In light of the absence of Russian and Chinese responses to security related events in Central Asia, the security question of the region has gotten new attention. During mass unrests in 2022 in...Show moreIn light of the absence of Russian and Chinese responses to security related events in Central Asia, the security question of the region has gotten new attention. During mass unrests in 2022 in autonomous regions in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the two big, self-proclaimed security actors of the region presented a deafening silence and did not intervene. This bared the question about Central Asian security and a potential realignment in security. This paper investigates the extent to which the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO RATS) has facilitated security realignment in Central Asia over the past decade. Employing a combination of the Regional Security Complex Theory with institutional liberalism, the study utilizes comparative historical analysis and content analysis to examine the evolving Central Asian security situation in 2013 and 2022. It specifically evaluates the degree to which the SCO RATS, designed for military exercise and intelligence on terrorism sharing, has influenced the security realignment. The findings have confirmed a clear security alignment and furthermore suggested a shift in focus and actors. In comparison to 2013, Russia’s and its organisations position as a security guarantor has significantly weakened in 2022. However, Russia’s weakening did not lead to a clear shift of Central Asian states security politics towards China or its security organisations. Instead, Central Asia has embraced a more multilateral security strategy, emphasizing collaborative efforts through joint bilateral exercises and interregional links, instead of relying on a singular outside actor like it did in 2013. Despite its objectives, the SCO RATS has not provided China or SCO itself with a definitive mechanism to reorient the region towards China’s security orbit. This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the security dynamics in Central Asia of the last decade and the role played by the SCO RATS. By highlighting the region’s interconnectedness in various aspects of security and the security issues the region is facing, it underscores the need for exploration of the factors influencing security realignment and the region’s security politics to gain an understanding about the past and more important – the future of Central Asian security.Show less
