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OSCE - ?

How is the OSCE structured and what is its role?

• The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe was created as an East-West forum during the Cold War era
• The Organization was established in 1973 as the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE).
• The collapse of Communism required a change of role for the CSCE. The Charter of Paris for a New Europe which was signed on November 21, 1990 marked the beginning of this change. With the changes capped by the re-naming of the CSCE to the OSCE on January 1, 1995, accordingly to the results of the conference held in Budapest, in 1994.
• It is an operational international organization for securing stability, based on democratic practices and good governance.
• Defined as a regional arrangement under the United Nations Charter (Chap. VIII), it is concerned with early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.
• In its region, which covers most of the northern hemisphere, the OSCE currently has 55 participating states from Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America. A decision is pending on the accession of Montenegro
• Like the UN the OSCE is "inclusive" by nature. It is neither a defence alliance nor a block of states. It is open to all European States, which have recognised and declared adherence to the catalogue of common standards and principles.
• All participating States of the CSCE have remained participating States of the OSCE.

How effective is it?

According to Hans J. Giessmann

• Its limitations are:
  • its non-binding legal character and the fact that principles and resolutions agreed upon cannot be enforced legally. Also there is no mechanism for discriminate sanctions against violations of OSCE principles;
  • the dependence of its operational strength on political consensus by all participating States;
  • complicated and cumbersome mechanisms in cases where human and minority rights have been violated;
• the weak leadership structure of the Organisation and the time-consuming process for operational decision-making;
  • the poor financial and – in the context of its comprehensive tasks – inadequate resources the OSCE has at its disposal;
  • the institutional rivalry between the OSCE and other regional security arrangements which are rendered comparably more important by some participating States;
  • the different affiliations and security policies of the participating States; some of which are allied states, others neutral or non-aligned;
  • the intra-state, inter-state character of the Organisation: the most striking security challenges exist within state boundaries or are cross-national; and, finally,
  • weak parliamentary legitimacy and low-profile public awareness.
• Its strength’s are:
  • the very fact that it is the only existing pan-European institution, including the United States of America and Canada;
  • the overall positive record during the Cold War when the CSCE contributed to the diminishing risks of war, to enhancing confidence-building between states, and – above all – to perforating ideological barriers and autocratic power structures in the former communist societies of Central and Eastern Europe;
  • after the iron curtain fell, unlike other Cold War institutions, the CSCE became even stronger than before. The former conference mechanism was formally transformed – i.e. renamed - into an "Organisation" (OSCE) in late 1994;
  • OSCE principles have set a high political standard which has contributed to socialising the behaviour of Governments, both internally and in the field of international politics, and which non-state actors have recourse to allowing them to express their aspirations for freedom and democracy openly to safeguard human and minority rights;
• the Organisation's focus is not only in the area of international security but also in inner-state conflict resolution, democracy building, and maintaining the rule of law within all participating States;
• its institutional approach is comprehensive if one takes into consideration the complexity and multi-faceted character of security and stability nowadays;
• the OSCE, though it is a security organisation, is not directed against any non-participating states or group of states, it does not even have a collective military capacity; and, last but not least,
• in the 25 years of its existence, it has developed an institutional momentum of its own.

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Original content by joker13na.