SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION – BALANCE IN THE GEOPOLITICS OF CENTRAL ASIA

Marko Vignjević

Abstract

Asia is a region of intensified interstate competition for influence and strategic dominance. The aim of this paper is to examine the balance in the geopolitics of Central Asia (CA) through the regional multilateral format of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The examination begins with a description of CA geopolitics itself, taking into account all relevant factors – historical context, physical-geographical advantages, richness of energy resources and the general security situation. A special part of that is the question of the importance of CA in the foreign policy of regional and global powers (PRC, Russia, India and the USA) and their competition in this area known as the New Great Game. After that, the second part follows, in which some already present bilateral tensions are discussed, which can make the New Great Game more security sensitive, as well as the general context of the SCO. In this general context, the goals, principles and individual working bodies of the organization are presented as appropriate SCO mechanisms for establishing a balance in CA geopolitics. In the end, two important conclusions are drawn. The first is that the Asian interstate competition is most extensive in CA because this area is the focal point in the geostrategic ring made up of Russia, the People’s Republic of China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey (not neglecting the US external factor). The second conclusion is that the SCO, with institutional mechanisms for strengthening security and economic cooperation between member states, represents the most suitable and comprehensive model of balance in the complex geopolitics of CA.

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