Douglas, Nadja
Resea ch Repo
Secu i y poli ics " om below": Why he OSCE should sys ema ically
inco po a e ci il socie y expe ise and engagemen o emain ele an
in ma e s o peace and secu i y
SWP Commen , No. 35/2025
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Ge man Ins i u e o In e na ional and Secu i y A ai s,
Be lin
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Douglas, Nadja (2025) : Secu i y poli ics " om below": Why he OSCE should
sys ema ically inco po a e ci il socie y expe ise and engagemen o emain ele an in ma e s o
peace and secu i y, SWP Commen , No. 35/2025, S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Be lin,
h ps://doi.o g/10.18449/2025C35
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NO.
35
JULY 2025
In oduc ion
Secu i y Poli ics “ om Below”
Why he OSCE Should Sys ema ically Inco po a e Ci il Socie y Expe ise and
Engagemen o Remain Rele an in Ma e s o Peace and Secu i y
Nadja Douglas
In he 50 h yea o i s exis ence, he O ganisa ion o Secu i y and Co-ope a ion in
Eu ope (OSCE) is mo e han e e looking o a new ole. The wa in Uk aine and
o he con lic s in he OSCE a ea show how impo an he wo k o ci il socie y o gani-
sa ions is in imes o wa and c isis – especially in ields whe e he s a e’s abili y o
ac is limi ed. In an inc easingly agile in e na ional o de , he OSCE should e ocus
on i s s eng hs in egional con lic managemen and ake g ea e accoun o he
expe ise o ci il socie y. Mo eo e , ep esen a i es o ci il socie y should ge in ol ed
in he s uc u es o he OSCE mo e sys ema ically han has been he case o da e, no
only o mally bu also in p ac ice. The Helsinki Con e ence on 31 July 2025, which
commemo a es he adop ion o he CSCE Final Ac , o e s a good s a ing poin .
This yea ’s Finnish Chai pe son o he OSCE
has se he commi men o a ee ci il soci-
e y as one o i s p io i ies. S eng hening
ci il socie y and coope a ing wi h i has
always been o pa icula impo ance o he
OSCE. The Helsinki Acco ds o 1975 no
only laid he ounda ion o he eme ging
secu i y dialogue in he Eas -Wes con lic ,
bu also o a b oad mo emen o human
igh s and ci il socie y o ganisa ions in Eas
and Wes . Ci izens joined o ces in so-called
Helsinki Commi ees. They ad ised hei
go e nmen s on he implemen a ion o he
Helsinki p inciples and also commi ed
hem o he Helsinki model as an agenda
o peace and disa mamen , wi h he pu -
pose o holding hem accoun able.
Howe e , in imes o geopoli ical up-
hea al and he esu gence o Realpoli ik
no ions o powe and s eng h in in e na-
ional ela ions, ci il socie y inds i sel in a
di icul posi ion, especially as i ends o
a gue on he basis o mo al con ic ions and
ep esen alues in a mo e idealis ic way.
S a es a e also inc easingly unwilling o
ul il hei obliga ions in e ms o (mili a y)
anspa ency and accoun abili y ( owa ds
socie y).
And ye he wa in Uk aine shows jus
how impo an he wo k o ci il socie y
o ganisa ions is in imes like hese – no
necessa ily in he adi ional sense o p o-
mo ing peace, bu as a compensa o y o ce
in a eas whe e he s a e’s abili y o ac is
limi ed. Ci il socie y engagemen will o e-
seeably become e en mo e impo an in a
po en ial pos -wa phase. This applies no
only o Uk aine, bu also o o he con lic s
SWP Commen 35
July 2025
2
in he OSCE a ea whe e he OSCE could be
manda ed by he pa ies o he con lic and
pa icipa ing S a es o implemen decisions
(e.g. in he implemen a ion o a possible
peace ag eemen be ween A menia and
Aze baijan). In he ehabili a ion phase, ci il
socie y ac o s can make impo an con ibu-
ions, o example in he a eas o bo de
secu i y and bo de managemen (delimi-
a ion
/
dema ca ion) o humani a ian
demining.
The OSCE dis inguishes be ween h ee
dimensions in i s wo k: he poli ico-mili-
a y, economic and en i onmen al, and
human dimensions. In he 1990s, he model
o he so-called con lic cycle was de eloped
as an ins umen o he poli ico-mili a y
dimension, in which he ou indi idual
phases o con lic – ea ly wa ning, con lic
p e en ion and esolu ion, c isis manage-
men and pos -con lic ehabili a ion –
en ail c oss-dimensional elemen s.
In dealing wi h cu en challenges,
especially a he egional le el, he OSCE
should make e en g ea e use o he po en-
ial o ci il socie y expe ise and coope a-
ion. In he case o poli ical deadlocks in
pa icula , ci il socie y ac o s can o en
make conc e e p oposals o imp o ing he
li ing condi ions o people on he g ound.
Howe e , mo e in ensi e in ol emen a
he le el o ield ope a ions would ha e o
go hand in hand wi h g ea e conside a ion
o secu i y policy demands, in e es s and
needs “ om below” in he ins i u ional
s uc u e o he OSCE.
Ci il socie y in ansi ion
P essu e on ci il socie ies is g owing. Thei
scope o ac ion and he space o dissen
and c i icism a e inc easingly na owing.
Ac oss Eu ope, unding o non-s a e ac o s
is becoming mo e di icul due o igh en-
ing public budge s. Go e nmen s and OSCE
ins i u ions, on he o he hand, unde -
es ima e he powe and ele ance o he
asks ha ci il socie y o ces a e capable o
pe o ming, including in secu i y- ela ed
a eas.
The OSCE i sel does no ha e a na owly
de ined concep o ci il socie y. T adi ionally,
i has pu sued a non-disc imina o y ap-
p oach in o de o be lexible enough o ac-
commoda e he iews and p oposals o a
b oad spec um o o ganisa ions in he OSCE
a ea. Howe e , i can no longe be aken o
g an ed ha ci il socie y o ces “eas and
wes o Vienna” suppo he Helsinki Con-
sensus. The so-called “non-ci il” o illibe al
ci il socie y, which has ecen ly been gain-
ing momen um in Wes e n libe al democ-
acies as well, makes he call o “mo e”
ci il socie y engagemen a somewha am-
bi alen unde aking. Howe e , he e a e
ce ainly e o s o coun e he in luence o
GONGOs (go e nmen -o ganised non-go e n-
men al o ganisa ions) wi hin he o ganisa-
ion, and hus o coun e ac he ins umen-
alisa ion o he OSCE by au ho i a ian
go e nmen s.
The ele ance o ci il socie y is o en s ill
limi ed o i s ole as an in o man , a mou h-
piece o ci izens and a se ice p o ide . In
he OSCE con ex , ci il socie y is mos ly
hea d in he hi d, human dimension. How-
e e , ep esen a i es o he Ci ic Solida i y
Pla o m (CSP), a ne wo k o ci il socie y
o ganisa ions in he OSCE ha exis s since
2010, c i icise he missing link be ween he
i s and hi d dimensions. They a gue ha
he e is s ill an “in isible wall” ha educes
he engagemen o pa o he NGO commu-
ni y (especially ac i is s and g ass oo s o -
ganisa ions) o he human dimension. Think
anks and academic ins i u ions a e p e-
dominan ly in i ed o discussions and mee -
ings o he Fo um o Secu i y Co-ope a ion
(FSC). This no longe li es up o he chang-
ing in e na ional h ea con ex (which is
cha ac e ised by cybe and hyb id a acks,
disin o ma ion and GONGO p opaganda)
and a ci il socie y ha is specialising
acco dingly.
In 2023, a leas he CSP’s demands o a
coo dina o o coope a ion wi h ci il soci-
e y we e me and a co esponding posi ion
was c ea ed. Anu Ju onen, di ec o o he
NGO “Demo Finland”, was appoin ed he
OSCE’s hi d Special Rep esen a i e o Ci il
Socie y in 2025. She has se he sel he goal
SWP Commen 35
July 2025
3
o b inging ci il socie y conce ns in o he
o ganisa ion mo e e icien ly. Since OSCE
decisions a e no legally binding and he e
a e no epo ing mechanisms o o mal
appeal p ocedu es, Ju onen sees he wa ch-
dog ole o ci il socie y – i.e. o moni o
bo h he policies o pa icipa ing S a es and
OSCE ins i u ions – as pa amoun .
In he OSCE con ex , he e a e se e al
ca ego ies o o ganisa ions ha could
con inue o play an impo an ole in he
u u e due o hei unc ion: Fi s ly, he
ac o s a he local le el who a e deeply
oo ed in hei espec i e socie ies (wom-
en’s, human igh s and ic im p o ec ion
o ganisa ions, as well as wa chdogs ha
moni o go e nmen ac ion). Secondly, he
in e na ional humani a ian o ganisa ions
ha ac in an ad iso y capaci y bu a e also
en us ed wi h implemen a ion asks ( o
example in he a eas o ci il p o ec ion,
econs uc ion, mine clea ance, e c.).
Finally, he ci il igh s and human igh s
associa ions ha a e commi ed o ans-
na ional ad ocacy wo k in he OSCE a ea
and ha e, o example, joined o ces unde
he umb ella o he a o emen ioned CSP o
p omo e he p ese a ion and implemen-
a ion o he Helsinki P inciples. Ul ima ely,
hese o ganisa ions, p ima ily NGOs, ha e
no democ a ic legi imacy and a e no sub-
jec o egula e alua ion. They de i e hei
manda e and legi imacy p ima ily om
hei commi men , hei sel -imposed
obliga ions and he impo an unc ions
hey pe o m.
Con lic cycle and ci il socie y
To his day, he ele an li e a u e c i icises
he ac ha ci il socie y’s po en ial in he
OSCE’s con lic wo k emains insu icien ly
apped.
This inding is o en linked o calls o a
be e in eg a ion o ci il socie y. Howe e ,
con lic con ex s a y. In many cases, he
pa ies o he con lic simply do no wan
ci il socie y o be in ol ed in o icial nego-
ia ions, blocking be e in eg a ion. And
ye he esul s o he esea ch p ojec on
which his analysis is based show ha ci il
socie y o ganisa ions in he OSCE a ea a e
s ill no su icien ly ecognised, especially
in he phases o con lic p e en ion and
pos -con lic ehabili a ion. This is mo e
c ucial oday, pa icula ly as he ac i e
wa
/
con lic phase is inc easingly me ging
wi h he pos -con lic ehabili a ion phase.
Fo example, econs uc ion and humani-
a ian demining o en begin du ing he
ongoing con lic
/
wa , as he Uk ainian case
shows.
Con lic p e en ion
Con lic p e en ion is a low- isibili y ac-
i i y, and because he e a e ew success
s o ies, i lacks ecogni ion. Wi hin he
OSCE, he e ha e been calls o some ime
o explo e new ways o be e in eg a ing
he expe ise o ci il socie y o ganisa ions
in he ield o con lic p e en ion and ea ly
wa ning (e.g. hei knowledge o local dis-
cou ses, oop deploymen s on he g ound,
e c.). Ul ima ely, he in e na ional commu-
ni y could sa e eno mous sums o money i
i ocused i s e o s mo e speci ically on
p e en ing iolence and con lic a he
han on subsequen in e en ions o end
hem. Ci il socie y o ganisa ions could p o-
ide aluable ad ice and suppo in his
ega d. Examples o ci il socie y ne wo ks
ha p o ide ad ice on ea ly wa ning and
p e en ion can be ound in a numbe o
egional o ganisa ions, including he A i-
can Union.
Con lic managemen
Russia’s wa o agg ession agains Uk aine
highligh s how impo an i is, in e ms o
he con lic cycle app oach, o also conside
he phase “unde wa ime condi ions”. The
OSCE no longe plays a signi ican ole in
Uk aine in he cu en phase, a e he
Special Moni o ing Mission (SMM), es ab-
lished in 2014, was wi hd awn ollowing
Russia’s ull-scale in asion in sp ing 2022
and he O ice o he P ojec Coo dina o
had o close. Al hough he OSCE subse-
quen ly se up an ex a-budge a y suppo
SWP Commen 35
July 2025
4
p og amme o Uk aine, his canno ill he
gap in con lic managemen . The Uk ainian
go e nmen canno compensa e o e e y-
hing ei he . The in ol emen o local ci il
socie y in coope a ion wi h in e na ional
humani a ian ac o s and o he socie al
g oups is he e o e indispensable. Unde
wa ime condi ions, ci il socie y ac i i ies
aimed a building ci il de ence and esili-
ence a e essen ial. The mili a y also elies
on he help o ci il socie y. Ci il socie y
o ganisa ions, o example, ake on asks
such as e acua ing ci ilians, p o iding
aining cou ses on in e na ional humani-
a ian law, in es iga ing and, abo e all,
documen ing wa c imes and c imes
agains humani y, epa ia ing p isone s o
wa and abduc ees, and ehabili a ing
e e ans. Thei g ea ad an age is ha hey
can o en adap mo e e ec i ely o he
apidly changing dynamics o wa han
s a e agencies.
I he OSCE is s ill o be pe cei ed as an
au ho i a i e ins i u ion in he ield o
con lic managemen in he u u e, i is
likely ha i will ake on a complemen a y
ole in coope a ion wi h o he ac o s. Fo
example, as an implemen ing o ganisa ion
wi h a ci ilian manda e, i could be sup-
po ed by in e na ional pa ne o ganisa-
ions wi h a obus manda e and ice e sa.
The OSCE Special Moni o ing Mission in
Uk aine lacked such obus suppo o
c edibly punish iola ions o he cease i e
ag eemen .
Pos -con lic ehabili a ion
Should a cease i e be achie ed in Uk aine,
he pos -wa o ehabili a ion phase is
likely o be he mos p omising ime o he
OSCE o be ac i a ed as an implemen ing
pa ne . I has nume ous ied and es ed
ins umen s, me hods and ex ensi e expe -
ise in his a ea. Dealing wi h ic ims and
p osecu ing c imes a e o cen al impo -
ance o achie ing las ing peace. Ci il soci-
e y has an impo an ole o play du ing
his pe iod, as i can build on i s documen-
a ion o wa c imes accumula ed du ing
he acu e phase o he wa
/
con lic .
Humani a ian demining, s ockpile man-
agemen o con en ional ammuni ion and
he con ol o small a ms and ligh weap-
ons a e also impo an p e equisi es o he
no malisa ion o pos -wa socie ies. When
landmines and unexploded o dnance (UXO)
a e emo ed, con amina ed land can be
cul i a ed again and used o ood p oduc-
ion. Non-go e nmen al o ganisa ions
ac i e in his sec o combine echnical and
mili a y expe ise wi h social and humani-
a ian skills. They a e he e o e na u al
pa ne s o he OSCE, which o en ac s as a
b idge-builde in ela ions wi h local au ho -
i ies and go e nmen s. Howe e , as was
lamen ed in backg ound discussions, hese
o ganisa ions a e no always ecognised o
pe cei ed as such by he OSCE.
S uc u al challenges
As a p ima ily in e go e nmen al o ganisa-
ion, he ole o ci il socie y in he OSCE
con ex is ambi alen : on he one hand, i s
in ol emen is o icially desi ed, bu on he
o he hand, he OSCE is a complex o gani-
sa ion, which complica es coope a ion in
p ac ice due o a lack o ocal poin s. This is
compounded by he ac ha he OSCE
always decides by consensus, meaning ha
decisions can only be made i all pa icipa -
ing S a es ag ee. This also applies o con lic
esolu ion o ma s. Since hese o ma s’
speci ic a angemen s ha e usually been
de e mined long ago by he pa ies o he
con lic oge he wi h he OSCE and he
espec i e manda e, hey a e ela i ely
in lexible oday. Renewing he consensus
on his is cu en ly impossible in many
a eas due o Russia’s obs uc i e beha iou .
Fo mal in ol emen
In p inciple, all OSCE bodies whose agenda
is no decided by consensus bu by he e-
spec i e chai pe son ha e he o mal pos-
sibili y o hea ing ep esen a i es o ci il
socie y o ganisa ions (see g aph on p. 5).
Howe e , sys ema ic in ol emen does no
ake place in p ac ice. The FSC mee ings o
SWP Commen 35
July 2025
5
example a e cha ac e ised by a na ow
agenda, as he pa icipa ing S a es a e usu-
ally only able o ag ee on a ew common
poin s. Ne e heless, ci il socie y speake s
ha e epea edly been in i ed o he FSC
secu i y dialogues, on opics such as “women,
peace and secu i y”, “child en and a med
con lic ” o “a med o ces and he en i on-
men ”. Ul ima ely, he pa icipa ion o ci il
socie y ep esen a i es also depends on
whe he he i s dimension in ol es so-
called mili a y (limi ed o he FSC) o non-
mili a y issues. The majo i y o in e iew
pa ne s did no see a de ici in ci il socie y
p esence in he a ea o non-mili a y issues.
Inclusi i y
One o he co e p inciples o he OSCE is
inclusi i y. In he ield o media ion, his
conce ns, o example, he in ol emen o
all pa ies o he con lic . In addi ion, he
in e iewed OSCE ep esen a i es consid-
e ed inclusi i y o mean mo e han jus
p esence a he nego ia ing able, especially
whe e ce ain p ocesses a e no suppo ed
by ci il socie y. Ul ima ely, i is a ques ion
o s iking a balance be ween inclusi i y
and exclusi i y: a good p ocess always akes
in o accoun who mee s o is in ol ed,
when, whe e and how. Al hough inclusi e
p ocesses a e known o be mo e sus aina-
ble, ci il socie y is no always (di ec ly)
G aph
SWP Commen 35
July 2025
6
in ol ed because hese p ocesses ini ially
s a in an exclusi e manne . In ce ain
cons ella ions, ci il socie y can be in ol ed
a a la e s age.
Unde ce ain condi ions, mo e inclusi e
media ion app oaches a e possible. One
example o a ela i ely inclusi e o ma is
he Gene a In e na ional Discussions in he
con ex o he Geo gian con lic . The OSCE
pa icipa es in hese alks as co-chai . The
p ocess o esol e he con lic a ound
T ansdnies ia (5+2 o ma , cu en ly sus-
pended) also p o ides o he in ol emen o
expe s om ci il socie y o ganisa ions in
he sec o al wo king g oups. Al hough bo h
o ma s ha e achie ed imp o emen s o
he local popula ions in he pas , hey ha e
made li le poli ical p og ess in ecen
yea s.
In o mal coope a ion
The p eca ious si ua ion o he OSCE in
ecen yea s has led o a decline in in e es
in co-ope a ion among ci il socie y o gani-
sa ions. In ac , only a small ci cle o o -
ganisa ions wo ks closely wi h he OSCE on
a pe manen basis. In addi ion, he OSCE is
no a adi ional dono o ganisa ion and
he inancing o p ojec s mus usually be
p o ided by o he sou ces o in he o m o
ex a-budge a y p ojec s unded by pa ici-
pa ing S a es. Co-ope a ion wi h ci il soci-
e y is he e o e o en in o mal in na u e.
C i ics complain ha mos o i akes place
“o he eco d”, ne e inds i s way in o
o icial OSCE documen s and p ocedu es,
and hus does no en e he ins i u ional
memo y o he o ganisa ion. They also
a gue ha ollow-up and eedback p o-
cedu es a e inadequa e. Fu he mo e, he
low o in o ma ion in he con ex o ield
ope a ions has been c i icised o o en
being one-sided: in he exchange and o -
ganisa ion o T ack 2 o 3 dialogues (be-
ween ci il socie y g oups o socie al g oups,
espec i ely), li le is o e ed in e u n o
he ci il socie y ha is consul ed. Na ional
and in e na ional de elopmen co-ope a-
ion p ojec s o e good examples o how
mo e sys ema ic coope a ion wi h ci il soci-
e y can look like.
Unno iced i uals
O e ime, in e ac ion wi h he Ci ic Soli-
da i y Pla o m ne wo k has aken on a
mo e ce emonial cha ac e . Fo example, i
has become an in eg al pa o he annual
ci il socie y con e ence, which has been
o ganised by he pla o m since 2010 in he
un-up o he OSCE Minis e ial Council, o
adop a decla a ion wi h ecommenda ions
o he OSCE ins i u ions and pa icipa ing
S a es and submi i o he OSCE Chai pe -
son-in-O ice. In eali y, howe e , hese
ecommenda ions ecei e li le a en ion:
he majo i y o OSCE ep esen a i es in e -
iewed we e unawa e o he pla o m o i s
con e ences. Those who we e awa e ex-
p essed a wish o mo e ealis ically o mu-
la ed ecommenda ions. I seems likely ha
he e is ul ima ely oo li le oppo uni y o
dialogue he e.
Conclusions
In he con ex o he e oding libe al con-
sensus, which does no s op a he OSCE
co e s a es (Aus ia, Swi ze land, Ge many
and he No dic s a es), ci il socie y ep e-
sen a i es a e inding hemsel es in an
inc easingly di icul posi ion. The ques ion
also a ises as o whe he an incohe en ,
mul i-laye ed ac o such as ci il socie y can
s ill gua an ee he implemen a ion o he
1975 Helsinki p inciples oday. Much wi h-
in he OSCE depends on Russia’s cu en
and u u e beha iou . In his unclea si ua-
ion, he o ganisa ion is no only looking
o a new ole, bu also o conc e e ways o
ci cum en he consensus p inciple, o
example in he o m o ex a-budge a y
p ojec s, which a e mos ly inanced by like-
minded s a es.
Simila ly ci il socie y could e en ually
cease o be iewed as a collec i e ac o , bu
in a di e en ia ed manne – wi h he con-
sequence ha ce ain asks would be aken
o e by like-minded ci il socie y o ganisa-
SWP Commen 35
July 2025
7
ions ha a e commi ed o he Helsinki
p inciples and ha e he backing o go e n-
men s ha suppo ex a-budge a y p ojec s.
The Ge man Fede al Fo eign O ice
should he e o e e ain om cu ing und-
ing o he success ul Eas e n Pa ne ship
/
Russia P og amme (coope a ion wi h ci il
socie y in he Eas e n Pa ne ship coun ies
and Russia). On he con a y, he p o-
g amme needs o be upg aded o s eng hen
he esilience o ci il socie y in his egion
in he in e es s o c isis p e en ion, espe-
cially a e he wi hd awal o USAID.
Since secu i y is a p ocess ha o en
wo ks om he bo om up, and since he
OSCE is a egional o ganisa ion, whose
s eng hs lie p ima ily in ne wo king and
expe ise a he local le el, i is impo an
ha i emains ac i e “on he g ound” in
he con ex o ield ope a ions. Gi en he
damage o he OSCE’s epu a ion in Uk aine
since 2022, i should make all he mo e
e o o egain g ound he e. I should be
mo e p oac i e han be o e in eaching ou
o Uk ainian ci il socie y, o example by
c ea ing added alue o he Uk ainian
socie y h ough ex a-budge a y p ojec s.
The es ablishmen o ci izens’ councils o
ad ise on secu i y policy, o example,
could ensu e ha local s uc u es become
in eg a ed in o a mechanism ha , a e he
end o hos ili ies, adap any secu i y egime
o local condi ions. I could hus ake in o
accoun he people a ec ed, hei li ing
condi ions and hei secu i y needs. How-
e e , he chances o he OSCE pa icipa ing
in secu ing a cease i e in Uk aine a e cu -
en ly conside ed slim.
Despi e he expec ed ese a ions o he
pa icipa ing S a es, i would be ad an a-
geous o he OSCE o de elop a eliable
s a egy o s eng hen and s uc u ally an-
cho ci il socie y pa icipa ion. Gi en he
his o ically e ol ed ole o ci il socie y
o ganisa ions and o he non-s a e ac o s in
he h ee dimensions, hei sys ema ic
in ol emen in poli ical-secu i y delibe a-
ion p ocesses is long o e due. In in e nal
e o m p ocesses, he in ol emen o ci il
socie y should no be seen as an “add-on”
bu as an in eg al pa o he o ganisa ion’s
wo king p ocesses. This equi es eliable
and sus ainable pa icipa ion o ma s as
well as anspa en communica ion chan-
nels, which could be es ablished, o exam-
ple, by he Special Rep esen a i e on Ci il
Socie y.
An ins i u ionalised bu lexible ame-
wo k, supplemen ed by a cen al con ac
poin o non-go e nmen al o ganisa ions
wi hin he OSCE Sec e a ia , could be a i s
s ep. This could be supplemen ed by a o-
a ing consul a ion o ma among ci il soci-
e y o ganisa ions in he espec i e OSCE
bodies, o example linked o he espec i e
chai ing coun y. This would help build
us , add ess legi ima e c i icism and
posi ion he OSCE as a c edible ac o in an
inc easingly agile in e na ional o de .
D Nadja Douglas is a esea che in he Eas e n Eu ope and Eu asia Resea ch Di ision. This a icle is based on indings
om a p ojec unded by he Ge man Fede al Fo eign O ice on he ole o he OSCE in a new Eu opean secu i y o de ,
as well as a subp ojec on ci il socie y engagemen in he poli ico-mili a y dimension o he OSCE, ca ied ou in he i s hal
o 2025. Fo he la e , 16 in e iews we e conduc ed wi h expe s om ci il socie y and academia, ep esen a i es o he
pa icipa ing S a es, and he OSCE Sec e a ia . In addi ion, a ex co pus o a ound 2,600 OSCE documen s was analysed
using quali a i e da a analysis so wa e and AI.
The au ho would like o co dially hank Celina Thadewald and Simon Muschick o hei esea ch suppo and assis ance
in designing he g aph.
This wo k is licensed
unde CC BY 4.0
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SWP
S i ung Wissenscha und
Poli ik
Ge man Ins i u e o
In e na ional and
Secu i y A ai s
Ludwigki chpla z 3–4
10719 Be lin
Telephone +49 30 880 07-0
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ISSN (P in ) 1861-1761
ISSN (Online) 2747-5107
DOI: 10.18449/2025C35
(English e sion o
SWP-Ak uell 36/2025)
