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Freezing Support to Democracy and Human Rights Activists Undermines US Interests

February 13, 2025 Opinions

While much of the world’s attention has rightly been focused on the immediate humanitarian and security consequences of President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign assistance, that freeze also encompasses support for democracy and human rights activists fighting to make their societies more responsive to the needs and rights of their citizens.

Guantanamo has become America's cage

October 4, 2022 Opinions

"Today, more than 20 years after the United States transferred the first prisoners to Guantanamo, it’s not only the prisoners who are trapped there. It’s our cage, too. And the costs of being stuck there are enormous," writes Elisa Massimino in CNN Opinion.

A migrant model to follow: Portugal’s response to the coronavirus

April 10, 2022 Opinions

"At a time when many countries, including the United States, are indulging nationalist impulses and even using the crisis to further exclude and marginalize immigrants, Portugal is exemplifying a smart, pragmatic policy that both respects the rights and dignity of all people and helps minimize spread of the virus," write Elisa Massimino and Alexandra Schmitt.

The United States needs a comprehensive protection plan for the forcibly displaced in Afghanistan

August 17, 2021 Opinions

"While it is too late to avoid the immediate chaos, there is still time for the Biden administration and its allies to put in place a human rights-centered plan for the forcibly displaced and work to mitigate further disaster in Afghanistan. Failing to do so risks people’s lives and safety as well as the likelihood of another refugee crisis with global implications," write Elisa Massimino and Alexandra Schmitt.

Rethinking DHS to prioritize human security and homeland services

June 17, 2021 Opinions

"We view DHS from very different perspectives, but we both believe that DHS has become seriously out of balance with America’s needs. We need a new vision for the department that prioritizes responding to these needs and takes a broader view of what it means to keep the nation secure," write Elisa Massimino and Rudy deLeon.

Women and a new world order

May 25, 2021 Opinions

Elisa Massimino introduces Mona Siegel's book "Peace on Our Terms" about the fight for women's rights during World War I in a book review roundtable with the Texas National Security Review.