Local Voices

Just Security’s “Local Voices” section features perspectives and analysis from individuals directly affected by conflict, human rights abuses, and political crises around the world.

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316 Articles

Girls’ Education Has Taken Root in Afghanistan

Education, particularly girls’ education, is the lever that will raise Afghanistan above extremism and into a peaceful and prosperous future.
US flag in front of Capitol building

America’s Democracy Moment

As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, it is crucial to recognize the gravity of the threats still facing US democracy.
Coalition Force service members set up a perimeter under the cover of darkness on the edge of Shurakian in Helmand province. The image is taken through a green night vision lens and multiple vehicles are shown.

Ending the Forever War, But Leaving a Legacy of Impunity in Afghanistan

The international military forces withdrawing from Afghanistan leave behind a legacy of impunity that threatens to undermine hopes for peace and justice in Afghanistan for years…
A U.S. Army serviceman sits at the tailgate of a helicopter carrying US Defence Secretary, after leaving the Resolute Support headquarters, in the Afghan capital Kabul on April 24, 2017. The city below is lit up in lights against the darkening sky.

New Just Security Series: Reflections on Afghanistan on the Eve of Withdrawal

A series of essays that considers the legacy of America’s longest war as well as what the future holds for Afghanistan.
Students wait outside classrooms in Sittwe, capital of western Rakhine State on June 1, 2021. Barbed wire separates the photographer and the students.

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: Don’t Let the Light of Education Be Extinguished

Educational reforms in Myanmar were derailed first by COVID, then by the coup. A local teacher explains the consequences, and how the international community can support education…
A gate with the United Nations seal in front of the UN headquarters in New York City.

Time for a Course Correction on Counterterrorism and Civic Space

A defining feature of the U.N. counterterrorism eco-system is its lack of openness to outside expertise and civil society voices.
A Rohingya refugee family rests in a temporary shelter days after a fire burnt their home at a refugee camp in Ukhia, in the southeastern Cox's Bazar district on March 25, 2021.

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: The Views of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

The coup seemed to dash Rohingya refugee hopes of return to Myanmar. But some feel cautious hope at newfound cross-ethnic solidarity.
Protesters hold up their mobile phones and candles during a candlelight vigil to honor those who have died during demonstrations against the military coup in Yangon on March 13, 2021. They wear face masks to protect against COVID-19.

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: The Emerging New Politics of Gen Z

The atrocities committed by Tatmadaw soldiers have changed not only Myanmar’s political landscape but fundamentally transformed its political psyche.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz points to a projector screen showing targets hit by Israeli army in Gaza, during a press briefing in Jerusalem on May 31, 2021. He does not wear a face mask.

The 2021 Gaza War and the Limits of International Humanitarian Law

"As long as international humanitarian law is unable to acknowledge the structural injustice of the situation—the asymmetry, the horror—discussions of these cases in the technical…
Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City as Israeli warplanes target a governmental building, early on May 18, 2021 in Gaza City, Gaza.

Dispatch from Israel on Human Shields: What I Should’ve Said to a Dad on the Playground

Who's responsible for the deaths of those civilians in Gaza who were near areas where Hamas operates?
Indonesian police wearing face masks and carrying large guns guard the site of an ASEAN emergency meeting on Myanmar on April 24, 2021 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: The ASEAN Way Must Change

The regional bloc has long adopted a non-interventionist stance in the name of regional stability. But the Myanmar coup shows how this stance actually undermines stability - and…
A Myanmarese policeman, who fled Myanmar and crossed illegally to India, looks at a picture of detained Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on his social media at an undisclosed location in India's northeastern state of Mizoram on March 13, 2021. Other people sit on the ground nearby.

Beyond the Coup in Myanmar: The Other De-Platforming We Should Have Been Talking About  

Facebook has been moderating the Myanmar military's Facebook access for years. The military still used the platform to effectuate its coup. What can we learn from this failure…
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