Absence Is Acquiescence: Why the U.S. Must Lead at the OSCE — and on the Global Stage

Like many Americans, I have little patience for diplomatic pageantry — the polished applause, the tailored-suit self-congratulation, and the moral ambiguity that masquerades as consensus. I also reject the bureaucratic posturing and wasteful spending that too often characterize multilateral institutions. All too frequently, these forums become echo chambers for indecision rather than instruments of deterrence.

This week the 32nd Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) convened in Vienna — and notably, the U.S. ambassador’s chair remained empty.

Skepticism toward large, inefficient institutions is understandable. But skepticism alone is not a strategy. Walking away from these forums does not punish our adversaries; it hands them the stage and lets them tell their story while we sit in silence.

Why Presence Matters

There is a seductive argument in foreign policy that the world has become "multipolar," that balance rather than leadership should be the guiding principle. But multipolarity does not guarantee peace — it guarantees contest. Tyrants and terrorists will seek to fill any vacuum left by American disengagement. History repeatedly disproves the notion that the United States can shrink its footprint and preserve influence; in practice, withdrawal invites disorder while active U.S. leadership helps restore it.

Despite its imperfections, the OSCE is strategically essential because it is one of the few international mechanisms where Russia is present but China is not. That distinction matters: it gives Washington a platform to engage Moscow directly without Beijing’s growing influence complicating the conversation. The return on U.S. investment in the OSCE is unusually high: Europe contributes roughly $8 for every $1 the United States spends, yet Washington retains outsized influence. For less than two-thousandths of 1 percent of the federal budget, the United States helps define how European and Eurasian security is understood.

From Fortified Embassies To Visible Engagement

Diplomatic representation should be an instrument of power. Over recent decades, many administrations adopted a "fortress embassy" model, moving missions away from city centers in the name of security. That physical retreat — both symbolic and strategic — distanced the United States from hubs of influence. China did the opposite: it moved in, closer, bolder and more visible.

President Trump, with the instincts of a real estate developer, recognized a basic principle: location is leverage. Presence equals power. If we cannot return buildings to old central squares, we must at minimum increase the number and visibility of our people on the ground.

A Practical, America First Argument For Engagement

An America First approach to the OSCE should begin with realism about the organization’s core strengths: upholding sovereignty, enhancing border stability, and preventing coercion. In these areas, U.S. interests and the OSCE’s founding mission overlap — making active engagement a pragmatic form of national interest rather than a surrender to globalism.

Across the Caucasus, the Balkans, and Central Asia, the OSCE remains one of the few mechanisms capable of preventing conflict through on-the-ground presence, election observation, and confidence-building measures. These regions are contested spaces where Russian propaganda is active and Chinese influence is rising, and where the future of the Euro-Atlantic order is being shaped. America First does not mean standing apart — it means standing above, leading on terms that serve U.S. interests. The administration should use participation in the OSCE to advance those interests.

Among the OSCE’s 57 member states, many remain persuadable. They are watching and deciding which side projects greater confidence and moral clarity. Washington must step up, lead again, and reclaim the narrative. The alternative is a world increasingly managed by Moscow and Beijing.

About the author: Meaghan Mobbs, Ph.D., is director of the Center for American Safety and Security at Independent Women and president of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation. She serves as a presidential appointee to the United States Military Academy Board of Visitors.

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