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A "NATO" of the East?

Russia and China could take a step closer to forming a Eurasian military confederacy to rival NATO at a Moscow meeting of the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Wednesday, experts say. The group, which started in 2001 with limited goals of promoting cooperation in former Soviet Central Asia, has evolved rapidly toward a regional security bloc and could soon induct new members such as India, Pakistan, and Iran.

One initiative that core members Russia and China agree on, experts say, is to squeeze US influence - which peaked after 9/11 - out of the SCO",s neighborhood. Wednesday",s meeting is expected to review security cooperation, including a spate of upcoming joint military exercises between SCO members", armed forces. It may also sign off on a new ",Contact Group", for Afghanistan. That would help Russia and China - both concerned about increased opium flows and the rise of Islamism - develop direct relations between SCO and the Afghan government.

The SCO",s swift rise has been fueled by deteriorating security conditions in ex-Soviet Central Asia, as well as a hunger in Moscow and Beijing for a vehicle that could counter US influence in the region. In joint maneuvers last August, Russian strategic bombers, submarines, and paratroopers staged a mock invasion of a ",destabilized", far eastern region with Chinese troops. This month, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov proposed holding the first Indian-Chinese-Russian war games under SCO sponsorship. ",In principle, this is possible,", he said. ",The SCO was formed as an organization to deal with security issues.", Should states like India and Iran join, the SCO",s sway could spread into South Asia and the Middle East.