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.
316 Articles
Put Yemen’s Civil Society – and Accountability — at the Center of the Push for Peace
Restoring US leadership and values on Yemen requires more than to stop selling bombs to the Saudis. Yemenis need the chance to confront impunity.
Sri Lanka’s Evasion of Accountability Tests the Limits of the International Human Rights System
Twelve years of failed justice must trigger an honest debate on the ability of these mechanisms to prevent violations and deal with historical atrocities.
How Domestic Civic Movements Could Reshape US Foreign Policy
Nonviolent and inclusive, they can provide the energy, dynamism, and power-shifting ability needed to address the world’s interconnected crises.
Biden Needs a Foreign Policy Focused on Sustainable Peace
War and weapons cannot solve today’s most urgent challenges. They require peacebuilding, diplomacy, and conflict-sensitive development.
Emblematic Cases Expose the Long Road to Justice in Sri Lanka
For more than a decade, in one atrocity case after another, justice is delayed, denied, or even reversed, as the government pursues impunity.
Give Local Civil Society a Say in U.S. Security Assistance
Certain guidelines can help in navigating the challenges of creating a more prominent and consistent role for those who stand to gain or lose most.
The Progress Not Made on Protecting Civilians
I was recently asked to reflect on the progress the United States has made on civilian protection after two decades of war and counterterrorism operations since 9/11. I got down…
New Aid for Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding Aims at Issues Underlying Security
The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act provides an unprecedented $250 million over five years for economic and people-to-people projects.
Unprecedented Threats to Journalists & Civil Society Activists Are Threatening Afghanistan
Who benefits from the killing of journalists, human rights activists, and civil society members in Afghanistan? What purposes could it serve and for whom?
The American Insurrection Was a Gain for Dictators, and a Loss for Zimbabweans
The Jan. 6 Capitol riot marked a setback for millions of people around the world who yearn for more democratic societies where their voices matter.
On Biden’s Planned Summit: Humility, Not Hubris, Can Save Democracy
The voices of those who have suffered most from democracy’s ills are crucial to understanding – and addressing -- the impact of backsliding laws, policies, and institutions…
Ugandan Human Rights Lawyer Fights Charges on Eve of Presidential Election
Following a now-predictable pattern in the leadup to the polls, authorities have hastened arrests of political opponents and critics of President Museveni.