... interest became, in a natural way, if not directly opposed to the desires of the rest of the international community, then it took into account such desires in the very last place. The dramatic fate of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) after the Cold War is a great illustration. The Western countries were immediately able to act within the framework of this institution with a consolidated position, which excluded even minor manifestations of justice in relation to the basic interests ...
... of forces among the participants. Moreover, they were not in opposition to each other, which would have to be regulated. The OSCE crisis begins with the end of the Cold War, when the balance of power shifted. The SCO demonstrates stability because there ... ... The development of this organisation is subject to other principles of interstate interaction than those that were formed on European soil.
The Eurasian Economic Union is also radically different from the European Union. Despite the fact that the experience ...
... of the principle of equal and indivisible security that is fundamental to the entire European security architecture. We believe it is necessary to immediately clarify this issue, as it will determine the prospects for future dialogue.
The Charter for European Security signed at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul in November 1999 formulated key rights and obligations of the OSCE participating States with respect to indivisibility of security. It underscored the right of each participating State to be free to choose or change its security ...
... the majority of the Russian elites, has not brought peace and stability to the subcontinent. I am sure that the old system cannot be restored, even if the OSCE steps up its activity. This conclusion is based on my own twelve-month experience on the OSCE Panel of Eminent Persons, which was expected to offer proposals for a European security system reform. Despite sustained efforts, almost no progress has been made.
The OSCE is an organization that carries the genetic memory of the Cold War. It was not allowed to become an effective tool for building a post-bloc security ...
... the OSCE into the central organising body of the new European architecture. The West entertained the prospect of a greater role for the OSCE for some time, but in the end resolved not to give the body even more importance. There were concerns among Europeans that the OSCE might start competing with NATO to be the main security provider in Europe.
Kremlin.ru
Kadri Liik:
How to Talk with Russia
There was little appetite in Washington and in Brussels to invest heavily in any “OSCE-based system” and, for understandable ...
... population, and then be changed by that same population.
However, doing a geopolitical deal with Russia would not be any more straightforward. Not only would such a deal run counter to a whole array of documents that regulate the international behaviour of European countries (the OSCE charter, the principles of the Council of Europe, the founding documents of the EU and NATO), it would also be impossible in practice. While after the Cold War the spheres of influence could be held together by coercion, these days some attraction ...
... OSCE chairmanship will then pass to Austria, a country well-known for peacemaking in foreign policy.
It would be beneficial for Russia, the EU and the United States to preserve cooperation through the remaining channels of communication, such as the OSCE and the Council of Europe, as well as sub-regional structures such as the Black Sea Cooperation Organization and the Arctic Council. These venues are unlikely to achieve a complete normalization of relations but may at least prevent further deterioration, and that would ...
