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helsinki commission
Podcast: Nobody Cheers for Goliath
The physical battle of tanks and bombs or territory gained and lost is only one terrible part of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s war against the people of Ukraine. The unprovoked war is also taking place in the media, on computer keyboards, and in the hearts and mind of people in Ukraine, in Russia, and worldwide. Just as Ukraine has won important battlefield successes in the face of what appeared to be an overwhelming Russian force, Ukraine has also waged a highly sophisticated public diplomacy campaign to counter what many thought was a Russian strength. Dr. Nicholas J. Cull, a pioneering scholar and educator in the field of public diplomacy and mass communication in foreign policy, joins "Helsinki on the Hill" to examine the fight over narratives around Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, how it shapes how different audiences understand the war, and the ultimate real-world impact of information warfare. "Helsinki on the Hill" is series of conversations hosted by the U.S. Helsinki Commission on human rights and comprehensive security in Europe and beyond. The Helsinki Commission, formally known as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, promotes human rights, military security, and economic cooperation in 57 countries in Europe, Eurasia, and North America. Transcript | Episode 21 | Nobody Cheers for Goliath: How Ukraine Is Winning the Information War Against Russia
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helsinki commission
Podcast: Communities at Risk
Reports from nearly every corner of the OSCE region suggest that minority groups and vulnerable populations have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and sometimes by the policies enacted by governments to address it. This extended episode of "Helsinki on the Hill" takes an in-depth look at the pandemic’s impact on minority groups and vulnerable populations, and the role of governments in addressing that impact. Margaret Huang, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Karen Taylor, chair of the European Network Against Racism, share insight about the reality on the ground for minority communities, including African Americans, who are suffering disproportionately from both the pandemic and systemic discrimination. Lamberto Zannier, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, joins the discussion to offer recommendations on meeting the needs of national minorities and marginalized communities in the new world of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Helsinki on the Hill" is series of conversations hosted by the U.S. Helsinki Commission on human rights and comprehensive security in Europe and beyond. The Helsinki Commission, formally known as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, promotes human rights, military security, and economic cooperation in 57 countries in Europe, Eurasia, and North America. Transcript | Episode 11 | Communities at Risk: The Impact of COVID-19 on the OSCE’s Most Vulnerable Populations
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helsinki commission
Podcast: Conflict Is Not Gender-Neutral
When United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security was adopted in 2000, it marked the first time that the UN Security Council acknowledged the vital role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. Two decades later, meaningful progress has been made in advancing the equal participation and full involvement of women in peace and security-related efforts, but substantial challenges remain. In this episode, two senior active duty female military officers—Colonel Katherine Lee of the New Zealand Defence Force and Lieutenant Colonel Diana Morais of the Portuguese Ministry of National Defense—describe why integrating the perspective of women is essential to sustainable peace and security efforts, including those undertaken by the OSCE and its participating States. "Helsinki on the Hill" is series of conversations hosted by the U.S. Helsinki Commission on human rights and comprehensive security in Europe and beyond. The Helsinki Commission, formally known as the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, promotes human rights, military security, and economic cooperation in 57 countries in Europe, Eurasia, and North America. Transcript | Episode 20 | Conflict Is Not Gender Neutral
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Military Aspects of Security
Military aspects of security, part of the OSCE’s politico-military or "first" dimension, involve not only applying conflict prevention and crisis management approaches to ‘traditional’ military challenges on the state level, but also using national armed forces, including police, for peace-building activities. At times, such forces may also used to help resolve certain security threats such as terrorism. Such activities promote and enhance regional security by joint engagement in activities of arms control, border management, combating terrorism, policing, and military reform.
The main OSCE forums active in the First Dimension are the Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC), the OSCE’s Security Committee, and the Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC). Arms control and confidence and security building measures are the main First Dimension areas in which the OSCE has historically demonstrated tangible successes. Major achievements include work following the fall of the Soviet Union to reduce weapons stockpiles in Europe and build systems for transparency and trust between the armies of OSCE participating States.
However, the deteriorating security environment in the OSCE region, culminating in the all-out invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, raised fundamental questions about the future of a number of the key ‘first dimension’ agreements reached in previous decades, despite these agreements’ significant historical contributions to stability and predictability in the region. These agreements include the Conventional Forces Europe Treaty (CFE), which established limits on the number of troops and heavy weaponry stationed along Cold War fault lines; and the 1999 Vienna Document, an information exchange agreement that requires advanced notification of large scale military exercises and maneuvers in order to avoid destabilizing responses to erroneous perceptions of threats. The Open Skies Treaty, signed in 1992 and in force since 2002, similarly aimed to reduce chances of conflict by providing for reciprocal overflight inspections in order to increase transparency and understanding of one another’s military capacity and intentions; however, the November 2020 withdrawal by the United States from Open Skies, coupled with the subsequent Russian withdrawal, underlined the extent to which the security environment in the region had changed.
Members of the Commission have kept a spotlight on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, in particular since the illegal occupation of Crimea which began in 2014, underlining that Moscow’s actions violate every principle of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975. In seeking to support Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other countries victim to Russian aggression and malign influence, the Commission has also recognized the need to modernize earlier agreements in order to ensure they remain fully relevant to modern military developments and new threats.
Staff Contact: Alex Tiersky, senior policy advisor