HRI, IJDH, and BAI have jointly made two significant submissions to the United Nations—one to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and another to the UN Secretary-General—calling for reparatory justice for Haiti in light of the enduring impacts of Transatlantic Chattel Slavery and colonialism, with a particular focus on the so-called “Independence Debt” imposed on Haiti by France in 1825.
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.
"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.
"Russians who've committed war crimes in the Ukraine may be counting on the conventional wisdom that accountability for such acts — if it comes at all — will be many years in the future. But that assumption is about to be upended," write Elisa Massimino, Greg Bloche, and Mark Fallon.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"American diplomats have long understood that hypocrisy has a cost, especially for a nation that seeks to champion the ideals of democracy and human rights as the cornerstone of global peace and security," writes Elisa Massimino.
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.
"Rather than wait for these crises to boil over, the United States can take concrete steps to anticipate and prepare for the kind of forced displacement that is happening in Ethiopia today," write Elisa Massimino and Alexandra Schmitt in Just Security.
"Here’s our overall advice: as a starting point, go big at the White House, where significant change requires no legislation, and thus can be implemented quickly and effectively," write Elisa Massimino and Rob Berschinski on strengthening human rights in the new Administration.
