For months، the US has warned Iran not to send ballistic missiles to Russia and told China not to provide military components for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. 

But Iran is now doing just what Washington said not to and China is pushing the line. Indeed، the US and its allies are increasingly worried by the speed and intensity with which the three، along with North Korea، are deepening ties to challenge American dominance despite facing some of the most sweeping sanctions the West has ever imposed، according to officials who asked not to be identified discussing matters that are not public.

The defiance fits a pattern of what outside experts — and increasingly، US and allied officials — see as the growing struggle Washington faces as its seeks to get what it wants around the world.

The examples، they say، are legion.

A Houthi rebel chokehold

Venezuela’s authoritarian leader brushed aside a months-long US push for free and fair elections and remains in office after a vote widely seen as rigged. A Washington-led naval coalition has so far failed to lift a Houthi rebel chokehold that’s crippled shipping in the Red Sea. Washington and its allies have been pushed out of bases in Africa as China and Russia expand their reach. Beijing has only stepped up its aggression in the South China Sea.

Then there are the allies. Washington finds itself unable to cajole Israel into a cease-fire deal with Hamas. 

“US influence is waning، and it’s waning rapidly،” said Martin Kimani، former Kenyan ambassador to the UN and director of NYU’s Center on International Cooperation. “There are rising powers that want to assert themselves more within the multilateral space — from China to others — and the Global South increasingly has a voice.”

That’s the reality President Joe Biden faces as joins more than 140 other world leaders in New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting is likely to underscore how the US often finds itself on the backfoot as other powers gain influence.

Condemning Russia

Some 40 nations that voted to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine last year decided to abstain on a similar motion in July. A majority of them are countries that have been vocal on the Palestinian cause، including Brazil، Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

For its part، the Biden administration takes credit for assembling an alliance of more than two dozen nations supporting Ukraine in its efforts to turn back Russia’s invasion. In the Middle East، officials argue their efforts have helped limit the spread of a conflict that risks turning into a regional conflagration. They also blame Hamas، whose Oct. 7 terror attack triggered Israel’s invasion of Gaza، for blocking the cease-fire.

But Washington’s strong support for Israel’s war against Hamas is draining its diplomatic currency، Kimani said. US pressure for a cease-fire so far has yielded few results despite regular trips to the region by top administration officials.