Rana Mitter discusses the evolution of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

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Historian Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, joined François Picard to discuss the evolution of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Mitter noted that the SCO shifted from a symbolic vehicle for China and Russia to a forum coordinating security, energy, technology, infrastructure, and trade. He argued that the inclusion of nations like India suggests a fluid, fragmented, and transactional international system rather than a unified anti-Western bloc. The discussion emphasized that the global economic and strategic center of gravity is moving toward the Pacific.

Consequences

The shift toward a more fragmented international order suggests that a change in Washington's administration is unlikely to restore the previously existing unipolar system. Future global relations will likely be defined by states pursuing their own strategic interests across rival institutions rather than adhering to a singular power structure.

Sources

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