... perspectives may be helpful. In this paper, the author intends to focus not so much on common, but rather on divergent views that should be kept in mind while trying to forge new proposals on security in Asia and beyond.
Threat perceptions
Ivan Timofeev:
Eurasian Security Structure: From Idea to Practice
Needless to say, there is a lot of concurrence between Moscow and New Delhi on a broad range of security challenges across Asia. Both nations are concerned about potential regional crises that might break out in various places of the continent like Afghanistan or Myanmar, in Central Asia, in the Middle East ...
... world order only if it is used to form and develop multilateral institutions. First of all, this concerns Eurasia—the space in immediate proximity to Russia and China. The most optimal format for dialogue on issues related to both the formation of the Eurasian security architecture and the economic development of the Eurasian region is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The SCO was conceived as a forum for communication between Russia, China and the five Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), dedicated to maintaining regional security and creating conditions for ...
... requires consensus, addresses a vast array of threats, actively engaging with various international and regional organizations, and has contacts with NGOs and civil society. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
said
that his country, which chairs the SCO in 2024, “adheres to the principle of indivisible Eurasian security, which implies mutual understanding and taking confidence-building measures. This approach should form the basis of the strategic goal of forming a security belt around the SCO perimeter.”
While political discourse in the West sees ...
... with Central Asian countries, demonstrating an interest in strengthening their “sustainable security.” At the same time, the fact Russia, China, and most of the countries in the region are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization allows the SCO to be viewed as a platform for conducting multilateral dialogue on the issue.
The first step towards developing the appropriate support measures for Central Asian countries is to decide on the main areas for ensuring “sustainable security.” Concepts ...
... regards the problem of regional terrorism and extremism as relevant but not as urgent as for most other regional players.
In addition, a certain difference in the assessment of the SCO’s significance by Russia and China is apparent. For Russia, the SCO’s potential for Eurasian security is largely linked to its anti-Western discourse and forming a united front with China, India, and possibly Iran. The SCO, while failing to offer a consolidated position on the Russian special operation in Ukraine, still “tunes away ...
