The Shanghai Cooperation Organizations Growing Trade Influence

An entity little understood by many, yet growing in regional clout is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Originally formed in 1996 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, it was expanded in 2001 to include Uzbekistan, and subsequently took on its current name. Created as a regional security council to deal with the threats posed by militant Islam in the neighboring CIS states following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the SCO also counts as permanent observers the

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