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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.

Securitization and Democracy in Eurasia: Transformation and Development in the OSCE Region

Part I: Security Architecture in Eurasia: Speaking together: Regular Interaction and State Cooperation with OSCE Bodies.- The Impact of Development Aid on Democratic Progress, Economic Development and Corruption in the OSCE Area.- Placing the OSCE within the Eurasian Regional Integration Trends.- Population-based Study of the Eurasian Integration: Assessing the Anti-Eurasian Sentiment in Kazakhstan.- Development Aid in Central Asia: A 'Chessboard' for Great Powers?.- The Afghan Crisis: A Chance to Strengthen Russia's Security Influence in Central Asia.- Main Securitizing and De-securitizing Actors of the OSCE Debate in the Western Balkan Region.- The Russian Policy in the Western Balkans.- Social Security of the States with Limited Recognition: The Case Study of the Republic of Kosovo.- New Opportunities for Peace and Cooperation in the South Caucasus.- Women's Transformative Power in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict.- Legislating Gender Equality in Kyrgyzstan: Women's Rights, Neo-Traditionalism and the OSCE.- Ending Gender-Based Violence in Kyrgyzstan: reflections on the Spotlight Initiative.- From Social Media To Social Change Online Platforms' Impact On Kazakhstan's Feminist And Civil Activisms.- The political impact of teahouse culture in Central Asia.- Part II: Special Section - China's Belt and Road Initiative: A Curse or a Blessing for Democracy in Eurasia?: China's Belt and Road Initiative: Curse or Blessing for Democracy in Eurasia?.- An Overview of China's Belt and Road Initiative and its Development since 2013.-  Official Visions of Democracy in Xi Jinping's China.- Varieties of Authoritarianism in Eurasia.- The Belt and Road Initiative and Sustainable Urban Development in Central Asia.- A Sceptical Neighbor: Perceptions of Chinese Investments in Kyrgyzstan.- Opportunities and Risks of the Belt and Road Initiative in Ukraine.-  Chinese Linkage and Democracy in Pakistan.- Democracy and Human Rights in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative.- The Belt and Road Initiative and Autocracy Promotion as Elements of China's Grand Strategy.- Glocal Governance and Anocratic States along the BRI.- Part III: Future Research and Debates: Fracturing Technological Governance across the OSCE Domain and its Political Implications.- Heritage Diplomacy, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Balkans: A Soft Practice for Frozen Hardships.