A regime for the democratic control of armed forces exists in the OSCE area (which stretches from Vancouver to Vladivostok) through a “Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security” (1994). This instrument, which links civil-military relations to human rights and international humanitarian law, has no counterpart in other security organizations. Intruding into an area of state power hitherto considered a sanctum sanctorum, it commits the OSCE member states to a regular exchange of information on the status of the democratic control of their armed forces, as well as on such issues as the fight against terrorism and the stationing of troops on foreign soil.
The book represents an urgently needed reference work on both the contents and the impact of the Code; drawing on as-yet unpublished materials, it offers a paragraph-by-paragraph commentary on the Code, as well as an in-depth assessment of implementation trends in the OSCE region.