OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine: Keeping it Ripe for Resolution

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing the role of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) in contributing to the resolution of the conflict in and around Ukraine. While most of the academic literature is focused on the assessment of the efficiency of OSCE, conflict management, and analysis of possible scenarios, there is little attention paid to the topic of conflict resolution. To test the hypotheses, the data on infrastructure and ceasefire violations were examined and how they relate to the I. W. Zartman’s theory of ripeness. l The study attempts to apply a new approach to the ripeness theory by analyzing the emerging causes of the conflict, their impact on the possibility of conflict resolution, and the mechanisms that mediators could use in order to manage the mentioned causes.