Helsinki on the Hill

A series of conversations hosted by the United States 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.

Russia Hates the Truth 11/03/2022

Russia Hates the Truth 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 truth against a regime that thrives on lies. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/24892791

On the Precipice 10/17/2022

On the Precipice 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 atrocities; and the need to ensure Ukraine’s victory and Russia’s defeat. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/24702768

Brothers in Arms 09/09/2022

Brothers in Arms 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 coordinating support to the Ukrainian armed forces through his foundation. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/24322083

Russia's Arsenal of Aggression 07/06/2022

Russia's Arsenal of Aggression 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 horrific massacre at Bucha. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/23649329

Nobody Cheers for Goliath: How Ukraine Is Winning the Information War Against Russia 04/20/2022

Nobody Cheers for Goliath: How Ukraine Is Winning the Information War Against Russia 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. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/22857899

Conflict Is Not Gender Neutral 12/14/2021

Conflict Is Not Gender Neutral When UNSCR 1325 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 full involvement of women in peace and security-related efforts, but substantial challenges remain. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/21485855

Contending with China 11/10/2021

Contending with China The Chinese Communist Party poses major challenges to the transatlantic community’s ideals of governance and human rights. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/21123734

Russian Intention, Russian Aggression 08/27/2021

Russian Intention, Russian Aggression 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. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/20284505

Toward a Sustainable, Enduring, Democratic Peace 07/23/2021

Toward a Sustainable, Enduring, Democratic Peace The United States supports the work of the OSCE through not only funding—generally contributing 11-14% of the OSCE’s operating costs—but also through the deployment of staff who do the day-to-day work of making the principles on which the OSCE is based into a reality on the ground. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/19908464

Agents of the Future 06/16/2021

Agents of the Future The Moscow Helsinki Group was launched 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.” /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/19501112

Damocles’ Sword 04/09/2021

Damocles’ Sword The Tokyo Olympics will be the first international athletic event since the passage of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act (RADA). The legislation, named for Russian doping whistleblower Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, established criminal penalties on those involved in doping fraud conspiracies affecting major international competition. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/18541730

Massive, Systematic, Proven beyond Doubt 12/01/2020

Massive, Systematic, Proven beyond Doubt As an OSCE participating State, Belarus commits to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. Following the apparent violation of these rights during and after recent elections in Belarus, other OSCE states invoked the Moscow Mechanism to establish a short-term fact-finding mission to report on these concerns. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/17019893

Welcome to Observe 10/14/2020

Welcome to Observe Election observation is a core element of the OSCE’s efforts to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/16401149

Lost and Found 07/10/2020

Lost and Found Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica, Kathryne Bomberger, director general of the International Commission on Missing Persons, discusses how ICMP has helped families of the Srebrenica victims find closure and pursue justice. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/15159965

Communities at Risk 06/05/2020

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. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/14711420

The Roma 04/06/2020

The Roma Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe. The victims of genocide during World War II, Roma have continued to suffer disproportionately in part due to endemic racism and discrimination. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/13873136

Parliamentary Diplomacy in Action 02/17/2020

Parliamentary Diplomacy in Action Through participation in parliamentary assemblies, national legislators can wield global influence on issues ranging from counterterrorism to climate change. Roberto Montella, Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and Ruxandra Popa, Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, peel back the curtain on activities of their institutions and underscore the value of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting security, prosperity, and human rights worldwide. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/13252349

Nagorno-Karabakh 01/20/2020

Nagorno-Karabakh The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains one of the world’s most intractable and long-standing territorial and ethnic disputes. Its fragile no-peace, no-war situation poses a serious threat to stability in the South Caucasus region and beyond. The conflict features at its core a fundamental tension between two key tenets of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act: territorial integrity and the right to self-determination. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/12784382

Disappeared in Turkmenistan 12/16/2019

Disappeared in Turkmenistan In Turkmenistan, detainees serving long-term prison sentences often literally “disappear” into the notorious Ovadan Depe prison outside of Ashgabat. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/12422531

Defending against Disinformation 11/18/2019

Defending against Disinformation Well-orchestrated disinformation campaigns by state and non-state actors aim to deceive the public and undermine democracy. President and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Jamie Fly, Helsinki Commission Senior State Department Advisor Mark Toner, and RFE/RL Journalist Tatiana Vaksberg discuss tools that democracies can use to battle the threat of disinformation by Russia and other malign actors in today’s contested information space. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/12083960

Equitable and Inclusive Democracies 10/21/2019

Equitable and Inclusive Democracies How can the United States and Europe achieve a long-term vision of stable, and sustainable, and inclusive democracies? Samira Rafaela, the first woman of Afro-Caribbean descent to win a seat in the European Parliament, European activist Alfiaz Vaiya, and Helsinki Commission Chief of Staff Alex T. Johnson discuss their experiences on the front lines of the fight for greater diversity and inclusion in Europe, and in the transatlantic policymaking space more broadly. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/11729807

Open Skies 09/16/2019

Open Skies Arms control experts Alexandra Bell, Senior Policy Director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Anthony Wier, Legislative Secretary for Nuclear Disarmament and Pentagon Spending at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, discuss the Treaty on Open Skies. The agreement fosters inter-military transparency and cooperation among 34 different countries by allowing participants to overfly each other’s territory to record and share imagery of military and other installations. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/11183663

Civilians in the Crossfire 08/19/2019

Civilians in the Crossfire Alexander Hug, former principal deputy chief monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, describes the toll taken on civilians in Eastern Ukraine’s war zone, the dangers faced by the unarmed civilian mission, and the urgent need to generate the political will to end the unnecessary conflict. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/10885309

Seeking Justice in Serbia 07/15/2019

Seeking Justice in Serbia Twenty years after U.S. citizens Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi were brutally murdered in Serbia in the aftermath of the 1999 conflict in Kosovo, their brother Ilir documents his family’s fight for justice in the face of inaction by Serbian authorities. Ilir is joined by family lawyer Praveen Madhiraju and Helsinki Commission senior policy advisor Robert Hand. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/10442708

In the Beginning 06/17/2019

In the Beginning In the inaugural episode of "Helsinki on the Hill," the Helsinki Commission's first staff director, Spencer Oliver, shares how the Helsinki Commission evolved from its beginnings in the 1970s to become an organization that reflects the overarching commitment of the United States to security and cooperation in Europe, and that has played a vital role in introducing and promoting the concept of human rights as an element in U.S. foreign policy decision-making globally. /episode/index/show/helsinkicommission/id/10182491

Helsinki on the Hill

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