India's SCO Gamble

India has taken a calculated risk by joining the six nation Eurasian security and economic grouping, the China and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

- Ananth Krishnan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Pakistan premier Nawaz Sharif, was welcomed in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 9 as the SCO formalised the entry of its two newest members.

On the surface, India’s long-held quest to join an essentially anti-western grouping, featuring several authoritarian and energy-rich Central Asian nations, is somewhat puzzling. India’s relations with Washington are growing ever closer, while China casts a long shadow over the group.

In Delhi’s calculus, India’s presence in Eurasia’s premier security grouping will both enhance its strategic presence in a region where it has largely failed to pull its weight, and also mobilise global support against terror.