Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Global South strategic cooperation
- Thread starter Strangelove
- Start date
There is a security part of SCO that's not in BRICS. countries like Saudi & Egypt that seeks to join SCO is looking to have closer security relationship with China. I don't think this can be understated.
I wonder if normalizing relationship with Iran is part of the condition for Saudis to joining SCO. That would be interesting. I don't think it really matters to Saudi rulers if they end up having relationship with Iran or Israel. It seems like they can't do both. So when it picked Iran, it was a clear move to get closer to China's vision of Middle East than America' vision (which is entirely Israel centric).
I am sure the SCO is playing a major role in the peace process. Saudi can’t join without Irans permission, so Saudi has an incentive for peace.
By the way, the same thing happened with Turkmenistan, Iran needed their permission to join, so Iran had to make peace with Turkmenistan.
Next it will happen with Israel. Israel will need the permission of Iran and Saudi to join, which will incentivize Israel to make peace.
As I remembered, Turkmenistan is not in SCO
I think SCO definitely prefers Saudi Arabia joining in some capacity when Iran joins, like how India joined at the same time as Pakistan. It lets SCO avoid taking sides in regional rivalries, and therefore allows SCO to function better as a counterweight to US-dominated multilateral organizations.
Yes, I mean Tajikistan, Iran signed a lot of deals with them just before joining and there had been quite a bit of animosity between then previously I believe.
September 2021
May 2022
September 2022
Next, we should see Saudi making big investments in Iran.
I am sure it is. SCO has the clause that members can not be enemies, Iran is a member already (procedure ongoing), the only way SA can join SCO is normalization with Iran. This is Chinese balancing, inviting both, but not prioritizing one over the other, whoever joins first will be a pushing to the later one to join.
SA doesn't have to give up Israel either. SCO isn't against Israel, in fact China has tried to get closer to Israel only to be sabotaged by US. Iran is not really against Israel either. Israel is just a punch-bag by Iran to rally support from Muslim in the competition with SA. With that competition decreasing, there is lesser need for Iran to punch Israel. China did the same before as Iran regarding Israel, but after Deng Xiaoping took power, China recognized Israel.
SA joining SCO is necessity to its strategy in de-dollariztion by moving its wealth (assets) to China. Investing in China must be accompanied by security protection against US sabotage.
If some day in the future, Israel has to find a new security guarantee, it might do the same as SA is doing today including joining SCO. It would take some time, but what else can be more safe for Israel if it is officially accepted by SA and Iran as partners?
I don't think one can make the connection between signing many deals and Tajikistan "blocking Iran". The two aren't even bordering one aother to be at odd.
The two are both Iranian speaking countries, which makes the deals look more like deepening already good relationship than mending conflicts.
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Just a correction of the article. The title "Saudi Arabia Confirms It Has Joined The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation" is wrong.
SA cabinet has decided to join SCO by applying for full membership from dialog partner.