Best Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Podcasts (2025)

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Welcome to the Transatlantic! 0:34

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1M ago0:34

0:34

The Helsinki Commission's podcast is back! We are excited to be launching The Transaltantic, a podcast bringing you human stories across oceans, political divides, and intellectual traditions. Join our host Bakhti Nishanov as he talks to people behind the debates and developments shaping the struggle for freedom and security in the United States, E…

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Russia Hates the Truth 36:37

3y ago36:37

36:37

Transgender journalist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, a U.S. citizen, joins host Alex Tiersky to describe her journey, first to Ukraine as a war correspondent, then her decision to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a combat medic on the front lines, as well as becoming a high-value target for Russian propaganda, and the importance of pursuing the trut…

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On the Precipice 28:07

3y ago28:07

28:07

The OSCE has been central to diplomatic efforts around Russia's war against Ukraine. In this episode, Ambassador Michael Carpenter, U.S. Permanent Representative to the OSCE, discusses the ultimately unsuccessful diplomatic efforts to forestall Russia's full-scale invasion; the role of the OSCE in ensuring accountability for war crimes and atrociti…

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Brothers in Arms 39:49

3y ago39:49

39:49

Since February 2022, thousands of non-Ukrainians have signed up to help defend Ukraine from Russian aggression. In this episode, two former members of the U.S. military—former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant James Vasquez and retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Rip Rawlings—discuss their own efforts, one fighting on the ground, and the other mobilizing and…

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Russia's Arsenal of Aggression 38:53

3+ y ago38:53

38:53

One particularly insidious tool in Russia's arsenal of aggression is the Kremlin's use of mercenaries, in particular against Ukraine. In this episode, experts Candace Rondeaux and Col. Chris Mayer (Ret.) discuss how Russia draws on mercenary networks such the Wagner Group, which has been linked to human rights and other atrocities including the hor…

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Nobody Cheers for Goliath: How Ukraine Is Winning the Information War Against Russia 38:10

3+ y ago38:10

38:10

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 importan…

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Conflict Is Not Gender Neutral 37:03

4y ago37:03

37:03

When the UN 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 wo…

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Contending with China 29:53

4y ago29:53

29:53

The Chinese Communist Party poses major challenges to the transatlantic community's ideals of governance and human rights. In this episode, Didi Kirsten Tatlow, contributing author of the Atlantic Council report "The China Plan," discusses the Chinese Communist Party's oppression of its citizens, illustrates how that repression extends to the inter…

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Russian Intention, Russian Aggression 38:05

4y ago38:05

38:05

From September 10 – 16, ZAPAD 2021—a major Russian military exercise that includes thousands of troops—will take place in and around Belarus. The exercise follows months of reports that the Russian military has been involved in actions that potentially could spark a major and violent confrontation between Russia and other countries, including a Mar…

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Toward a Sustainable, Enduring, Democratic Peace 31:42

4+ y ago31:42

31:42

The work of the Helsinki Commission aligns closely with that of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the world's largest regional security organization. The United States supports the work of the OSCE through not only the Helsinki Commission, but also through funding—generally contribution between 11 and 14 percent of the…

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Agents of the Future 42:41

4+ y ago42:41

42:41

The creation of the Moscow Helsinki Group was announced on May 12, 1976, a day that Helsinki Commission Chair Sen. Ben Cardin has called, "One of the major events in the struggle for human rights around the globe." The 11 founding members, including legends of the human rights movement like Yuri Orlov and Lyudmila Alexeyeva, came together as what w…

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Damocles' Sword 34:58

4+ y ago34:58

34:58

The upcoming Tokyo Olympics, slated to take place late July after a one-year postponement, will be the first international athletic event since the passage of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (RADA) in December 2020, which established criminal penalties on individuals involved in doping fraud conspiracies affecting major international competition. Th…

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Massive, Systematic, Proven beyond Doubt 48:12

5y ago48:12

48:12

President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power in Belarus since 1994. In the run-up to elections in the summer of 2020, the Lukashenko regime sought to eliminate political competition to through disqualification, intimidation, and imprisonment. Election Day proper featured widespread allegations of fraud. Many countries, including the United Stat…

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Welcome to Observe 52:30

5y ago52:30

52:30

Election observation is a core element of the OSCE's efforts to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Every OSCE participating States—including the United States—pledges to invite foreign observers to observe its elections. The United States plays an active role in OSCE election observation missions, both by providing observers for …

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Lost and Found 45:17

5+ y ago45:17

45:17

Only July 11, 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys from the town of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina were rounded up, gunned down, and buried in mass graves by Bosnian Serb forces, in what was the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II. The brutality of the genocide at Srebrenica was compounded by the deliberate ef…

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Communities at Risk 54:03

5+ y ago54:03

54:03

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 v…

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The Roma 40:01

5+ y ago40:01

40:01

Concentrated in post-communist Central and Southern Europe, Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe. Roma have historically faced persecution and were the victims of genocide during World War II. In post-communist countries, Roma have suffered disproportionately in the transition to market economies, in part due to endemic racism and discrim…

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The Transatlantic

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

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Welcome to the Transatlantic! 0:34

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Russia Hates the Truth 36:37

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On the Precipice 28:07

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Brothers in Arms 39:49

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Russia's Arsenal of Aggression 38:53

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Nobody Cheers for Goliath: How Ukraine Is Winning the Information War Against Russia 38:10

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Conflict Is Not Gender Neutral 37:03

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Contending with China 29:53

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Russian Intention, Russian Aggression 38:05

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Toward a Sustainable, Enduring, Democratic Peace 31:42

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Agents of the Future 42:41

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Damocles' Sword 34:58

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Massive, Systematic, Proven beyond Doubt 48:12

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Welcome to Observe 52:30

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Lost and Found 45:17

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Communities at Risk 54:03

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The Roma 40:01

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Parliamentary Diplomacy in Action 48:42

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Nagorno-Karabakh 42:16

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Disappeared in Turkmenistan 34:37

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Defending against Disinformation 40:00

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Equitable and Inclusive Democracies 47:19

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Open Skies 38:58

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Civilians in the Crossfire 46:17

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Seeking Justice in Serbia 33:58

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In the Beginning 43:20