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
UN’s “Counter-Terrorism Week” Misses the Mark in Marginalizing Civil Society
The UN is ignoring the calls of more than 400 CSOs just a month ago for a different approach to effectively counter terrorism. The outcome will be clear.
COVID-19 and the Shrinking Civic Space in Nigeria
With the same rapidity as its spread, COVID-19 seems to be taking over as the major driver of shrinking civic space in many parts of the world, displacing the popular buzzwords:…
U.S. Fails to Acknowledge Killing Yemeni Civilians
A Yemen-based human rights organization has documented the impact of U.S. air strikes for the last seven years. The results contradict DOD's report.
Coronavirus Adds Urgency to Ending Egypt’s Detention and Torture of Children
The United States has long justified its support for Egyptian security services as necessary for the security and stability of Egypt and the region. Yet the means by which the…
How to Hold Venezuela’s Maduro Accountable for Human Rights Abuses
The Trump administration's focus on the regime’s corruption, manipulation of the election process, and narco-terrorism omits other egregious violations.
Yemen: Where Coalitions Come to Die
Yemen is the cemetery of invaders, or so the ancient proverb goes, and today it is certainly the burial ground of foreign military coalitions.
The International Security Echo-Chamber: Getting Civil Society Into the Room
It is time to make sure the public fully understands the harmful impacts of their governments’ interventions on the lives of others, and to reaffirm that security can be built…
CTRL+HALT+Defeat: State-Sponsored Surveillance and the Suppression of Dissent
A new lawsuit in Israeli court seeks accountability for the export of malicious spyware used for digital surveillance of human rights defenders, journalists, and political dissidents.…
Report of the Independent UN Commission of Inquiry on Gaza Strip – An Initial Evaluation of a Problematic Report
Bottom line up front: "The Commission chose to infer far reaching conclusions from the limited evidence before it, thus discrediting much that should be appreciated in the report."
U.S. Congress Should Stop Security Assistance to Guatemala Until Rule of Law is Restored
As a former Appeal’s Court judge in Guatemala, I am deeply concerned about the rapidly escalating constitutional crisis that threatens recent progress to establish the rule of…
The 116th Congress and Preventing Extremist Violence: Look North for Guidance
Democrats taking control of the U.S. House today with the start of the 116th Congress have a long and growing list of policy (as well as investigative) priorities. Included on…
U.S. Lethal Operations in Somalia Are On the Rise. But Are They Effective?
A deep-rooted ideology cannot be defeated with bombs dropped from the sky. What is needed is a real shift in strategy.