Kyiv Post 17 January 2013 By Riccardo Migliori When Ukraine kicks off its chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the world’s largest regional security organization, it will be the start of a crucial year and a moment to reset expectations for what the OSCE can be. In Vienna, there will be speeches, applause and when the toasts are done. When Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara heads back to Kyiv, some in Vienna may

The Hill 11 September 2012 By Christopher Smith Just weeks before Belarus's parliamentary elections on Sept. 23, few expect anything but another sham. And yet democratic nations will have to let the dictator, Alexander Lukashenka, know they are paying attention and mean business. So far, in the run-up to this election we have seen few if any good signs. Opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich has been denied registration as a candidate. The

Moscow Times 30 November 2011 By Matteo Mecacci Foreign ministers from the 56 countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will meet next week to try to accomplish what heads of government could not at this time last year. A lot has changed since a draft action plan died for lack of consensus at the 2010 Astana Summit. From popular protests to worrying economic unrest, the threats to our comprehensive security —

Вечерний Бишкек ( English ) 28 October 2011 By Walburga Habsburg Douglas Специальный координатор краткосрочной миссии наблюдателей ОБСЕ и глава делегации Парламентской А ссамблеи ОБСЕ Вальбурга Габсбург Дуглас (Швеция) Еще два года назад, если бы я сказала коллеге, что приму участие в наблюдении за выборами в Центральной Азии, исход которых я не могу предугадать, на меня бы посмотрели с недоверием и задали лишь один вопрос - где? В какой части

Vicherny Bishkek ( Русский ) 28 October 2011 By Walburga Habsburg Douglas Not even two years ago if I told a colleague I was going to observe an election in Central Asia and that I had no idea who would win, I would probably have been greeted with a doubtful look and one question – where? Where in Central Asia can there be a competitive electoral contest where the outcome is genuinely not a foregone conclusion? Today, we all know the answer is

Kapitalis (French version) 20 October 2011 By Riccardo Migliori On Sunday, the Tunisian people will elect 218 of their fellow citizens responsible for drafting the country's new constitution. Drafting a new constitution by a democratically elected body will mark the next stage in the institutionalization of the Tunisian Revolution that started in December last year. When the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire after