The rise of new powers in world politics: Russia, China and the Shanghai cooperation organization

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, the US and its Western allies have dominated international relations through various political and economic institutions. However, with the rise of new power centers, Western governance and US dominance began to be questioned, including by Russia and China. Among other efforts, Russia and China decided to empower the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in order to attain regional security, establish a new energy club and reduce US influence in the region. Although the SCO lacks the material and political capacity to confront US interests directly, this organization has become an important tool to balance the US through the soft balancing policies of Russia and China. This article evaluates the posssibility of Sino-Russian collaboration through the SCO in terms of balancing the dominance of the US.