The Soldier Testimony Project



Understanding humanity in conflict



All too often, the individual soldier's voice is missing from discussions about violent conflict.

In the case of human rights abuses, a simplistic aggressor-victim dichotomy is reproduced by a polarized public discourse. On the one hand, politicians and commanders seek to isolate "bad apples" and to avoid blame for their own strategic decisions. On the other hand, human rights groups speak only for the victims of abuse. In accounts of conflict, soldiers are presented (by others) as heroes or villains, but rarely human. Direct soldier testimony can offer powerful commentary on the larger systems in which soldiers operate and paint a more detailed picture of humanity in conflict.

The Soldier Testimony Project aims to present soldier testimonies in an accessible medium. The Project seeks to encourage reflection on the circumstances and institutional arrangements that facilitate the perpetration of human rights abuses, while still inviting condemnation of their occurrence.