https://sputniknews.in/20230705/un-devolved-into-ineffective--highly-politicized-organization-expert-notes-2837476.html
UN Devolved Into Ineffective & Highly Politicized Organization, Expert Notes
UN Devolved Into Ineffective & Highly Politicized Organization, Expert Notes
Sputnik India
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the world's largest regional bloc comprising nearly 40 percent of the Earth's population and 60 percent of the land from Asia and Europe.
2023-07-05T13:11+0530
2023-07-05T13:11+0530
2023-07-05T13:11+0530
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An Indian geopolitical expert has praised the growing influence of the SCO in international relations, highlighting that it is one of the largest groupings, which has taken the load of the United Nations at a time when the New York-based organization has become ineffective and highly politicized.On Tuesday, Iran formally joined the bloc, becoming the ninth SCO member after China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and India.Major General (Retd) Shashi Bhushan Asthana, an international strategic and security analyst, who currently serves as the director of the United Service Institution of India, also lauded India's handling of its SCO presidency, stressing that New Delhi showed diplomatic maturity in balancing its relations with the West and the Eurasian bloc, comprising rivals like China and Pakistan and close ally Russia.In an interview with Sputnik, the former Indian Army veteran spoke about the benefits of SCO for the nations that are interested in being a part of the forum. Sputnik: As India concludes its SCO presidency, how would you assess its accomplishments within the grouping's framework this year?Shashi Bhushan Asthana: Firstly, as far as India is concerned, it has managed relations with SCO countries as well as the West very well. Right from the beginning, there were apprehensions that how will India do the tightrope walk.But I think the Indian diplomacy handled both the groupings and acted maturely and did not mix issues.SCO has a purpose, so only those issues which are of common interest to everyone were discussed. Like the case of Afghanistan and terrorism, these are the two issues that are part of a common agenda for all SCO members. Hence, these issues were discussed. Similarly, Ukraine may not be a common issue for SCO members and doesn't fall within the charter, so not much highlight was given to it.In Nutshell, India showed diplomatic maturity in handling the SCO presidency.Sputnik: Why are more nations willing to join or at least cooperate with the SCO? What are the major benefits they get in joining the grouping?Shashi Bhushan Asthana: The world is moving toward multilateralism. And we find that the UN, which is the largest grouping of countries is becoming ineffective and highly politicized by the West.Therefore, all over the world, the other groupings are coming up and taking a major load off the UN, and in that context, SCO has become an important forum with 40 percent of the global population and 20 percent of the world's GDP.SCO offers several benefits to nations who want to join the grouping. Firstly, it provides access to various Central Asian countries that are rich in natural resources. Similarly, when we talk of China, it is an economic powerhouse, where major business conglomerates have their factories.Moreover, Russia is an important defense equipment manufacturer and supplier, India is emerging as a leader in the pharmaceuticals sector and it is also the fastest-growing economy in the world. So nations who are seeking to become SCO members would like to engage with these countries and get the best of them.The second main reason is that you cannot influence an organization unless you are part of that organization. Thus if you want SCO to be favorable to you, or countries of SCO to be favorable to you, then you better join them.Thirdly, with the Western domination, there is a feeling that there should be an alternative organization, where you could do trade. Some of the SCO members even spoke of trade in local currencies.Sputnik: Have SCO member states been successful in overcoming bilateral differences when tackling common goals and challenges?Shashi Bhushan Asthana: To some extent, the SCO nations have overcome their bilateral differences within the group's framework. The fact that a summit organized by Delhi was attended by Islamabad as well as Beijing, although it was a virtual summit, was attended by everyone.Additionally, certain agendas which were not relevant to SCO were not taken up, showing that SCO did meet its aims in more than one manner. In that context, India managed the SCO very well.
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UN Devolved Into Ineffective & Highly Politicized Organization, Expert Notes
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the world's largest regional bloc comprising nearly 40 percent of the Earth's population and 60 percent of the land from Asia and Europe.
An Indian geopolitical expert has praised the growing influence of the SCO in international relations, highlighting that it is one of the largest groupings, which has taken the load of the United Nations at a time when the New York-based organization has become ineffective and highly politicized.
On Tuesday, Iran
formally joined the bloc, becoming the ninth SCO member after China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and India.
Major General (Retd) Shashi Bhushan Asthana, an international strategic and security analyst, who currently serves as the director of the United Service Institution of India, also lauded India's
handling of its SCO presidency, stressing that New Delhi showed diplomatic maturity in balancing its relations with the West and the Eurasian bloc, comprising rivals like China and Pakistan and close ally Russia.
In an interview with Sputnik, the former Indian Army veteran spoke about the benefits of SCO for the nations that are interested in being a part of the forum. Sputnik: As India concludes its SCO presidency, how would you assess its accomplishments within the grouping's framework this year?
Shashi Bhushan Asthana: Firstly, as far as India is concerned, it has managed relations with SCO countries as well as the West very well. Right from the beginning, there were apprehensions that how will India do the tightrope walk.
But I think the Indian diplomacy handled both the groupings and acted maturely and did not mix issues.
SCO has a purpose, so only those issues which are of common interest to everyone were discussed. Like the case of Afghanistan and terrorism, these are the two issues that are part of a common agenda for all SCO members. Hence, these issues were discussed. Similarly, Ukraine may not be a common issue for SCO members and doesn't fall within the charter, so not much highlight was given to it.
In Nutshell, India showed diplomatic maturity in handling the SCO presidency.
Sputnik: Why are more nations willing to join or at least cooperate with the SCO? What are the major benefits they get in joining the grouping?
Shashi Bhushan Asthana: The world is
moving toward multilateralism. And we find that the UN, which is the largest grouping of countries is becoming ineffective and highly politicized by the West.
Therefore, all over the world, the other groupings are coming up and taking a major load off the UN, and in that context, SCO has become an important forum with 40 percent of the global population and 20 percent of the world's GDP.
It is an important grouping where you have China, Russia - two P5 members, India another important member, and other players of Asia. Earlier, most groupings, whether it is the United Nations which came out of the Atlantic Charter or NATO, all these platforms were Western-oriented. SCO, on the other hand, is an
Asian-oriented bloc, and in an era of multilateralism, it has provided a little bit of balance.
SCO offers several benefits to nations who want to join the grouping. Firstly, it provides access to various Central Asian countries that are rich in natural resources. Similarly, when we talk of China, it is an economic powerhouse, where major business conglomerates have their factories.
Moreover, Russia is an important defense equipment manufacturer and supplier, India is emerging as a leader in the pharmaceuticals sector and it is also the fastest-growing economy in the world. So nations who are seeking to become SCO members would like to engage with these countries and get the best of them.
The second main reason is that you cannot influence an organization unless you are part of that organization. Thus if you want SCO to be favorable to you, or countries of SCO to be favorable to you, then you better join them.
Thirdly, with the Western domination, there is a feeling that there should be an alternative organization, where you could do trade. Some of the SCO members even spoke of trade in local currencies.
This is another factor, which has come into play because
economic wars are also taking place between rivals in the present-day world. To be slightly immune to those economic wars, you should be a part of various economic groupings.
Sputnik: Have SCO member states been successful in overcoming bilateral differences when tackling common goals and challenges?
Shashi Bhushan Asthana: To some extent, the SCO nations have overcome their bilateral differences within the group's framework. The fact that a summit organized by Delhi was attended by Islamabad as well as Beijing, although it was a virtual summit, was attended by everyone.
Additionally, certain agendas which were not relevant to SCO were not taken up, showing that SCO did meet its aims in more than one manner. In that context, India managed the SCO very well.
