MEMBERS OF THE U.S. DELEGATION

Since the revolutionary events in the former socialist states in Central and Eastern Europe, the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) has been the subject of a fundamental change.

The demise and rebirth of states brings with it a set of very complicated legal issues, among which is the question of how to deal with that state's cultural heritage, whether within its boundaries or not. Through a historical analysis of state dissolution and succession and its impact on cultural heritage from 1815 to present day, the work will identify guiding principles to facilitate the conclusion of agreements on the status of cultural property following the succession of states. Studying primary materials and evidence of state practice that has not been available before, the work will propose a novel approach to state succession from the perspective of the emerging interest of the international community to safeguard cultural heritage. State succession is one of the most obscure areas of international law since its rules are characterized either by their absence or their inconsistency. This book explores to what extent the principles and practice of state succession correspond to the evolution of the concept of cultural heritage in international law. It provides an extensive analysis of the alternations of the international practice and legal doctrine of state succession to tangible cultural heritage since the formation of the European nation-states in the nineteenth century - through the experience of decolonization to the post-Cold War dissolution of multinational states. The book has been awarded Prize of the Professor Manfred Lachs Foundation and Kozminski University in Warsaw for the best monograph in public international law published by a Polish author in 2015, in the category of debuts. On 24 November 2016, the book State Succession in Cultural Property by Andrzej Jakubowski was awarded the Prize of the Professor Manfred Lachs Foundation and Kozminski University in Warsaw for the best monograph in public international law published by a Polish author in 2015, in the category of debuts.

The quantity of documents produced by the OSCE reflects the increasing number and range of its activities. The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe helps users access this important and continually metamorphosing body of law. Supplementing The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe: Analysis and Basic Documents, 1972-1993, a 1,200 page collection of official OSCE documents, this volume contains selected official documents from the last few years. It focuses on those containing substantive decisions which bind all or some of the OSCE states. In addition, letters and recommendations of the High Commissioner on National Minorities and the reactions to them by governments take up a large section of the book, reflecting the increasing activities of the HCNM. Practitioners and academics who deal with the OECD will appreciate this work's coverage, the editor's expertise, and his painstakking selection.