It’s time to use the OSCE
It’s time to use the OSCE
europeanleadershipnetwork.org
Commentary by
This commentary is co-published by the oiip and the European Leadership Network.
As European leaders prepare a peace plan for Ukraine, they should draw on the organisation that helped manage risks and offer communication channels during the Cold War. Europeans have been alarmed that the US has opened talks with Russia about Ukraine without them – they understandably want to be at the table, with Ukraine itself at the forefront.
They have a bigger table that they can use: the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, an inclusive organisation that convenes all of wider Europe, including Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Canada, and the US.
Peace processes rarely happen between two parties any more – and certainly do not happen when one party to the conflict is absent. Rather, multiple tracks and formats will be needed if peace talks are to make real-world progress. Various organisations and groupings can make distinctive contributions if there is a clear understanding of what each can most usefully do.
The OSCE is expert in building security and confidence in contexts when there is a decision to de-escalate but without any certainty or trust in a pathway to peace. It was born out of Cold War experiences of managing geopolitical confrontation and mistrust and, notably, worked effectively in helping to implement the Dayton agreement that ended the Balkans war.
The OSCE is expert in building security and confidence in contexts when there is a decision to de-escalate but without any certainty or trust in a pathway to peace. Jane Kinninmont and Loïc Simonet
In the context of the escalation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and of the broader Russia-West confrontation, it has been extraordinarily difficult for the organisation to reach any new agreements during the last three years. Still, as options for de-escalation are being explored, it is an important time for an organisation where all the parties to the conflict already participate.
The OSCE cannot bring about the end to the conflict by itself, as its ability to make and implement decisions depends on the buy-in of its participating states, but it can offer, directly or indirectly through instruments negotiated under its auspices, a valuable forum for regular, institutionalised talks among participating States. These could include discussions on the details of implementing a ceasefire and ensuring there is early warning of any re-escalation.
The period preceding the opening of negotiations to address a conflict is always dangerous. It requires distance and technical expertise. Whatever aspects a ceasefire will take, the international community will need:
- an effective and impartial monitoring system along the cease-fire lines to verify claims around violations;
- a local conventional arms control regime complemented with confidence-building measures;
- the management of ‘windows of silence’ that might allow for negotiation and humanitarian logistics;
- the disengagement of forces and withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons with transparency and verification measures;
- the exchange of information and data, including on arms diversion to unauthorised end-users, which is a problem in wartime Ukraine;
- high-tech tools and equipment to fulfil this mandate (UAVs; remotely operated thermal cameras; acoustic sensors; satellite imagery);
- a forum for communications between all states involved if accidents or ‘incidents’ need to be de-escalated. This is particularly important as the NATO-Russia Council is suspended.
In today’s conflict, the OSCE is probably the only organisation that has the ability to provide the expertise and know-how to engage the parties on both sides of the conflict. Jane Kinninmont and Loïc Simonet
A similar multifaceted contribution was made between 2014 and 2022 by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM). The SMM was an unarmed civilian mission deployed to observe and report in an impartial and objective manner on the security situation in Ukraine, and to facilitate dialogue among all parties to the conflict. When the crisis erupted in Eastern Ukraine in 2014, the OSCE was the only international organisation accepted by all sides as both the first responder and the last resort.
Some have perceived the SMM badly because it did not prevent the Russian invasion eight years later, but this is to misunderstand its mission – it was never intended or equipped to prevent a hot war but rather to provide accurate information, including early warning. Given its mandate, the SMM boasts an impressive track record as a cutting-edge peace operation.
In today’s conflict, the OSCE is probably the only organisation that has the ability to provide the expertise and know-how to engage the parties on both sides of the conflict. Talks at the OSCE can also go beyond Ukraine to address broader issues that affect Russia’s relations with Europe and North America, notably arms control. The OSCE is the only place where all these states regularly sit together and discuss Euro-Atlantic security.
Its headquarters in Vienna can and should be a venue for informal conversation, including bilateral or minilateral discussions where ideas can be floated or tested discreetly. Jane Kinninmont and Loïc Simonet
Its headquarters in Vienna can and should be a venue for informal conversation, including bilateral or minilateral discussions where ideas can be floated or tested discreetly. Very few European countries have engaged in these conversations with their Russian counterparts since February 2022. Still, in a context where the US and Russia have begun to normalise relations, the opportunity for quiet, informal discussions should be revisited – these are the true lifeblood of diplomacy.
The Vienna organisation could even be the venue for future discussions on the Euro-Atlantic security architecture that will rise from the ashes of war. 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE’s founding document signed at the height of the Cold War. As in 1975, the OSCE could help adversaries to compartmentalise strategic and security issues even if they cannot cooperate much on anything else, and hopefully, these dialogues will result in adversaries eventually finding ways to work together.
The OSCE has never been a ‘good weather’ organisation. However, it has always found workarounds, and its resilience and creativity in overcoming obstacles are well-established. Despite the current state of affairs, it could again be a significant security actor in Ukraine and wider Europe.
The European Leadership Network itself as an institution holds no formal policy positions. The opinions articulated above represent the views of the authors rather than the European Leadership Network or its members. The ELN aims to encourage debates that will help develop Europe’s capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security policy challenges of our time, to further its charitable purposes.