Although it sounds like something out of a James Bond Film, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a “mutual security organization” (military alliance). It consists of several strong military powers from the eastern hemisphere including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Most people assume that it was formed to counterbalance NATO and prevent America from interfering in the eastern hemisphere. I never learned about this military alliance in High School and the existence of this organization rarely, if ever, gets reported in the mainstream media. There is no official way to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but several countries including Pakistan, India, Iran, and Mongolia have joined on as observer countries.
