ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) Budapest and Lisbon summits in 1994 and 1996 that addressed the issues of peacekeeping, sovereignty and security. The competition between the CSCE and Russia on peacekeeping in the South Caucasus is analyzed. It also emphasizes the role of the CSCE and the strategy that it adopted to make the peace plans attractive to both parties. More than one peace plan was offered in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome although satisfaction is a very subjective and personal quality. The aim of the CSCE was also to create a better environment for conflict management. The limitations of official diplomacy in resolving asymmetrical conflict, the major obstacles to peace and the role of the spoilers in wrecking a negotiated agreement are also analyzed and examined. The chapter examines the summit and the shift in Russia's stance as the sole peacemaker in the region.
