EurasiaNet.Org
October 10

A leading think-tank says the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should forge a new strategic approach towards Central Asia, arguing that existing stabilization efforts are not tailored to succeed within the region’s political, economic and cultural framework. In particular, the International Crisis Group (ICG) asserts that the OSCE must confront "the role of Islam in [Central Asian] politics" and adopt a more "sophisticated view" of government policy towards radical Islamic groups.

A recent report issued by the Brussels-based ICG says the OSCE, as perhaps the best-positioned international organization to promote Central Asian stability, should significantly expand the resources that it devotes to the region. The organization should also broaden the scope of its work beyond the human rights sphere, to include security cooperation and economic development initiatives.

"The OSCE needs to develop in two directions," the ICG report says. "One is convincing member states that the OSCE is actually a benefit to their development; the second is to acquire more influence that will assist the OSCE in preventing the violation of international norms on human rights and democratic governance."

"The wider balancing [of the OSCE’s approach in Central Asia] could be offered as a way for the OSCE to become more relevant for societies in the region," the report adds.

The OSCE, which comprises 55 states, has a broad mandate to promote security and civil society, with the bulk of its work focusing on the formerly Communist countries of Central and Southeastern Europe, as well as the former Soviet Union. The organization’s activities include implementation of security-building measures, tracking human rights conditions, promoting democratization and monitoring elections. The OSCE also works to improve economic and environmental security.

The OSCE maintains offices in all five Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Most of the organization’s work in the region is focused on the "human dimension," especially rights-related issues. Out of the five regional states, the OSCE is actively participating in state-building projects only in Tajikistan, which continues to struggle to recover from a 1992-1997 civil war. According to the ICG report, the OSCE in 2001 spent roughly $4.5 million on its activities in Central Asia v an amount that is "about one-third the budget of the mission in Croatia, and less than 5 percent of the budget for the entire OSCE."

The drastic erosion of stability in Central Asia over the past few years, and especially since September 11, 2001, warrant that "significant rise in OSCE activity" in the region, the ICG says. To expand programs in Central Asia, the ICG argues, the OSCE should "shift resources quickly from the Balkans - where other institutions, including the European Union and NATO, are often better equipped to deal with state-building."

The ICG report suggests the OSCE has been slow to "take into account the specific nature of Central Asian societies and sensitivities." It calls on the OSCE to develop a "consistent approach" towards the way regional governments respond to the threats posed by Islamic radical groups, including Hizb-ut-Tahrir. The "lack of attention to the Islamic context in which the OSCE works in Central Asia runs through much of its activities and projects," the report says.

Expanding the OSCE presence in Central Asian states will not be as easy, the ICG report admits. It says the OSCE will have to reevaluate its own "convoluted" structures to better respond to conditions in Central Asia. The report also states any attempt to expand OSCE offices in the region would likely provoke local governmental opposition. Persuading regional leaders to accept the enlargement OSCE activities will require "political will from participating states to commit serious resources, intelligent diplomacy by senior figures in the organization, and a commitment to expand the OSCE into areas that better reflect its ideas of comprehensive security," the ICG report contends.

The report, published September 11, goes on to say that the chances for success of broader OSCE involvement in the region depend heavily on whether Central Asian governments play a direct role in the formulation of a new strategy. To encourage such governmental involvement, the OSCE ought to address the security concerns of Central Asian leaders, including the threat posed by ongoing instability in neighboring Afghanistan. To accomplish this, the ICG suggests the OSCE launch initiatives that promote security, including police training and the improvement of border controls. The OSCE should also play a more active role in settling lingering border disputes.

"Central Asian states often use the external threat to diminish criticism of their own sometimes misguided internal security policies, but nevertheless it is important that their fears regarding instability spilling over from Afghanistan be taken seriously," the ICG report says.

In the economic sphere, the OSCE should become more active in promoting development projects, perhaps coordinating activity with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. To a lesser extent, the OSCE could enhance the activity of other global financial institutions, such as the World Bank.

"A stronger economic dimension in the OSCE could provide useful political commentary to organizations such as the World Bank, which is forbidden formally from making political judgements on host governments," the ICG report says.

Ultimately, the ICG report argues that how the OSCE responds to the challenges in Central Asia could play a pivotal role in the organization’s future. "If the OSCE is to have a future, it is not in Southeastern Europe," the report says. "It is providing an alternative view of the political and economic development in Central Asia (and the Caucasus) where few other organizations have a local presence or specialist knowledge."

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