Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Eva Seiwert, a senior analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, and Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, to discuss the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek and how member states use the organization to pursue their policy objectives.
Despite its public image as a Sino-Russian answer to NATO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a very different beast. Each member state has its own reason for being part of such a vast organization. China uses it as a means of exerting influence, Russia uses it as a tribune for its foreign policy squabbles with the West, and Central Asian countries see it as a source of power and also a chance to portray themselves at home as important global players. As it turns 25, what has the SCO achieved? What are the stumbling blocks to increasing cooperation? Is the organization destined to be dominated by China?
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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