Foundations and Crisis of the European Peace and Security Order
Foundations and Crisis of the European Peace and Security Order

Author(s): Wolfgang Richter
Subject(s): Security and defense
Published by: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Keywords: OSCE; NATO; European security concept;
Summary/Abstract: The year 2015 marks the anniversaries of events that fundamentally changed the ideological paradigms, political arrangements and military postures governing the European security order – 70 years after World War II, 40 years after the Helsinki Final Act (Helsinki) and 25 years after the Charter of Paris for a New Europe (Paris). The current European crisis stimulates us to reflect on the foundations of Europe’s peace and security, analyze the causes for renewed tensions, new or revived threat perceptions and violations of agreed norms and principles, as well as to search for ways out of the crisis. // Whether a return to a cooperative and rule-based peace and security order in Europe is possible will depend on the political will of all major stakeholders to understand mutual threat perceptions, exercise military restraint and seek a new and broad dialogue on all open questions with a focus on the pillars of the order of Paris. It will be crucial to renew mutual security reassurances and find an appropriate balance between the roles of the OSCE, NATO and the EU within the European security architecture.

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