The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) provides a useful vantage point from which to explore trends among its 56 participating states and to examine security developments throughout Greater Europe. OSCE participating states work together in a framework based on a shared vision of comprehensive security built on common values, political dialogue and joint action. As the August 2008 war in Georgia showed, the ambition to create a common and united security space is not easy to reach.

In a context of rising uncertainty, it is worth examining the OSCE’s experience more closely. This special dossier covers key OSCE activities in Afghanistan and the South Caucasus, as well as in arms control. My argument addresses two points. The first concerns the link between security trends in Eurasia and development of the OSCE itself. The second explores some of the security challenges arising from beyond the OSCE area in terms of the difficulties these pose to the participating states.

The essence of the OSCE approach was formulated in the Helsinki Final Act, which set out the idea that that the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, healthy economic and environmental governance and political-military cooperation between states were essential, mutually reinforcing pillars of a single concept of security.