The OSCE was formed in 1990 by the Paris Charter, a summit with countries spanning from the U.S. to the Soviet Union that produced a non-binding treaty that not all OSCE members have signed. The charter established offices for free elections and conflict prevention, with a secretary-general. A different member nation holds the chairmanship of the OSCE each year and gives briefings to the United Nations Security Council.
The topics tackled by the OSCE included arms control, terrorism, economic and environmental issues, human trafficking, building democratic institutions, elections, equality, human rights and press freedom. Even though the Soviet Union has since fallen, Moscow has accused the OSCE of being a vehicle to advance Western interests. The U.S. Helsinki Commission, a panel composed of senators and congressmen tasked with overseeing the accords in practice, has called out Russia for its corruption, abuse of journalists, and even the detention of onetime oil tycoon and Kremlin opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The members of the OSCE are:
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Canada
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Holy See
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tajikistan
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan
Countries that are partners in cooperation are:
Algeria
Egypt
Israel
Jordan
Morocco
Tunisia
Japan
South Korea
Thailand
Afghanistan
Mongolia
Australia