The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has developed into a key regional
security group in Asia, its member states representing no less than “half of
humanity”. Alarmists believe that the SCO is making itself into a NATO of the
East, thus posing a long-term threat to the West. Moreover, several members are
key players in economic development and energy production, hence political
developments within the SCO can no longer be ignored by the global market. Even
so, the organization has long been disregarded by political leaders in the West
and is seldom reported in Western media or analysed in academic works. As such,
this ground-breaking volume – the first study to properly treat a key regional
grouping in Asia and with contributors from across the region and beyond – will
be a key reference for many specialists and academics working on Asian affairs.