Eastern and Middle Eastern leaders took the opportunity to rebuff the United States the evening before the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s largest-ever joint military exercises, which commenced in Russia last week.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been invited to the sco’s summit for the second year in a row, turned his focus to the planned U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe. Ahmadinejad said the plans are “of concern for much of the continent, Asia and sco members.”

Moscow has been the most outspoken critic of the missile shield plans, but this time, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments echoed Moscow’s previous complaints that Washington dominates world affairs. Without mentioning the United States by name, he said that “any attempts to solve global and regional problems unilaterally are hopeless.” Putin’s solution called for “strengthening a multi-polar international system that would ensure equal security and opportunities for all countries.”

A further goal of the sco is to “balance out the growing influence of the United States,” according to Jibek Syzdykova, a member of the ria Novosti Expert Council.

According to the Washington Post, the sco was “created 11 years ago to address religious extremism and border security in Central Asia,” but it “has grown into a bloc aimed at defying U.S. interests in the region.”

The scope of the sco’s activities is also increasing. The Uighur American Association said, “The scale of the exercises suggests that they are aimed at controlling local populations and not just combating terrorism.” For more about the scope of these exercises, read theTrumpet.com’s August 8 report.

As Russia, China and other Asian nations coalesce and the sco becomes a force to rival nato, the atmosphere in the East is growing increasingly anti-American. President Putin’s concept of a “multi-polar international system” is exactly where events are headed, though his view that a polarized, heavily armed world will bring security and opportunity is misguided. As these regional powers build in the East, the Middle East and Europe in order to counter the dominance of the United States, we will see more of these sorts of war games, more posturing between the various world powers, and growing international tensions. Eventually, the Eastern nations that currently comprise the sco will find themselves at odds with the fully formed European superpower. To better understand the future of these Eastern nations, read Russia and China in Prophecy.