The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is a regional security-focused organization. This organization is unique in many ways and has contributed to the security of its members and neighbors since 1975. The OSCE has had a checkered history since the Cold War and beyond. With the end of the Cold War, major changes occurred in the field of international security which this organization primarily deals with. The OSCE now faces a new era in which it must convince its members that it still has a role to play. The OSCE was initially established as the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe by the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. This act defined the principles on which the organization was to be based and the specific areas in which members would work. The principles that guide the action of States among themselves include: sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty, the territorial integrity of States, the peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference in internal affairs, the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, equal rights and self-determination of peoples, cooperation between States and compliance in good faith with obligations arising from international law . The document then specifies that states must work together in the areas of human rights, political-military affairs and economic, scientific and environmental issues. The organization has been unique since its inception due to the geographic area it was associated with and the range of participants. It encompasses an area from Vladivostok to Vancouver with member states including both the United States of America and Canada... middle of paper ...... “The OSCE: A Forgotten Transatlantic Security Organization ? British United States Security Information Council. http://www.basicint.org/pubs/Research/2002osce.pdfGeissmann, Hans J. 2001. “The Underrated OSCE” Working paper presented for consultation on NATO nuclear policy, national missile defense and alternative security arrangements in Ottowa, Canada. http://www.ploughshares.ca/libraries/WorkingPapers/Simons%20Conf%20Ottawa/Giessmann.html Rotfeld, Adam D. 1998. “Prescriptions for Improving OSCE Effectiveness in Responding to the Risks and Challenges of the 21st Century” presented at the 3rd International Security Forum and 1st Conference of the PfP Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes. http://www.isn.ethz.ch/3isf/Online_Publications/WS5/WS_5B/Rotfeld.htmBarry. 2002.Barry. 2002.Barry. 2002.Barry. 2002.Rotfeld. 1998.