Mission
To address the imbalance in whose expertise is recognised in international security debates by elevating perspectives that are too often overlooked, fostering a more balanced and credible exchange of ideas, and connecting regional expertise with wider strategic understanding.
Founder
Mikael Darbinian is the founder of Security Observer, a former US diplomat and political scientist specialising in foreign policy, military affairs and open-source investigations. He has worked across diplomacy, intelligence, humanitarian operations and private-sector security, has lived in numerous countries across several continents.
He established Security Observer as an independent platform and international network connecting experts from the Global South and other underrepresented regions. The initiative supports publication, interviews, professional exchange and collaboration on academic and research projects, with particular emphasis on increasing opportunities for early-career researchers, journalists, academics and practitioners.
Our objective
To broaden whose expertise is recognised in international security debates by connecting regional knowledge and professional experience with global audiences, policy discussions and strategic decision-making.
Our vision
A more representative international security debate in which expertise from the Global South is recognised as essential to understanding complex global challenges and informing wider strategic discussions.
Regional expertise
We prioritise perspectives grounded in direct knowledge of local realities. Security Observer brings together analysts, academics and practitioners whose expertise is shaped by sustained engagement with the regions they study, contributing insight that connects local context with wider strategic understanding.
By placing regional knowledge and professional experience at the centre of our work, we aim to provide analysis that is credible, relevant and responsive to the security challenges facing local communities and the wider international system, while helping connect regional realities with wider strategic discussions.