The security we don’t see: A call for solidarity, not sympathy

November 15, 2025

The author, drawing from their brother's experience as an ER doctor in Turkey's border regions, argues that humanitarian crises abroad directly impact local communities through interconnected supply chains, information networks, and migration patterns. Rather than viewing distant suffering as separate from domestic concerns, the piece demonstrates how unmet basic needs in one region create cascading effects that manifest as healthcare emergencies, economic strain, and social instability elsewhere. The author advocates for proactive investment in food security, education, and cash support as practical measures that prevent crises rather than merely responding to them.

Who is affected

Families living in poverty, particularly along Turkey's border regions
Children missing school due to hunger and economic hardship
ER doctors and healthcare workers dealing with preventable emergencies
Teachers, municipal officers, shopkeepers, and nurses experiencing downstream effects in their work
Migrants forced onto dangerous routes when legal pathways are blocked
Communities in both origin regions (like Van, Gaziantep, northern Syria) and destination areas (like Glasgow and London)
Individuals vulnerable to loan sharks due to financial instability
People targeted by disinformation during times of anxiety and hardship

What action is being taken

No explicit ongoing actions are described in the article. The author describes past observations and current conditions but does not detail specific programs or initiatives currently underway.

Why it matters

The article challenges the false separation between "overseas" humanitarian issues and domestic safety by demonstrating how crises travel across borders through supply chains (turning distant droughts into local price increases), digital networks (spreading disinformation to anxious populations), and migration routes (empowering criminal smuggling operations). Proactive investment in basic needs—school meals, cash support, cross-border municipal cooperation—prevents costly emergencies and reduces desperation-driven crime more effectively than surveillance or policing. In an era of rising AI surveillance, strengthening borders, and increasingly self-interested leadership, the piece argues that interconnected global crises require solidarity-based responses because ignoring distant struggles ultimately creates preventable local emergencies, from packed hospital triage rooms to economic instability.

What's next

The article suggests potential actions readers can take:
Spread awareness through social media posts
Send messages to political representatives to hold leaders accountable
Make donations to support relevant causes
Advocate for policies addressing supply chains, timelines, and human movement routes
Work toward providing school meals, cash support programs, and safer heating assistance
However, **no explicit organizational or policy next steps are stated in the article**.

Read full article from source: Global Voices