The OSCE Yearbook 2011 opens with Marc Perrin de Brichambaut´s reminiscences on his six years as OSCE Secretary General. This is followed by evaluations of Kazakhstan´s OSCE Chairmanship and the Corfu Process.The special focus topic of the OSCE Yearbook 2011 is one of the OSCE´s most successful institutions: The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which celebrated its 20th jubilee in 2011. More than 20 experts and practitioners describe ODIHR´s roles and tasks and contribute to debates on topics including human rights protection, gender equality, Roma and Sinti issues, election observation, and the independence of the judiciary in Central Asia and the Caucasus.In the chapter on developments in OSCE States, our authors consider the engagement of the United States in the OSCE framework, human rights in Tajikistan, and domestic developments in Belarus. Activities in the areas of conflict prevention and peacebuilding are discussed with reference to the OSCE field operations in Kosovo, Moldova, and Armenia. There is a consideration of whether the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is in danger of reigniting.Other current topics include the effect of the Arab Spring on co-operation between the OSCE and its Mediterranean Partners, Japan´s policy towards Central Asia, and the future of confidence-building measures. The Yearbook includes compendious appendixes with data and facts on the 56 OSCE States as well as a full bibliography of recent publications.
