Security conditions in the Sahel are rapidly deteriorating. Since 2016, the region has witnessed a 16-fold increase in terrorist attacks. In Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, 10.5 million people are facing starvation, and with climate-related disasters increasing and intensifying in the region, food insecurity is projected to rise. Against this backdrop, rapid population growth is outpacing governments’ ability to provide access to basic services. These pressures have transformed the central Sahel into the epicenter of a forced displacement crisis, with dire long-term and global humanitarian consequences that reverberate well beyond the region’s borders.

The humanitarian needs for those who are displaced are unprecedented, said Amb. Mark Green, President of the Wilson Center and former USAID Administrator, at a Doha Forum panel hosted by the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program.

In this Year of the Tiger, China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, is signaling more aggressive climate action on several fronts, including expanding its national carbon emission trading system (ETS).  Since the launch of the program on July 16, 2021, results have been encouraging; carbon intensity fell three and a half percent in the second half of 2021 and total carbon emissions only grew by four percent, compared to nine percent in the first half of the year. However, China’s implementation of ETS has triggered criticism for having low penalties, loose restrictions, and too low a carbon price. Like a tiger in tall grass, it is vital that Chinese policymakers pounce on the obstacles to expanding ETS coverage and transition from an intensity-based cap to an absolute cap. Signs show this can happen sooner as opposed to later.

The journey to parenthood for transgender people is particularly fraught with obstacles. In the United States, 19 percent of transgender adults are parents. While there has been an increase in the prevalence of transgender parents, they are often faced with unique, complex, and often unnecessary barriers. Part of the problem lies in a lack of understanding of the differences between sex and gender as well as the distinct healthcare needs of transgender people.

Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting. Mark Twain may or may not have said it, but it gets repeated because it rings true. Water is central to human wellbeing, from drinking water and hygiene to growing food, producing electricity, and supporting identity-defining landscapes.  

As Russia’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine continues, the world’s focus is rightfully on ending this conflict as soon as possible. But the global impact of a senseless war launched by a petro-dictator also calls for deeper reflection.  

Since signing on to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Pakistan has furthered its government’s partnership with China through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. While both initiatives concern development investments in infrastructure, the agreements have raised concern in Pakistan. In February’s top post, Sheraz Aziz assesses the environmental impacts, like deforestation and pollution from coal plants, and economic impacts, such as those on Gwadar’s fishing industry, that are sparking opposition from Pakistanis.