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strategic plan towards Eurasia. It is just a tactical move and a
trump card against the West.
Pioneered by China and Russia, SCO was co-
founded by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as the
Shanghai Five in 1996. After Uzbekistan joined in 2001, it
was renamed as Shanghai Cooperation Organization. While
its founding goals included settling territorial disputes,
cooperating against discriminatory/radical movements and
terrorism, areas of cooperation have multiplied and
diversified over the last 21 years.
231
Institutionalization of
the organization still continues. SCO is reluctant to undergo
a change in order to become a supra-national entity that has
cohesiveness like the EU.
232
In order to become more effective, SCO is obliged
to act as a sea power due to Russia and China’s geographical
positions. At this stage, SCO takes steps knowing that in
order to sustain its position as the global leader, the USA is
striving to be active in all parts of the world, particularly in
strategic locations, energy-rich areas, regions where its allies
are located and where its competitors supply their energy
from. It positions itself accordingly. Developing steadily,
SCO acts effortlessly and builds more confidence as it
observes that the USA is wearing itself out and
overburdened due to all of its efforts overseas.
In parallel with Eurasia’s growing significance and
SCO’s development, the USA has been showing more
interest in the region knowing that controlling Eurasia, a
strategically important region, is the key to world
dominance. This interest plays defining role in the USA’s
policy on Russia, China and the Central Asia. No matter
how much tension there is between the USA and Russia
from time to time, the USA needs Russia’s support in order
to encircle, surround and isolate China. For that reason, it
tries to weaken the strategic partnership ties between Russia
and China, even though it cannot side totally with Russia. In
the meantime, it tries to prevent Germany from aligning with
231
For this topic, see Barış Doster, Azizim Türkiye Kime Kalacak
Dersin, Asi Kitap, İstanbul, 2017, p: 23 and dvm.
232
See Efe Can Gürcan, “ABD müdahaleciliği altında Avrasya güvenlik
sorunu ve Şanghay İşbirliği Örgütü”, Teori, December 2016, Vol: 323, p:
4 – 25.
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Eurasian powers. It supports Japan against China and
regards it as a bridgehead in the Far East.
It is a rule in diplomacy: when the need change,
alliances change as well. And each alliance gives birth to a
new alliance against it. It is a simple formula in the region
we live in: One is obliged to be strong in the Middle East in
order to be strong in Eurasia; one is obliged to be active in
Eurasia in order to be active in the Middle East. Despite the
fact that it is a typical Eurasian country that is located at the
center of the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasia
triangle with borders to the Black Sea, the Aegean and the
Mediterranean, Turkey fails to adopt a foreign policy that
corresponds to its geopolitical location. Neither it can utilize
historical experience inherited from the Ottoman Empire nor
can depend on the gains of the Republic. It is not able to
make use of its geopolitical importance. It is not able to
fulfill its economic potential. It cannot use its qualified labor
force. It is in a geographically advantageous location as it is
surrounded by three seas, a hub where Asia, Europe and
Africa connects and a country from which one can reach 58
countries and 1,5 billion people after a 4,5 hour-long flight.
However, Turkey fails to make use of its geographical
advantage.
1) SCO and Regional Dynamics
SCO is indispensably and intrinsically evocative of
Eurasia, which constitutes one third of the world’s total land
surface area. A junction point of Europe and Asia, Eurasia is
surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the West, the Pacific
Ocean on the East, the Indian Ocean in the South and the
Arctic Ocean in the North. As world population has reached
7.5 billion, Eurasia is basically home to three fourths of it.
75% of energy resources and 60% of economic production
are in Eurasia. While SCO is the largest organization in
Eurasia, it is referred to as “the NATO of Eurasia” rightly or
wrongly due to its location and its members’ position in the
area. This geopolitical location, total population of its
members states, regional and global power of Russia and
China, the region’s richness in terms of energy resources,
growth rate of its members, particularly China and India the
fact that economic and political weight is shifting from the
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West to the East and from the Atlantic to the Pacific make
SCO get the upper hand.
Shortly after SCO was founded in 1996, it helped to
end many disputes over territory and border security by
1999. In a summit that was held in the same year, members
came to an agreement on focusing on regional security and
economic cooperation. Aims, principles, organizational
structure of the organization was updated and certified in the
SCO summit held in Russia in 2002. It was stressed that
members would fight against terrorism, discrimination and
radicalism in solidarity while they would be working
together to enhance regional security, economic and cultural
cooperation. It was emphasized that SCO was not against
non-member states and other organizations. Despite these
remarks, there is a common belief that SCO is against
NATO and its main goal is to prevent the USA’s
involvement in Asia as well as to fend off other countries
outside the region. While one of its founding members
Russia expects SCO to act on matters of security primarily,
China focuses on economic aspects. Other four countries in
the organization have secondary roles.
In recent years, SCO has granted membership with
different statute to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Iran,
countries that have seriously problematic relations amongst
each other. This decision has helped to consolidate its
position and demonstrated its determination to settle disputes
among its members. As it has expanded constituency by
covering new states from Asia’s east, west, north and south,
its representative power has increased, which has also had
positive impact on its activities as well as credibility
worldwide. Two of five UN Security Council members,
Russia and China are members of SCO. The world’s most
populous nation and strongest economy is China. On the
other hand, Russia and China possess nuclear power. India
and Pakistan, the membership processes of which were
started in 2015, will take seat in the SCO Summit in 2017 as
full members. They also possess nuclear power. SCO
member states currently hold the largest armies, the biggest
markets and richest energy resources in the world.
Taking crucial steps in regional security issues, SCO
aims to prioritize its members’ security while responding to
regional and global problems more swiftly and effectively. It
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