The virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which was hosted by India on July 4, brought the focus onto geopolitical tectonic shifts, global threats and new opportunities for Eurasian powers.
"The world is moving toward multilateralism and we find that the UN, which is the largest grouping of countries, is becoming ineffective and highly politicized by the West," Indian military veteran Ret. Major General Shashi Bhushan Asthana told Sputnik, commenting on the recent summit.
"Therefore, all over the world, the other groupings are coming up and taking a major load off the UN, and in that context, SCO has become an important forum with 40% of the global population and 20 percent of the world's GDP."
"It is an important grouping where you have China, Russia - two P5 members [P5 are five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – Sputnik], India another important member, and other players of Asia. Earlier, most groupings, whether it is the United Nations which came out of the Atlantic Charter or NATO, all these platforms were Western-oriented. SCO, on the other hand, is an Asian-oriented bloc, and in an era of multilateralism, it has provided a little bit of balance," he continued.
SCO's Expansion: Iran Joins the Club, More to Come
On July 4, the SCO held its 23rd summit with the participation of the entity's eight permanent members, heads of the observer countries and the UN secretary-general. For the first time in the last six years, the organization welcomed a new member: Iran was officially admitted to the SCO. The last time the SCO expanded was in 2017, when India and Pakistan joined the Eurasian club.
The Islamic Republic signed a memorandum of commitment to obtain the status of SCO member at the September 2022 SCO meeting in Samarkand.
Iran is not the only country that has sought full-fledged membership in the organization. Belarus is reportedly due to obtain the status in 2024. In addition, multiple countries including Turkiye, Afghanistan, and Mongolia have expressed interest in joining the bloc.......more below
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
