Shifting Dynamics: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Impact on Afghanistan’s Security and Regional Stability

Abstract

Afghanistan has been the focus of considerable international interest, but recently much of that attention has centered around the evolving role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) within Afghanistan's political and security landscape following the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal and the rise of a new Taliban-led regime. The SCO’s capacity for uniting peace and stability in the region while advancing economic cooperation and sustenance has become even more vital largely due to ongoing instability in Afghanistan that remains a huge risk for regional security in general. As a country located at the intersection of Central Asia and South Asia, the political development of Afghanistan has a direct bearing on the larger security dynamic in the region, especially for its immediate neighbors. The challenge of Afghanistan is best met by the SCO - which includes China, Russia, India and Central Asian republics - as this platform alone has the merit of being able to stem cross-border threats of terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking coming out of Afghanistan. This article explores the transformation of the SCO from its traditional security-oriented framework to a complex of economic cooperation, humanitarian assistance and regional development in response to the challenges presented by Afghanistan. This paper provides an assessment of the SCO, its ability to address the multitude of crises facing Afghanistan, and its potential as a mechanism for stability in the region through analysis of existing SCO structures and regional diplomacy, including its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). In particular, the paper examines the geopolitical nature of SCO based on varied political and security interests of the member states, especially the rivalries between China, Russia and India which prevent a common approach. However, the SCO collectively has the ability to play an important role in peacebuilding, development, and connectivity, which will help to ameliorate present-day challenges and proves that it is a regional and global stabilizer for Afghanistan. In conclusion, this paper concluded that whether the SCO manages the multiple complexities at the crux of the Afghan crisis, will prove a key fulcrum for both regional stabilities, and the future of the organization within the framework of global geopolitics.

Keywords: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Afghanistan, regional stability, security cooperation, economic development, multilateral diplomacy.

DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/84-08

Publication date: December 31^st 2025