With the disintegration of Soviet Union in the early 1990s, and with Russia becoming more of an ally than a threat, the viability & existence of NATO was no doubt at stake. Yet, with it being clear that the dismantling of NATO would be equal to the loss of US influence and control on European issues, it was taken for granted that under no circumstances would NATO be diluted. But with the passage of time and absence of any major threat to Europe from the so-called hostile nation state and with the increasing hegemony of USA over international affairs, the rise and increasing prominence of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation from Europe (OSCE) has been a foregone conclusion. OSCE, a legacy of the Cold War era, today has around 56 countries as its members, which permeate the typical East-West European divide of the past. And the most important attribute of OSCE being that it endeavours to solve conflicts and differences with peaceful means and not through bigger conflicts, the way US does through NATO or Security Council. Even though it has always been loudly said that NATO & OSCE are not at loggerheads and rather work in synergy, the failure of NATO to better the situation in Kosovo, Serbia or the near failure of the British-American strategy in Iraq, has been glaring. With the increasing possibility of an American invasion in Iran to avenge the Iranian intervention in Iraq (Iran is alleged to have funded the pro-Shia militias who are fighting the allied forces) might make the distancing of Europe from the US or any US-led consortium, more of a reality than just a hypothetical possibility.
With many non-European countries becoming partner states (Japan, South Korea, Israel are partners for cooperation), OSCE might just be on course to replace NATO. Reason? This world desperately needs peaceful means and not ‘aerial assaults’ to stop conflicts.