The Future of Euro-Atlanticism
Report: International Intervention in Conflicts. UN, OSCE, EU, NATO, CSTO Peacekeeping Policies
INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT INTERVENTION
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The modern world suffers dozens of conflicts every year and international interference is required for their settlement. What are the norms of such interventions? How to ensure an impartial reconciliation of the conflicting parties considering different interests of major players? Which effective foreign policy measures should Russia take?

Nowadays, UN is the only international organization to grant states or organizations the rights to conduct peacekeeping operations. However, the active role of the OSCE, which is internationally recognized as a mediator and has an efficient organizational structure, of the European Union with its financial resources and interests in neighboring countries, and NATO, which has demonstrated the capability to act disregarding the UN, – all this alters the legal grounds of peacekeeping and highlights the need of different efforts coordination.

In these circumstances Russia has a chance to act through the CSTO, pushing forward the Russian legitimate interests in the post-Soviet space and maintaining peace and stability under the UN auspices in other regions. Such a format could become the basis of the common security space between the EU and the CSTO. Thus, in spite of political controversy the peacekeeping cooperation between Russia and the West remains possible even in the medium term. 

Author:

Alexander Nikitin, Director of the Center for Euro-Atlantic Security in the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; Principal Researcher, World Economy and International Relations Institute (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.