OSCE peacekeeping: Lessons from the Kosovo Verification Mission

Abstract:

The Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) was a watershed in the development of the peacekeeping role of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE). It was to be larger than every other OSCE mission combined and ten times larger than the previous largest mission. However, there has been little analysis of the mission. This article places the mission in the context of evolving OSCE practices of peacekeeping and long-term deployments and poses two sets of questions: Where does OSCE peacekeeping fit into the wider European security architecture? And, if the role is to be developed further, what operational lessons does the organisation have to learn? The authors argue that the OSCE fulfils a particular and valuable role through facilitation, confidence-building and the human dimension but that this role lends itself to a qualitatively different type of peacekeeping to that offered by military organisations such as NATO. This brings with it advantages that allow the OSCE to deploy in places that NATO cannot, but is also restricted by being unarmed and consent-dependent. What the Kosovo case showed, however, is that different organisations can complement each other with OSCE reporting ultimately providing the tripwire for NATO military action.