OSCE Yearbook. Yearbook on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

The OSCE has always been a club of non-like-minded states. But since the heydays of the organization in the 1990s, finding consensus has become ever more difficult. The 2021 edition of OSCE Insights reveals differences in the interests of participating States but it also demonstrates that governments continue to see value in the organization. Identifying common ground through a comparison of selected participating States is the topic of a special issue of OSCE Insights. Other contributions discuss, among other themes, options for strengthening the Secretariat, ways for the OSCE to engage in a dialogue with China, implications of authoritarian politics for comprehensive security, and the future of OSCE peacekeeping.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 poses a fundamental challenge to the OSCE, rendering the future of cooperative security and the survival of the organization uncertain. The 2022 edition of OSCE Insights sheds light on the impact of the war in Ukraine on the OSCE. Authors discuss whether there are any lessons from the history of the CSCE/OSCE that can show a way forward for dealing with a situation where a participating State violates core principles of the organization. Also, contributors analyze lessons that other international organizations offer for the current impasse the OSCE finds itself in. Other OSCE Insights papers look into policy planning and OSCE engagement with Central Asian states, especially Turkmenistan.

Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the crisis in Russian-Western relations, continued to negatively affect the OSCE in 2023. At the same, the OSCE has found ways to adapt to decision-making blockages and thus to remain operational. The 2023 edition of OSCE Insights discusses the effect of the war in Ukraine on the OSCE and highlights organizational responses. Contributions shed light on topics including conflict management efforts in the Transdniestrian conflict; the role of the OSCE in Ukraine; how ODIHR has coped with pressure on election observation; OSCE actions against gender inequalities and corruption; confidence and security building measures and arms control; and, best practices of managing voluntary funding.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has created a European security order dominated by deterrence and defense. In this volatile environment, the OSCE has tried to mitigate the effects of conflict and secure both states and people. Papers in this OSCE Insights volume explore OSCE activities in an era of non-cooperative security in Europe. Topics include artificial intelligence in the military sphere, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, how to support the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, climate security, national minorities in the Baltics, and the OSCE’s role in Ukraine.