The OSCE in the 21st Century: A Simulacrum in International Affairs?

Abstract

How to explain the existence of international organizations (IOs) that have not achieved the objectives assigned to them? Why do member States of such organizations continue supporting them financially or otherwise? These were the inquires in need of answers, which led to undertaking of this MA Thesis. To do so, this study scrutinizes the case of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and explores the reasons behind the continuing rhetoric of its officials and participating States (pS) on the OSCE’s role and significance in developing a security community, one of its key avowed objectives, elements of which can be found in the decisions of OSCE Summits of Heads of State or Government starting in 1990. Using the concepts of “simulation and simulacrum” by Jean Baudrillard (1983; 1995), this study attempts to demonstrate that the real activities of the OSCE do not fully correspond to its official security community-building discourse. Content analysis of the OSCE documents and priorities for the Organization in 2011-2016, coupled with interviews involving OSCE staff members, representatives of the national delegations to the OSCE, and third party political experts backed the initial hypotheses of this Thesis that the objectives of the OSCE are not clearly defined, that its real activities do not fully contribute to the multilevel and multidimensional communication among its pS and do not necessarily correspond to the Organization’s security community-building rhetoric. This Thesis, therefore, concludes that the OSCE has become a “simulacrum,” a simulated model of an IO that in reality only minimally works on facilitating cooperation and formation of communication, mutual trust and understanding among its PS. The methodology and theoretical model employed to analyze the case of the OSCE provides a way to better understand modern international relations and the functioning of intergovernmental organizations. This Thesis demonstrates that the phenomenon of existing “ineffective” IOs is one worthy of study, with both academic and pragmatic benefits.