Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to reshape how data and knowledge are produced, shared, and used in transboundary water negotiations, but it also risks entrenching political imbalances, deepening mistrust, and displacing the need for genuine cooperation.

A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program

Rising Food Insecurity is Driving Instability (Foreign Affairs)

Since 2020, the number of people facing acute hunger and chronic food insecurity has increased 130% above existing levels. And supply is not the issue. At present, the world produces enough food to feed nearly 10 billion people, yet there are 720 million people who are food insecure and a further 319 million face acute hunger. Today’s hunger is driven instead by barriers to access.

Launched in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has drawn wide global attention, with scholars and policymakers examining its geopolitical and economic implications. Much less explored, however, are the subnational impacts of BRI in participating countries. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adopted as Pakistan’s flagship BRI project in 2015, offers a case in point.

In Myanmar’s resource-rich Kachin State, deforestation linked to illegal logging and mining has surged over the past decade. While the national government struggles to assert control, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO)—a political organization seeking autonomy for Kachin State in Myanmar—has also stepped in to regulate land use, restrict timber harvests, and manage permits. These activities serve to conserve local ecosystems and extract revenue. KIO’s environmental governance is strategic, aiming to bolster civilian support and consolidate territorial control. It is also shaping how communities cope and adapt to climate change.

When Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally declared the “era” of USAID over on March 28, 2025, it represented an extraordinary sea change for US foreign aid deployed over the past six decades.

Yet the world has changed dramatically since the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was established by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 in the middle of the Cold War. So, there is every reason to thoughtfully consider what foreign aid should look like today as we navigate an era of Great Power Competition (GPC).

As 2025 marches into its third month, the governance challenges that accompany rising demand for natural resources are not only on the front burner—they are proliferating—and  becoming entangled with the drivers of conflict and cooperation.

The heated competition for resources has bubbled up in a proposed billion-dollar deal for Ukrainian minerals now making global headlines. The view that critical minerals like lithium, manganese, and others could become bargaining chips in potential peace talks demonstrates how central they’ve become to global competition—and to the economic and political future of countries around the world.

A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Congo Takes Apple to Court (Foreign Policy)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has filed criminal lawsuits against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, alleging that the company profits from smuggled conflict minerals laundered through Rwanda. This legal action follows the seizure of key mining areas by M23 rebels, which has further fueled a conflict that already has killed over 8,500 people. Apple denies the claims, stating that it ordered its suppliers to suspend sourcing from Congo and Rwanda.

A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

UK and Ireland Will Connect Energy Networks (The Guardian)

Despite post-Brexit trade barriers, the UK and Ireland have announced a collaboration on renewable energy infrastructure to boost both nations’ energy efficiency and security. The deal is part of larger efforts to “harness the full potential” of the Irish and Celtic seas for offshore windfarms and national energy networks.