Shanghai Cooperation
Organization SCO has been a game changing organization which was established in
2001 in Shanghai. Some of people and analysts feel that the purpose of SCO was
to counter balance Nato, counterbalancing the activities of Nato in Central Asia
and the US.The Beijing-based SCO currently has China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as members.SCO is an emerging powerhouse
imposing itself with gravitational pull. Within a decade, SCO seems to be
progressing to generate focus and close followup in various circles. The
geo-strategic potential of SCO can be hardly ignored. It marks the largest
regional organization in terms of both land mass and population. Sino-Russian
relationship has steadily stabilized in the new century and has grown much
closer, bound by their mutual distrust of U.S. hegemony and their perceived need
to promote a multipolar world. China in particular sees SCO as an important tool
for this aim and ‘has an interest in showing that it can build an international
bloc independent of the West and organized on non-Western principles with new
security concept and new model of regional cooperation. These days respective
concerns of Moscow and Beijing have tended to coverage more and more. The Asia
Pacific region is in world focus for its growing political importance and for
its economic developments.The region has undergone fundamental changes in its
regional organization, security order and power structure. The focus has shifted
the Atlantic to the Asia Pacific since the end of the Cold War. A new web of
power relations is emerging in Asia today inspired by China’s rise and the
perceived decline of the US. Countries of the region are looking for mutual ties
of relationships in which Asian countries are the main drivers. This developing
web has provided an impetus to the US strategy by leveraging relationships among
like –minded countries to share the burden with the US of managing China’s rise
and preserving China power from expanding in the region. The current dynamics of
the US-China –Japan triangle will continue to haunt the region.Pakistan, while
still a developing country, is a strong market in both energy and defense
sector, therefore makes it one of the most vital markets for Russia. Although
China’s major security interests do not always coincide with that of Russia,
Central Asia may be an exception as both countries are concerned with the
stability in Afghanistan and are interested in handling regional security. In
addition, energy security is an issue where China’s economic interest and
Russia’s military interest converge within the SCO.
India and Pakistan have much to gain and little to lose from assuming full
membership in the SCO, On the security side, both countries hope to pursue their
interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia. SCO "might be able to play a
facilitating role in dealing with the Kashmir dispute with India, The expansion
of the SCO will help China fulfill its economic aspirations in both Central and
South Asia though Russia fears that the expansion of the SCO could vault China
into the driver's seat in Central and South Asia. SCO is expanding its portfolio
beyond border disputes and security cooperation to include a wide range of
economic, political, and cultural issues. Adding India and Pakistan is an
essential aspect of such an effort, For China, an expanded SCO advances both
security and economic interests.
The addition of nuclear states India and Pakistan to the SCO will not only
change the political map but will also influence the balance of power in the
world system of political affairs. Current geopolitical realities tell us that a
world is turning into multipolar system from a unipolar one. Two blocs will be
formed of regional alliances, Russia-China-Pakistan ‘Axis’, of course we are
aware of Pakistan –China all weather relationship but Russia who has been a time
tested friend of India getting close to Pakistan has raised serious concerns in
India. Russia and China are both members of significant international
organizations, in which they can shape global affairs by coordinating actions
and strategies.More important is that China’s grand strategy basically aims to
create alternatives to each single institution, organization or structure of the
so-called developed world in the long run, and Russia plays a central role
too.China and Russia have settled their longstanding territorial disputes and
have demarcated their common border. Thus, no territorial claims or border
disputes would damage the bilateral relations.The China-Pakistan affiliation is
well known and is the most formidable leg of the Russia-China-Pakistan triangle.
China has always beena great support against its rival India in term of military
and economically.
On the other hand Asia-Pacific region is noticing the increasing convergence of
economic and security interests of the United States, Japan and India, and their
expanding trilateral cooperation. In many ways, the three countries are natural
partners. They are linked together because of highest population, three of the
largest democracies, three of the largest economies. They are connected because
of Indo-Pacific strategic construct that makes explicit the geographical
connections. India is actively modernizing its military, and the United States
has rapidly become its top defense supplier. United States, Japan and India are
becoming increasingly central to their economic and security calculations. At
the same time Japan and India look at the United States as a potential energy
supplier as the shale gas revolution turns the US into a major gas exporter.US
and Japan has been updating their alliance.
While expansion may hinder the organization's ability to act decisively, it will
give the SCO the opportunity to revolutionize itself into a more comprehensive
institution capable of connecting and integrating a broad swath of Asia.
It is hoped that the SCO will become an important platform for the further
alignment of states development strategies.
(The writer is freelance columnist, based in Peshawar