Mujibur Abid - Will our Alliances Protect Us?

SUMMARY:
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I’m thrilled to share this powerful talk from Mujibur Abid, a peace scholar and PhD researcher with lived experience and deep research into Afghanistan, transitional justice and non-violence. Mujibur joins us to question a familiar assumption: do our alliances actually protect us? He admits he doesn’t claim to be an Australian affairs expert, but his outsider-insider perspective is exactly what makes this discussion so valuable. He unpicks three key ideas — allies, protection and the framing of security — and brings an Afghan-informed analysis to Australia’s ties with historic imperial powers. Mujibur challenges the militaristic lens through which alliances are often viewed and reminds us how colonial legacies shape contemporary foreign policy and identity. This talk invites us to rethink security beyond defence postures and consider peace with justice as a practical alternative. If you care about honest, critical conversations on foreign policy, migration, and peacebuilding, this is a must-watch and I’m excited to hear your thoughts in the comments.

RUMBLE DESCRIPTION:
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Hey everyone — great to have you here. In this session we welcome Mujibur Abid, a Master of Peace and Complex Studies (now a PhD researcher) who brings scholarly insight and lived experience from Afghanistan into a frank conversation about alliances and security. Mujibur doesn’t pretend to be an expert in Australian domestic politics, but his research and personal perspective let him ask the question many of us take for granted: will our alliances actually protect us?

What to expect in this talk:
- A clear unpacking of the terms ‘allies’ and ‘protection’ and why the way we frame those terms matters.
- An Afghan-informed lens on how colonial histories and contemporary power arrangements shape national identity and foreign policy.
- A critique of militaristic assumptions in popular discourse and a push towards thinking about peace with justice and transitional justice as part of security.

Why watch? This isn’t just an academic lecture — it’s a thoughtful, accessible intervention from someone working at the intersection of academia, community and activism. Mujibur raises questions we should all be asking about Australia’s ties to former imperial powers, how those ties influence policy, and what genuine protection might look like for communities at home and abroad.

If this discussion resonates, please like, share and leave a comment with your thoughts. Tell us what protection means to you, or ask Mujibur a question — he’s keen to continue the conversation. Subscribe for more talks on peacebuilding, social justice and foreign policy perspectives from diverse voices.

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