Shanghai Cooperation Organization has winds in its sails  

The tenth annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 15 was a milestone in the history of the institution. The organization comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has gained a reputation as a possible strategic rival to American and Western interests throughout Central Asia. Current signs suggest that SCO membership may increase and the organization could become a more prominent regional geopolitical actor. (Asia Pacific Bulletin)

(click on the headline to continue)

Euroasian geopolitics face Astana earthquake   
   
Asian regional power seeks to counter US-NATO military strategy and gain control of energy flows into Europe and beyond. The stakes couldn't be higher. Washington is at a loss, facing regional integration led by Russia and China. (Al Jazeera)

(click on the headline to continue)

The New “Iron Silk Road”   
   

The 21st century will see the revival of the Silk Road that ages ago connected Asia to Europe. Or rather, the revival of many cross roads as a great deal of sub regional routes of importance has been included in the ambitious Trans-Asian Railway Network project (TAR). Within a few years an intercontinental highway will link Shanghai and Rotterdam in South Holland, and this will be a windfall for landlocked-Central Asian countries whose access to regional and world markets rests on an efficient road system. (Diplomatic Courier)

(click on the headline to continue)

The new India-Russia-Kazakh trio   
  

The relations between India and Kazakhstan, the oil-rich Central Asian state, go back to more than 2500 years and archaeological evidence corroborates the migration of Saka tribes from the present-day Kazakhstan to India’s northwest frontier. (Russia & India Report)

(click on the headline to continue)

Why Central Asia matters to India   
   

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent visit to Kazakhstan is a reminder of how high stakes are in central Asia for Indian foreign policy priorities. While the Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev needed legitimacy for his re-election victory that has been criticised in the western capitals, for New Delhi there are real issues in that part of the world that concern its national security and economic growth. Not surprisingly, the two main areas that were given serious consideration were the civilian nuclear cooperation pact and the situation in Afghanistan. (The Reddif News)

(click on the headline to continue)