Message from the founder

Message from the Founder

When I started ARAC International, I wanted it to stand for one clear promise. We don’t just study conflict, we do the work to prevent it. And we do it by protecting human rights, amplifying voices that are too often silenced, and building real resilience where people live with the daily weight of instability.

Too much of the world’s attention turns to crisis only when it’s too late. I’ve seen it myself — when the roots of violence go ignored, when local knowledge is dismissed, when communities are left without the tools to push back against extremist threats or government failures.

At ARAC, our mission is to break that cycle. We anchor our work in the framework of Positive Peace, not just the absence of fighting but the presence of systems that let people live with dignity, opportunity, and a voice in their own future. We pair rigorous research with community-driven action. We produce tools that help leaders, journalists, and everyday citizens spot the early signals of conflict and organize around prevention, not reaction.

We believe technology, when used wisely, can strengthen that mission. We build AI systems to make sense of complex risk data, but we never lose sight of the human stories behind every number. Our vision is a world where communities have both the knowledge and the confidence to protect their rights, hold power accountable, and build networks strong enough to stand when tested.

This is not just research to fill reports on a shelf. It’s research that shapes training, community dialogue, local media, and policy. It’s documentary work that shows the human face of abstract crises. It’s data that informs real solutions, shared openly to make communities safer and more connected to the global conversation on peace.

I believe deeply that no one is powerless when they have good information and people who stand with them. That is ARAC’s commitment, to keep digging for truth, to keep amplifying local resilience, and to keep bridging technology, journalism, and security in service of human rights and lasting peace.

Thank you for believing in this work. Together, we can push for a future where conflict prevention is the norm, not the exception.

M. Nuri Shakoor
Founder, ARAC International