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NEWNATIONS BULLETIN 14 SEPTEMBER 2009
Monday, 14 September 2009
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THE ASIAN ALLIANCE
The exotic sounding Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) is still little known in the west apart from specialist individuals and institutions, which is surprising, given that the shock-horror print media in particular might have discerned menace from its very existence. For the first time in their joint histories, Russia and China have collaborated closely in setting up this politico-military organisation, which looks very close to being an alliance, but at this stage lacks the key critical obligation (common to both Warsaw Pact and NATO members), to mutually defend each other against any attack. There are not many SCO members - five of the present six members are FSU, although others belong as observers. The military aspect was celebrated in earlier meetings of the members when joint manoeuvres were held, with both Russia and China's leaders and the world's media in attendance.
The message for the world then seemed to be, 'don't mess with us.' It was picked up by the media that a counterweight to NATO was now in existence, and indeed there can be no doubt that its significance to its members has to do with the US placing its tanks on the Central Asian lawn, in and around Afghanistan. That 'lawn' - those Central Asian nations, are very much regarded by Russia as being in Moscow's back yard, except that is by China, who compete with them economically, but shy away from military confrontation. The original purpose of the forerunner of the SCO in 1996 was sensibly to resolve border disputes, and successfully relocate the very large numbers of their border troops, that until then had been stationed along the thousands of miles of land frontiers between the Soviet Union and China.
Our Special Report this month offers a profile of the SCO and what it has become, and may yet become, particularly because the rewards of a future collaboration with NATO, as some are now suggesting, would far exceed a confrontation.
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