The Authors:
Ambassador Brunson McKinley is a retired American Foreign Service officer with numerous posts in Europe, Asia and the Americas. In 1998 he settled in Geneva as Director General of the International Organization for Migration and has remained there as an independent foreign policy analyst.
Katy Cojuhari is a civil diplomacy professional with 20 years of journalistic background, the author of the book “Building Peace: Moldova&Switzerland “, co-founder of the Geneva Center for Neutrality.