Just Security has partnered with the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute to launch a series of articles intended to make the discourse on US national security policies more inclusive of individuals from countries affected by these policies. In the coming weeks, this series will include articles authored by experts and advocates from around the world, including Kenya, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. 

Millions of people around the world are affected by US armed conflict, security, and counterterrorism policies and practices, but discourse in the United States is generally dominated by American perspectives. The expert opinions and experiences of those directly impacted by US policies are too often marginalized in discussions among US policymakers, as well as in civil liberties and national security conferences, workshops, hearings, press coverage, and blogs. .

Through the new series launched this week, and by proactively taking steps to ensure that experts from countries affected by US security policies have access to prominent national security platforms, Just Security and the Human Rights Institute seek to contribute to efforts to address this imbalance and enrich the discourse on national security with their views.

In the first few weeks of the series, Just Security will publish posts from:

• Abdillahi Sheikh Abukar, Executive Director of the Somali Human Rights Association (SOHRA), will discuss how Somalis impacted by counterterrorism operations are demanding accountability.
• Sikander Ahmed Shah, Professor of Public International Law at Lahore University of Management Sciences, will analyze the deteriorating relationship between the United States and Pakistan, and what that means for stability and human rights in the region.
• Abdulrasheed Al-Faqih, a leading Yemeni human rights advocate, and Executive Director of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, will evaluate US lethal operations in Yemen and will argue that US policy in the country is contributing to harm and fueling resentment among the local population.
• Elham Saudi, Riad Alakar, and Thomas Ebbs, advocates from Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL) will explain how the United States’ military intervention in Libya has impacted human rights in the country.

Read more about the series on Just Security.