ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE

Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe: translation

(OSCE)

Founded in 1973, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is one of the world’s largest intergovernmental organizations (IGO). The Russian Federation, as well as the other former Soviet republics, is a member of the organization. Originally created as a forum for East-West dialogue during theCold War(known as the Helsinki Process), the OSCE’s charter has expanded greatly over time.

Today, it is dedicated to regional security, freedom of the press, fair elections, arms control, and the protection ofhuman rights.Russia’s relationship with the organization is complex. The OSCE monitored and reported on the situation inside theEastern Blocduring the late Soviet period, increasing the pressure on the region’s one-party regimes todemocratizeand protect human rights, particularly those ofethnic minorities. Since Russia’s independence, the OSCE has criticized Russia for its activities inChechnya, as well as a number of post-Soviet conflict zones where it maintainspeacekeepingforces, includingTransnistria,Tajikistan,NagornoKarabakh, andGeorgia.Boris Yeltsinreturned the criticism, condemning the OSCE for not doing enough to protect the rights ofethnic Russiansin thenear abroad, particularly in theBaltic StatesandCentral Asia.

UnderVladimir Putin, the clampdown on nongovernmental organizations received strong criticism from other OSCE members, and created demands that Moscow live up to its commitments as a member of the IGO. In 2004, Russia and several other members of theCommonwealth of Independent Statesissued a joint statement chiding the OSCE for its politicization, “double standards,” and disregard for the “national sovereignty” of its member states. The statement was taken as a defense of the growing prevalence of “managed democracy” in theNewly Independent Statesof Eurasia and pushback against OSCE election monitoring in the region.

See alsoCivil society.