The document discusses the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It was founded in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to protect assets in Central Asia. However, with the addition of India and Pakistan as members, the SCO's focus may need to broaden to also include protecting assets in the Indian Ocean region. The One Belt One Road initiative proposes investments that could interconnect Central Asian and Indian Ocean assets, creating interdependence that provides an opportunity for the SCO to strengthen security cooperation across the regions.

1. Shanghai
Cooperation
Organization

2. Introduction
• Eurasian political, economic and military
organization which was founded in 2001
in Shanghai by the leaders of China,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
and Uzbekistan. Except for Uzbekistan, the other
countries had been members of the Shanghai
Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of
Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the
organization.

3. The Structure

4. • The goal of any security organisation is to protect assets within a given geographical area.
• Assets can be defined as tangible or intangible objects that are seen as useful or valuable
by the stakeholders in the organisation.
• From its inception in 2001, the SCO’s primary goal has been to protect assets in Central
Asia.
• The SCO has largely succeeded in this goal, since Central Asia is territorially shared
between the SCO member states.
The Original Goal of the SCO

5. • The SCO’s new members, India and Pakistan, may not necessarily share the
organisation’s preeminent focus on Central Asian security.
• Both India and Pakistan have an interest in the security of assets in the Indian
Ocean region.
• If the SCO can add the protection of Indian Ocean region assets to its goals, this
will strengthen the commitment of its new members.
• However, the continued success of the SCO also depends on its ‘old’ members
buying into the protection of Indian Ocean region assets.
• This can be achieved by an economic programme that develops interconnectivity
among the assets in Central Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
The SCO’s Challenge

6. • The One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative proposes major investments in
transport and communications infrastructure, as well as the energy sector,
for both Central Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
• Therefore, it is a common economic programme that binds the assets of
these regions together in an interdependent relationship.
• Interdependence gives rise to a need for collective security
arrangements, providing an opportunity for the SCO to strengthen itself.
• OBOR also opens up new avenues for security cooperation, to protect
OBOR assets, and to advance dialogue on a security architecture for the
Indian Ocean region.
OBOR: The Common Thread that Binds

7. • The expansion of SCO membership to India and Pakistan creates a need to make
Indian Ocean region assets relevant to Central Asia, and vice versa.
• This can only be achieved through a common economic programme that
develops interdependency between these regions.
• Such a programme is forthcoming in the OBOR initiative.
• The SCO can capitalise on the interdependency OBOR seeks to build between
Central Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
• The Marshall Plan – NATO example shows that such integration between OBOR
and the SCO is indeed possible.
OBOR: The Common Thread that Binds