ARTICLE: “Not quite the pact that was: China, Russia and the countries sandwiched between them can stage a fine military show--but they are not about to merge into a new monolith,” The Economist, 25 August 2007, p. 53.

Map-wise, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization looks very impressive when you color code the states and compare it to “puny” NATO in Europe, but that’s a rather senseless way to look at things nowadays, despite the long habit.

Still, anything that has China and Russia as the two linchpins is--by definition--shaky. Putin likes the brave talk of balancing NATO, but Beijing does not. Nor, as this article points out, does it care much for Iran’s observer status (something we saw in The New Map Game, where the China team’s willingness to go out on a limb for Tehran was small, even as the team was more than willing to prevent the U.S. from doing much).

The main aim of the SCO remains what it’s always been: making sure radical Islam does not take hold in Central Asia. Rather than any ambition toward balancing or projection, this is really one long-term babysitting job that--quite frankly--America should approve of and support.

I mean, do you think we’re looking to take up the task any time soon?