Developing a new approach to conventional arms control: expert interviews

In the final months of the Cold War, states in the OSCE region grasped a historic opportunity to end decades of intense suspicion and distrust about each other’s military activities. A series of treaties were signed that limited the number of conventional arms that could be deployed in Europe, established verification mechanisms, and created several confidence-building measures between states. These interlocking and mutually reinforcing treaties still form the basis of conventional arms control in Europe today. 

In the video below, Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, Secretary General of the OSCE, explains the importance of one of the cornerstones of arms control in Europe: the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty.

While conventional arms control based on the CFE Treaty, as well as the Open Skies Treaty and the Vienna Document, has been considered a success, serious challenges exist that could have an impact on mutual trust, military security, and stability throughout the whole of Europe.

The OSCE, together with the Austrian government, organized a Security Days event in Vienna on 4 March 2013 that provided a forum for leading international experts to discuss ways to respond to these challenges.

Expert voices*

*The opinions expressed below are those of the individual experts. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion or position of the OSCE.

Oleksandr Aleksandrovich, Director-General of the Directorate General for International Security and Disarmament Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, outlines the enduring necessity of arms-control agreements in Europe today.

The security environment in Europe is changing. Jeffrey McCausland, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College, discusses various issues that will affect any future negotiations on arms-control agreements. 

Wolfgang Richter, Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, provides a comprehensive analysis of the current arms control framework and its historical context.

Loïc Simonet, former Politico-Military Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of France to the OSCE, describes some challenges to arms-control reform and proposes ways in which to address these issues. 

Brigadier General Giuseppe Cornacchia, former Special Advisor to the Italian Foreign Ministry, shares his views on the meaning of arms control today, as well as on how to overcome contemporary difficulties that hinder reform.