Security in Eurasia

The region needs confidence-building measures and creative thinking to realize peace and stability

Today, Eurasia is confronting serious security challenges, which inherited from the past and are complicated by many new factors and events, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eurasia is an important part of the world and its security is closely linked with global settings. The global security environment is becoming increasingly difficult to manage, as traditional and nontraditional global security threats are intertwining and mutually reinforcing.

Additionally, although the Cold War ended 30 years ago, the Cold War mentality persists. Some countries are still looking for enemies, rivalries and competitors in order to cling to their hegemony and vested interests. For instance, the United States and some of its allies single out China and Russia as their main and "dangerous" security threats. Furthermore, they try to cover the true strategic intention behind their so-called struggle for democracy against autocracy.

The excessive citing of security concerns is spilling over into many areas, intoxicating the overall international relations and preventing many of the global security institutions and mechanisms from functioning normally, let alone allowing the building up of new ones to deal with the challenges.

The global impacts and influences are compounded by regional and national factors. Most regional countries are increasingly aware of the importance of combating both traditional and non-traditional security threats and are working hard to curb international terrorism, battle climate change and control the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, regional mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia truly believe in and earnestly practice the new security concept and inclusive multilateralism that have the same spirit as the UN Charter. Many regional security problems and issues are hence kept local, partial and controllable.

On the other hand, Eurasian security is full of dangers that could turn into devastating and uncontrollable damages not only for the region but also for the world. While Eurasia has basically avoided large-scale and high-intensity wars and conflicts, some countries are plagued by domestic chaos, religious in-fighting, terror attacks and even civil wars. Some of the national security problems and issues are not restrained within border, but have spilled into neighboring countries and regions, as is the case of the Gulf region.

The security situation in Eurasia is often vulnerable to the negative impacts of international terrorism and inter-state conflicts. Among the outside regional factors, the US stands out most prominently, as it often does more harm than good in the region, be it by hunting for enemies and rivals or with its actions, such as its irresponsible withdrawal from Afghanistan. The US also leads confrontational mechanisms such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue－or QUAD－and AUKUS, the new security grouping of Australia, the United Kingdom and the US for the Asia-Pacific, while imposing economic, financial and technological sanctions that endanger security in and around Eurasia.

Rightly defining security threats and dangers is important for finding solutions. Eurasian security needs general agreements on major issues, creative thinking to adapt to the new situation, and mutual confidence-building measures to ensure peace and stability.

Eurasia is in need of regional security institutions that cover the whole region, have generally agreed principles and hold authorities responsible for their effectiveness in preserving and promoting peace and stability.

Instead of being overwhelmed by the challenges, the world should recognize that the security challenges come with opportunities. All Eurasian countries, both individually and collectively, should translate their desire for peace into effective strategies and policies so that they can make the region more stable, peaceful, just and prosperous, thus contributing to world peace, development and win-win cooperation.

The author is president emeritus and chairman of the Academic Affairs Council of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn