Interests, Power and China's Difficult Game in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)an organization interpreted in various waysofficially announced that it intended to ensure regional security by countering international terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. This article discerns the motivations of the SCO members, arguing that they have their respective, albeit occasionally mutual, interests and priorities. There is generally asymmetry of intereststhe principal reason why the SCO's strategic situation is largely a suasion game between China and the memberswith China demonstrating a greater interest in the SCO; moreover, the power asymmetry between China and the Central Asian members and the power equality between China and Russia further complicates the situation. This sophisticated relationship implies that despite some measurable results, the SCO faces tremendous challenges in becoming a well-established regional organization.