SCO EXPANSION: FINDING A BALANCE BETWEEN SECURITY AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Abstract

The article examines the impact of the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on the ability of the association to maintain a balance between security priorities and the objectives of economic cooperation. The expansion of the membership, which included India, Pakistan and Iran, gave the organization new geopolitical dimensions, increased its multi-vector nature and international importance, but at the same time exacerbated internal contradictions. Based on SWOT analysis and analysis of the work of Russian and foreign researchers, it is shown that the SCO remains more consolidated in security issues than in the economic sphere. The expansion has increased the imbalance between China’s economic capabilities and Russia’s political role, which in some cases has led to fragmentation of the economic agenda. At the same time, multi-vector nature has become a factor contributing to the growth of the SCO’s international flexibility and its adaptability to the new system of global interactions. It is concluded that the further effectiveness of the organization depends on the ability to develop institutional mechanisms that allow maintaining a balance between security and economic development in the context of a growing diversity of interests.