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Catherine Cosman Religious communities in Post Soviet States
Rumi ForumMs. Cosman's focus will be on how Russia has served as a model for other post-Soviet states in its religion law, official policies towards various religious communities and changing social attitudes towards religion. She will discuss certain aspects of religion law, such as registration requirements and "traditional" religious communities as well as how other laws and official policies embody that official relationship. Finally, she will also examine the role of religious communities in civil society at large. Ms. Cosman will also include references to other post-Soviet states, including the CRead moreShow less
Ms. Cosman's focus will be on how Russia has served as a model for other post-Soviet states in its religion law, official policies towards various religious communities and changing social attitudes towards religion. She will discuss certain aspects of religion law, such as registration requirements and "traditional" religious communities as well as how other laws and official policies embody that official relationship. Finally, she will also examine the role of religious communities in civil society at large. Ms. Cosman will also include references to other post-Soviet states, including the Central Asian states, have adopted these policies in harsher fashion.
Bio: Catherine Cosman joined the staff of the Commission as Senior Policy Analyst in November 2003. Her areas of responsibility include the countries of the former Soviet Union, East and Central Europe, and Western Europe. She served on the staff of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe as senior analyst on Soviet dissent (1976-1989). Cosman was also a commentator on Soviet society for a nationally syndicated U.S. radio program. She then joined Human Rights Watch (1989-1992) where she wrote several studies on ethnic conflicts in Central Asia and the Caucasus and the human rights in the then-USSR. Working with emerging independent labor unions for the Free Trade Union Institute (1992-1996), she focused on Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. She lived in Estonia where she was the Senior Expert of the OSCE Mission, working on the integration of the Russian minority into Estonian society (1996-1998.) She managed the Central Asian and Caucasus grants program at the National Endowment for Democracy, before joining the Communications Division at RFE/RL in 1999 where she edited "Media Matters" and "(Un)Civil Societies." She received a BA in History from Grinnell College and a MA and an ABD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Brown University.
Bio: Catherine Cosman joined the staff of the Commission as Senior Policy Analyst in November 2003. Her areas of responsibility include the countries of the former Soviet Union, East and Central Europe, and Western Europe. She served on the staff of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe as senior analyst on Soviet dissent (1976-1989). Cosman was also a commentator on Soviet society for a nationally syndicated U.S. radio program. She then joined Human Rights Watch (1989-1992) where she wrote several studies on ethnic conflicts in Central Asia and the Caucasus and the human rights in the then-USSR. Working with emerging independent labor unions for the Free Trade Union Institute (1992-1996), she focused on Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. She lived in Estonia where she was the Senior Expert of the OSCE Mission, working on the integration of the Russian minority into Estonian society (1996-1998.) She managed the Central Asian and Caucasus grants program at the National Endowment for Democracy, before joining the Communications Division at RFE/RL in 1999 where she edited "Media Matters" and "(Un)Civil Societies." She received a BA in History from Grinnell College and a MA and an ABD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Brown University.
