Matthias Dornfeldt, Das Konfliktmanagement der Organisation für Sicherheit und Zusammenarbeit in Europa (OSZE): Eine Analyse am Beispiel der interethnischen Konflikteskalation in der Republik Makedonien 2001. Berlin/München: poli-c-books, 2006. 102pp., 24.8 Euro, ISBN 3-938456-08- 6
This is an interesting little book that serves well as introduction to and overview over the development of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) conflict management capacities after the Cold War. Also, the case study of the interethnic conflict in Macedonia in 2001 and the engagement of the OSCE is well embedded in the conceptual outline and links the instruments and workings of the OSCE to a major conflict escalation in South Eastern Europe.
The book is based on the author’s dissertation which explains the straightforward structure of the chapters, but also ensures thorough and detailed research and analysis.
It starts with an overview over the structures and challenges of the OSCE after the transformation from CSCE to OSCE before dedicating a full chapter to the instruments regarding its engagement in conflict transformation. The final chapter on Macedonia not only provides a good overview over the conflict parties and dynamics after the independence from Yugoslavia in 1990 that eventually led to the interethnic grievances and the violent escalation in 2001, but also gives a detailed account of the role of the OSCE, i.e. this mission in the capital Skopje, the special envoys and the High Commissioner for National Minorities.
The central hypothesis that guides the analysis is whether the OSCE can play an active role in transforming violent conflict even without substantial financial and economic resources or military capabilities. As written earlier, the book is based on academic research and a variety of additional interviews that the author conducted in Skopje, but tends to be a bit descriptive. However, the nature of the topic does not allow for a gripping 'tour de force' through the Macedonian conflict as this is certainly not the style in which the OSCE intervenes. It is an
international organization with diplomatic intervention mechanisms with all the strengths (trust by the conflict parties and well-established negotiation and mediation resources) and weaknesses (pace of intervention and potential 'carrots and sticks') that we are familiar with from other international organizations, e.g. the UN-family. Matthias Dornfeldt suggests in his concluding remarks that the independent and non-partisan approach of the OSCE could be strengthened with military capabilities for effective direct interventions in violent conflict-but this is unlikely to happen. Therefore, the OSCE should focus on conflict prevention and post-conflict activities (e.g. involvement in peace treaties and subsequent promotion of democracy and good governance) and leave direct interventions during the violent phase to organisations like NATO or the increasingly important EU facilities.
The book is written in German and comes with a fairly small font size, but it is a good place to start to learn more about the OSCE and the 2001 conflict in Macedonia and most certainly is a valuable addition to academic libraries and useful for students who want to get an introduction into conflict management of international organizations.
Tobias Denskus, Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex
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