A Case for Dialogue: Thomas Greminger

In our opening episode, hosts Alisiya Ivanova and Yauheni Preiherman are joined by Ambassador Thomas Greminger, Executive Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and former Secretary General of the OSCE.

They talk about whether there is still a place for cooperative security, why deterrence needs to be paired with dialogue, and why giving up is “not an option.”

(00:00) Welcome to the show.

(04:33) Is Ambassador Greminger an optimist or a pessimist?

(09:15) Lessons from an initiative that tried to prevent the war.

(13:37) Is there still a place for a Vancouver-to-Vladivostok vision?

(18:14) Why deterrence without dialogue isn’t enough.

(23:29) How small “islands of cooperation” can rebuild trust.

(28:05) Can the OSCE still play a useful role?

(33:20) Why Ambassador Greminger refuses to give up on dialogue.

(37:11) What’s missing from the way we talk about security.

(40:12) Closing remarks.