![Ukraine crisis: OSCE unarmed on the front line Ukraine crisis: OSCE unarmed on the front line](https://www.cer.eu/sites/default/files/styles/spotlight/public/images/spotlight/in_the_press/2014/eu_russia_ukraine_flags_sl-1395915232.jpg?itok=VxjQwEnL)
Ukraine crisis: OSCE unarmed on the front line
Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the CER, says the consensus nature of the OSCE is both a strength and a weakness: "Anything that requires a decision by the OSCE's permanent council is vulnerable to a veto by a single state… but if you can reach consensus, then that gives a decision extra strength."