SCO muscles up

The Asia Time's M K Bhadrakumar takes a long and detailed look at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the wake of Sino-Russian joint military maneuvers.

While the catastrophic policies of Feckless Leader & Co. have not yet matured in their inevitable weakening of the US posture in Central Asia, SCO seems to be taking preliminary steps to fill the coming void.

The last part of the article is especially interesting, and it points out some of the background of SCO's moves to have a say in Afghanistan. The political thread that US/NATO policies hang on is getting weaker, and is almost wholly dependent upon Musharraf maintaining his ever more tenuous hold on power. The return of Nawaz Sharif, with Bhutto waiting in the wings, opens up a new chapter in Pakistan with elections looming.