SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION A DEFENSIVE REALIST ANALYSIS
SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION A DEFENSIVE REALIST ANALYSIS

Summary/Abstract: THIS ESSAY ANALYSES THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION BETWEEN 2001 AND PRESENT BY USING THE ARGUMENTS FROM DEFENSIVE REALISM, MORE EXACTLY, FROM THE BALANCE OF THREATS THEORY, AS COINED BY STEPHEN WALT. IN THIS PAPER I WILL TRY TO REVEAL THE REASONS THAT DETERMINED THESE STATES TO JOIN THE SCO, GIVEN THEIR DIFFERENT INTERESTS. IN ANALYZING THE REASONS OF JOINING THE SCO, I WILL USE THE THEORETICAL CONCEPTS OF BALANCING AND BANDWAGONING, IN ORDER TO SEE IF THOSE STATES HAVE HAD DIFFERENT MOTIVATIONS TO ENTER IN THIS ORGANIZATION OR IF THEIR DECISIONS WERE DETERMINED BY THE ALMOST THE SAME REASONS. THEREFORE, I ARGUE THAT RUSSIA, CHINA, INDIA, KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZTAN, TAJIKISTAN, UZBEKISTAN AND PAKISTAN ENTERED IN THE SCO BASED ON DIFFERENT SECURITY CONCERNS AND SOME OF THEM ADOPTED A BALANCING BEHAVIOR, WHILE OTHERS BANDWAGONED WITH THE SOURCE OF THREAT

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