NATO of the East

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is the largest Eurasian political organization that consists of Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran, which intends to tackle economic, security and defence issues within the region.

This October, the SCO’s annual meeting is taking place in Pakistan, where they intend to discuss future steps for creating more stability, peace, and trade within the region. The government of Pakistan has officially sent all heads of states an invitation to what would be the largest gathering of political leaders within the region, with India’s Foreign Ministry recognizing the invite but remaining silent, leaning towards an inevitable ‘no show’ from Modi.

When it was constructed, the most significant aspect of the SCO was to strengthen security within the Eastern region by combatting global terrorism with a Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). This corporation intends to develop a police and military specifically designed to counter terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Central Asia and additionally South Asia.

Even as those efforts are underway, there have been numerous bombings throughout the region, most prominently, the 2014 APS attack in Pakistan and, more recently, the concert hall attack in Russia. If the first foundational brick of this organization lacks discipline, it begs the question of what the SCO has effectively done and whether it has aptly delivered the promises it so ardently makes.

Successfully, though, the SCO has portrayed the ever-strong grip that Russia and China have over the Central/South Asian region, wherein they hold the power to not only steer political alliances but also formulate trading policies within the allied countries. Since Russia was sanctioned by the US after the invasion of Crimea, it looked to its regional neighbours for trade, and with China’s initiation, all SCO member states followed suit and began exporting sanctioned goods to Russia.

Surprisingly, Kyrgyzstan, which had barely any trade with Russia, has since tripled its exports to the country. However, China, due to its competitive pricing, is playing the greatest game. Since the SCO’s conception, China has successfully begun exporting to four Central Asian countries, four of whom are SCO members, hence making up 21.3% of the foreign trade within the region.

As the main trading partner, China can alter trading policy and revise any legislation hindering its growth. Moreover, unlike Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is under the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) radar, China’s President Xi can move freely throughout the region. This not only helps the country create better ties but also paves the way for a positive image of Xi as a responsible and reliable leader.

However, regardless of the numerous meetings, the SCO seems to lack the kind of unity that NATO enjoys, for there has been no practical improvement in the relations between Russia and China or Pakistan and India.

The individual turbulent political nature of Central and South Asian countries, whether it be due to sour relations with the West, territorial disputes with neighbouring countries, or internal provincial disparities, is a major cause for the lack of strong bilateral relations within the SCO member states. This is also the very reason that hinders core developments that the NATO members have successfully tackled, the most prominent of which is security that allows swift movement of peoples, goods, and services across the region. Due to their shared traumatic history, the Kashmir dispute, and religious animosity that has grown stronger due to the BJP’s rule, India and Pakistan fail to trust each other as any two NATO members would.

Moreover, Russia’s small acts of defiance, such as asking for military support from North Korea while China claims to be a ringleader, jeopardize China’s hold and make it feel insecure. These acts feed into the tension between the two countries and become a cause for competition. Hence, these differences rid the region of true unity that the European alliance of NATO enjoys and heavily benefits from.