Impact of Cooperation and Competition of Shanghai's Members on its Goals and Performance: 2001- 2013

The power vacuum within the Central Asia in the aftermath of the Cold War led the regional actors to create an integrative structure. Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) signifies the sensitivity and determination of its founding members towards international, regional and local issues. The inherent rivalry and conflict in facing security crisis within the cooperative framework of SCO was the natural result of the presence of two nuclear and economic power, Russia and China, alongside micro-actors. This paper explains the nature of the communication system governing the relations among SCO members through the regional security arrangements approach. The hypothesis that “gathering of various approaches within the SCO would lead to increased cooperative relations, but also competetive and interest-maximiser” will be tested against various historical, geopolitical and economic variables.