Not just third world. Reminds me of the politics of Poland from the 18th century onward, that is, after it began to loose its status as a European power followi

Not just third world. Reminds me of the politics of Poland from the 18th century onward, that is, after it began to loose its status as a European power following the cataclysmic events of the 17th century (such as the Northern Wars/Swedish Deluge and the Khmelnytsky Uprising). The subsequent corruption and meddling of Prussia and Russia led to the partition and destruction of Europe's largest state. Today, neocolonialism tends to be economic in method. At least this way, we save appearances at UN meetings. At least for now. Presently, there are mainly three factions vying for power in Poland, namely, the US camp (represented by the current ruling party), the German camp (represented by the current opposition and the previous ruling party), and the Russian camp (represented by a weakened group of postcommunists that once held power). China is in the mix, too, though its presence is less obvious. Similar things may be said about the other states straddling Central Europe. One strategy involves playing these powers off one another so that they become mutually limiting. Another complementary way out requires that these countries form a bloc of states that can counter foreign domination, which is ostensibly what they're attempting with the Three Seas Initiative. Serbia, however, is not a member of the TSI, probably because of its ties to Russia and conflicts with the other Balkan states in the group. Not sure how those ties relate to Chinese influence.