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23 Sec. & Hum. Rts. 211 (2012)
The Mediterranean Dimension of the OSCE: A Southern Pivot for the East-West Dialogue

handle is hein.journals/helsnk23 and id is 217 raw text is: The Mediterranean dimension of the OSCE: A southern pivot for the East-West dialogue Colin Scicluna 1,2 It has become something of a clichd to refer to the Mediterranean as the cradle of the monotheistic civilisations. My own country, which lies right at the geographic centre of the Mare Nostrum, inevitably views this region as a crossroads where north meets south, and east meets west. Europe and North Africa; Rome and Byzantium; the West and the Levant; the Maghreb and Asia Minor. The OSCE, for its part, is most frequently viewed as a theatre for East-West exchanges. In the minds of some, this means that there cannot be much room for more than a symbolic nod towards the southern rim of the OSCE space. I will argue that this is not only a fallacy - because events in the Mediterranean region have a direct impact on the European security area - but also because I will contend that the southern dimension is a natural pivot upon which the traditional Vancouver- Vladivostock dialogue can be balanced. Indeed we could add that there is also a north-south element to be considered, and we should perhaps also refer to an OSCE stretching from Valletta to Vilnius. Any view of the Mediterranean and its place in a wider security context requires that an evaluation is made not only on the basis of the purely classical military dimension, but it must also take account of societal, environmental, economic and political aspects of security. Here we must speak not only of the security that is tackled by armies and tacticians, but also of issues that require a more nuanced, though no less strategic, approach. Indeed a list of the security challenges in the Mediterranean would inevitably include migration, both legal and illegal, organised crime, energy supply and climate change. These are arguably just as relevant as the more traditional fault lines represented by the Arab/Israeli conflict, the Western Balkans and the Cyprus question, among a number of others. All these issues are enmeshed in a complex web of historical baggage, with the north-south discourse being inevitably coloured by a colonial past which has rarely left good memories behind. Although this reality has now been consigned to history, there are still many prejudices, perceived or otherwise, that need to be overcome. But history is not destiny and the recent events in the Arab world provide a unique opportunity for the countries concerned, and also for their neighbours, to contribute to a lasting transformation that can bring prosperity, stability and I The views expressed here are solely those of the author and should not be construed as being official Maltese positions. 2 Ambassador of Malta to Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Kosovo, as well as Permanent Representative to the OSCE and the international bodies in Vienna.