Democracy and Human Rights Program

Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis: The Problem of Unrecognized Identity

AbstractIn response to the military's genocidal assault, about 740,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since 2017. The Rohingya problem in Myanmar is based in political, ethnic, and religious oppression. Since 1982, the Rohingya people have been systematically denied citizenship, which has made their statelessness worse. The failure of the National League for Democracy (NLD) government to address the persecution of the Rohingya people crushed hopes for progress. Despite challenges posed by the military coup in 2021, the National Unity Government (NUG) has made headway in acknowledging their identity and pursuing international legal assistance.
This work examines the identity crisis that the Rohingya are experiencing and examines how the current turmoil in Myanmar is fueled by denial of their ethnic and political identity. The Rohingya have been further marginalized by the military's exploitation of religious emotion and the development of Buddhist nationalism. Despite these obstacles, the Rohingya have emerged as key players in Myanmar's pro-democracy movement, standing in solidarity with other ethnic groups against military rule. Their shared identity has become better known worldwide, representing resistance. The Rohingya people are still fighting for political legitimacy in Myanmar, but doing so is crucial to advancing social cohesion and human rights.

China’s ‘Malinformation’ Comes for Okinawa

Issues of Multilateralism Today and the Roles of Each Sector [In Japanese]

Technology Transfer to Latin American Countries: Drifting Away from the United States and China?

The Making of International Human Rights Norms: Contestation, Norm Clusters, and Actor Engagement in SOGI

AbstractThis paper analyzes international norms concerning sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI norms) by using insights from norm research in International Relations (NRIR). With analytical concepts in NRIR such as norm contestation, transnational advocacy networks, and norm clusters, it explores how SOGI norms have faced advancement and hostility. It begins by outlining states’ obligations regarding SOGI norms under international human rights law, from protecting individuals against violence to repealing discriminatory laws. Next, it explains that SOGI norms are frequently contested over their validity by actors connected through transnational conservative networks. Then, it argues that SOGI norms’ embeddedness within international human rights norm clusters has been increased by multiple actors. This deepened embeddedness could enhance the resilience of SOGI norms to the frequent validity contestation. It moves to the analysis of actors’ approaches and activities with a particular focus on activities of the Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on SOGI (IE SOGI). It concludes that despite significant progress, the strength of SOGI norms remains fragile in the face of political backlash and illiberal actors’ strategies.

Liberal Features of the Liberal International Order: Tools for the Understanding and Typology of Liberal Elements

AbstractInternational order is a central issue in international relations, both as an academic discipline and in reality, and an accurate understanding of its concept and real meaning is extremely important. The paper aims to deepen our understanding of the post–World War II international order, also called the “Liberal International Order" (LIO), which is exceedingly complex to understand in its entirety, by focusing on its liberal elements and characteristics. As the LIO is intersubjective, the author does not interpret it from the idea of liberalism but rather inquires as to the elements and characteristics that have been considered “liberal” in existing discussions. The paper develops our understanding of the LIO by categorizing it according to theoretical liberal elements and characteristics of political, economic, social, and international relations.

Fear of Influence Operations: Role and Challenges for Researchers

AbstractThis briefing discusses how Chinese foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) activities are perceived locally by potential target audiences in Okinawa. Such covert influence operations are employed to sway public opinion and affect policy in democratic countries. Enabled by the global reach of social media and digital platforms, these efforts threaten democratic discourse and stability. However, the research discussed here found that the actual impact locally tends to be exaggerated in research and public opinion. To improve our understanding of, and ability to handle FIMI activities it is suggested that research needs to consider four issues. These are 1) the local context the FIMI enters, 2) the level(s) the researcher(s) work on, 3) the origins of narratives used, and 4) the target groups involved. By including these dimensions when examining the impact of influence activities, we can hopefully improve how we handle influence activities in democracies.

Support Myanmar: It’s Time to Act [in Japanese]

Comment quoted in “The Approaching Footsteps of Personal Worship: Surviving in the Era of ‘Narrative Competition’” [in Japanese]

We Should Avoid Ideologization of Democracy: Learning from the Lessons of the Iraq War [in Japanese]