Core Five (C5): A Proposed Reconfiguration of Global Power Architecture

Core Five (C5): A Proposed Reconfiguration of Global Power Architecture

The proposed Core Five (C5) is an informal global grouping reportedly being considered by the United States to include the US, China, Russia, India and Japan. According to reports by POLITICO in December 2025, the idea reflects growing dissatisfaction with existing Western-centric forums such as the G7, which are seen as slow, regionally skewed, and insufficiently representative of contemporary power realities. The proposal reportedly emerged from internal drafts of the U.S. 2025 National Security Strategy, signalling a strategic rethink in global governance.

The underlying logic of C5 is that global decision-making should be driven by states possessing real strategic weight, measured in terms of population, economic scale, military capability, and geopolitical influence. The grouping aims to serve as a compact forum for faster strategic coordination, particularly during global crises. Early agenda items reportedly include Middle East security, conflict de-escalation, and facilitation of potential Israel–Saudi Arabia normalisation.

The C5 also reflects recognition of a multipolar global order, where economic and military power is no longer concentrated in the West. Policymakers supporting the idea argue that traditional criteria such as shared liberal values or wealth should give way to pragmatic engagement with dominant powers. Another motivation is the need to coordinate on critical technologies, supply-chain chokepoints, AI, semiconductors, and strategic minerals, areas increasingly linked to national security.