ABSTRACT
The analysis of OSCE involvement in Estonia through the deconstruction of the problems, the High Commissioner and the mission's mandate and competencies, and its interaction with other OSCE institutions envisages clarifying the organization's appliance of procedures and mechanisms to the country's problems. After a historical introduction, this chapter describes the problems that have emerged in the immediate post-independence period in Estonia. Mutual accusations between Estonia and the Russian Federation and the raising of anxiety within Estonia set the context for the CSCE's involvement in the country, and for the deployment of a field mission in early 1993. How the Estonian-Russian relationship has been evolving, and what contribution the OSCE in Vienna and its institutions in the field have been making to improve relations between the two countries, is the focus of attention. The chapter concludes by summing up the possibilities and limitations of the OSCE mission as well as of the High Commissioner on National Minorities' (HCNM) involvement in Estonia.
