''Intelligence Brief: Russia in the S.C.O.''

The recent high-profile meeting of the heads of all the governments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (S.C.O.), plus a delegation from the S.C.O. observer states, signaled a major new development in Eurasian politics. The maturing of the S.C.O. into a grouping akin to a geopolitical bloc has even been hailed as the "N.A.T.O. of the East" by some observers and policymakers. While this grouping of states has a long way to go before a true geopolitical bloc is formed along major economic, military and political lines, one of the key states in the S.C.O. will be the deciding factor in judging the success of this bold geopolitical venture. [See: "The 'Great Game' Heats Up in Central Asia"]

Russia's Role in the S.C.O.

Russia has been preoccupied with restoring its status in the post-1991 world as a major global player. Its internal weakness in the 1990s has been characterized by its inability to assume the dominant role once held by the U.S.S.R. -- neither the United States nor Europe have given Russia a significant role in major consultations leading up to Western actions in Serbia, Bosnia, Iraq, the Middle East in general, and especially in other areas where Moscow once held sway, such as Latin America, Africa and South/Southeast Asia.