Quote:
10 August 2007
''Peace Mission 2007 and the S.C.O. Summit''
On the eve of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (S.C.O.) summit, the members of the security alliance are hosting their largest joint military exercises in Russia and China. All six permanent members of the organization are participating in the exercises, which are scheduled to be held from August 9-16. The mission begins in Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, and then moves to Chelyabinsk in the Ural mountain region of Russia. The joint military exercises, dubbed "Peace Mission 2007," demonstrate the growing importance of the S.C.O. in Central Asian geopolitical calculations. [See: "The 'Great Game' Heats Up in Central Asia"].......................................
Conclusion
That the S.C.O. has grown from a loose collection of independently-minded states into a strong, largely unified organization will be on display this week at the joint military exercises and the political summit. The S.C.O.'s strength grew to counter the presence of Washington in the region, and was dominated by China and, to a lesser extent, Russia. The organization is now an important aspect of the regional geopolitical balance, and it is attracting attention from Iran, Pakistan, and Mongolia.
The stronger the S.C.O. grows, the weaker Washington's strategy of dealing with Central Asian countries on a strictly bilateral basis will become. Still, Washington is a long way from being pushed out of the region as long as it maintains a troop presence in Afghanistan. After the summit ends, Washington is likely to send representatives to the area to demonstrate its commitment to the region.
Report Drafted By:
Adam Wolfe
More at:
The PINR Report
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Russia and China are getting to be assertive militarily. The Russians are once again buzzing US bases and building new radars and planning to project their missiles towards Europe. The Chinese are doing it in their usual unobtrusive way as is evident by this exercise which starts in Urumqi. It is also a message to the separatist Uigurs.
What should be watched is whether this exercise has a message wherein the exercise is so structured as to signify it as a reaction force of the SCO to ''outside' influence/ occupation of any CAR country/ asset/ natural resource.
It is obvious that it is a counter to the US, which has bagged Ukraine, Georgia and even allegedly influenced the failed revolutions in the CAR. It has indeed frightened China and Russia that the US plans to settle in, in their backyards!
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