The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which concluded its annual summit in Beijing, China, today, announced that it had granted observer status to Afghanistan as part of the group's effort to play a larger role in the stabilization of the war-torn country after the U.S. military leaves in 2014.
The organization, which is made up of six nations -- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan -- was founded in 2001 to promote regional economic integration and security cooperation.
But the two experts who spoke with Trend Lines said the organization has traditionally been better at ceremony than substance, and closer coordination is needed if the group is to play a role in the future development of Afghanistan.