This open-access book presents cutting-edge research on securitization and democratic
development in the OSCE Region. Gathering contributions by practitioners and researchers from
various disciplines it presents case studies and highlights recent activities of proactive
engagement in democratic institution-building and responding to security threats from the
Balkans to Central Asia. The volume is divided into three parts the first of which focuses on
security-related matters armed conflicts minorities and women's safety as well as the roles
that civil society foreign governments social media and external donors play in this area.
These contributions illustrate how the OSCE's informal approach to peace security and
securitization as norm entrepreneur is closely linked to the level of democracy among its
member states. The second part presents a special section on the political implications of
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) assessing the impact of this infrastructural program on
the levels of democracy and or autocracy in Eurasia. The third part consists of short chapters
outlining future research and debates. The book will appeal to students and scholars of
international relations security studies and the human rights-politics nexus. This is the
2022 instalment in a series of books released by the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. The OSCE works to
promote Minority Protection Security Democratic Development and Human Rights guided by the
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and to enhance securitization and
development policies in Eurasia Europe Central Asia and North America. Since being founded in
1993 the OSCE and its agencies and departments have attracted a wealth of academic research in
various fields and disciplines ranging from economic development and election monitoring to
enhancing global principles of human rights and securitization.
