Editorial: Rethinking European Security, principles and practice

This special issue of Security and Human Rights focuses on the relevance and effectiveness of the concept of co-operative security in the 21st century as the basic principle of Europe’s security system. The authors, including (former) politicians, academics and representatives of non-governmental organisations and think tanks were asked to write a short article on their views on principles and practice of co-operative security in Europe. Each author was specifically asked to bring in their own area of expertise and experience.

Alyson Bailes and Zdzislaw Lachowski provide a critical review of how the Helsinki legacy has played out in the politico-military dimension since 1975. The scholars of the University of Iceland and SIPRI first focus on the question how well

has CSCE/OSCE done in building cooperative security within the limited terms of its mandate, and in overcoming those limitations when they were part of the problem? Next they focus on the question what other good or bad developments

have determined what might be called the overall audit of cooperative security in Europe today, and how have they affected OSCE’s relative standing?

For more information read: Collective Security and the politico-military role of the OSCE

Marcel de Haas, senior research fellow at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ provides a review of Medvedev’s recent proposals for a new European security architecture, which, in the eyes of the author, challenge a number of key Western interests.

For more information read: Medvedev’s alternative European security architecture