Wilson Quarterly

We are back after a break over the holidays and wishing everyone a new year filled with curiosity about our world. To help satiate that curiosity, we're sharing the most popular WQ article from 2024. From our summer '24 issue titled The Great #PopulationShakeup, UC Irvine sociology professor Feng Wang writes about #China's demographic downturn, asserting that it is deep and long-lasting and arrived at the same time as its hyper-economic growth began to taper off. He says while it is easy to assign #population as a major culprit, it is too simplistic and premature to spell China’s economic doom purely based on its demographics. Feng discusses #demography as one factor in the “three-Ds” that summarize China’s present economic predicament: debt, deflation, and demography. Feng also puts China's demographic challenges in global context, writing, “China is not the only country in the world experiencing population aging and decline, yet it is going through this unprecedented global experience with many of its own characteristics.” Learn more https://lnkd.in/g2S7sdtw cc Wilson Center | Environmental Change and Security Program, Lauren Herzer Risi

If you aren't yet following the Wilson Quarterly here on LinkedIn, please take a moment to do that. We are going to take a little break as the year winds down, but are already gearing up for what looks to be a consequential year ahead. Follow us now for an engaging, informative, provocative, and thoughtful 2025! Wishing everyone a peaceful, restful, and joyful holiday season.

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We are in the planning process for 2025. Each issue focuses on a single topic or theme that is shaping our world and presents a compelling range of angles and voices. Whether exploring specific regions, political developments, social trends or history, the award-winning WQ aims to inform, intrigue, and inspire. Is there a topic you think needs the WQ's deep dive with on-the-ground reporting, thought-provoking perspectives, and multimedia features? Take a look at our past issues, then drop a note in the comments or DM us. https://lnkd.in/g7EDAqkq

Since the fall 2024 issue examining unprecedented humanitarian needs worldwide was first published, the situation continues to deteriorate in the Sahel. It's all too easy to become mired in the challenges. Phillip Carter III provides often heartbreaking context in a special WQ Dispatch. "The Sahel is burning. After a couple of decades flirting with incompetent governments, the region has returned to its tortured history of incompetent military juntas. The expansion of jihadist insurgencies coupled with aggravated ethnic/tribal rivalries has made conditions even worse. Entire regions within Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are controlled by jihadist groups. Thousands, if not millions, of beleaguered families struggle to survive as education, health, and economic conditions have collapsed in large swaths of each country." But Carter's article goes beyond the challenges. He draws on his experiences as a retired American diplomat, career Foreign Service officer, and former ambassador to the Republic of Guinea and the Ivory Coast to offer insightful analysis and thoughts for a potential path forward. "The solution resides in addressing the economic and social frustrations and distrust of the region’s youth. In this context, good governance that delivers social and economic benefits to its citizens is the social vaccine to extremism," he writes. Read more from Ambassador Carter in What To Do About The Sahel: https://lnkd.in/gHw7UDDc #HumanitarianAid #TheSahel #PolyCrises

“Since the famine in Ethiopia in the mid-1980s, successive USAID administrators have incrementally built the agency’s infrastructure to respond to natural and humanmade disasters," writes former USAID administrator Andrew Natsios. As humanitarian needs escalate globally, Congress has dramatically increased USAID’s emergency response funding to an unprecedented $9 billion. Natsios dives into what this significant funding increase means for the humanitarian response system.  “While the US government’s disaster relief programs are well funded and please policymakers, they don’t always pass muster with disaster scholars, intellectuals, and analytical field staff about how to make up for past failures.” Natsios also discusses the systematic challenges that such a large influx of money could create and emphasizes the importance of integrating relief and development efforts-concepts he believes are essential for effective humanitarian aid programs.  “Perhaps the greatest innovation is an effort first proposed during George W. Bush’s administration and advanced by the Obama administration to purchase food locally instead of importing food aid from the United States," he writes. Read more in the fall ‘24 issue of the Wilson Quarterly: Confronting Unprecedented Humanitarian Needs.  https://lnkd.in/gqvcmvMm  #HumanitarianAid

It is always a delight to join the Wilson Center NOW crew with one of the WQ’s contributors and dig a little deeper into their piece. Here we focus on the latest edition of the Wilson Quarterly, “Confronting Unprecedented Humanitarian Needs.” WQ editor Stephanie Bowen and contributor Claire Whitney, Senior Advisor for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support with International Medical Corps explore the complexities of humanitarian response in an era of escalating crises, and the mental health needs in Ukraine. While the war has escalated the need, it has also made improvements in Ukraine’s mental health system. We hope you enjoy this short video segment. https://lnkd.in/gpAK_GsV

"Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, no aspect of life in Ukraine remains unaffected. More than 35,000 civilians have been killed or injured, and 3.7 million Ukrainians are displaced in their own country, with families, homes, education, and careers shattered," write Matthew Stearns and Claire Whitney of International Medical Corps. Since the Russian invasion, the relief and recovery organization has worked to integrate mental health and psychosocial support services into their broader humanitarian efforts. This approach is essential in a society were seeking mental health assistance often carries a stigma, and where mental health crisis is profound, with approximately one-third of the population grappling with mental health issues that will persist long after the conflict ends. “Even if the conflict were to end tomorrow, Ukraine’s complex mental health needs would continue to develop and change for many years, as veterans and displaced people return home, and the country embarks on its recovery," But there is hope. In their essay, Stearns and Whitney discuss the critical changes taking place within Ukraine’s mental health system.  “Though reforms to the mental health system had been planned for years, the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale invasion accelerated the urgency, and the country is making unprecedented progress.” Read more about their work and its implications for the future of mental health in Ukraine in the fall ‘24 issue of the Wilson Quarterly: Confronting Unprecedented Humanitarian Needs.   #HumanitarianAid #MentalHealth #Ukraine https://lnkd.in/gWfN3HuK

In a world facing many humanitarian crises, it’s crucial to rethink our approach to migration, says Amy Pope, Director General of IOM - UN Migration. In her essay, Pope argues that migration must be part of the solution rather than considered merely an outcome of displacement.  “What is missing from the conversation is a more comprehensive understanding of the humanitarian crises driving migration, how to support communities impacted by migration, and ultimately how to use migration as a tool to address some of the most pressing global challenges,” she writes.   She goes on to describe strategies for supporting communities impacted by migration and how we can use migration to tackle crucial global challenges.  “Long-term, legal, and regular labor migration pathways can not only support economic development in countries of destination and origin, they can also provide safe alternatives to dangerous journeys.” Learn more in the fall ‘24 issue of the Wilson Quarterly: Confronting Unprecedented Humanitarian Needs https://lnkd.in/gJeV_4PU   #HumanitarianAid #Migration #HumanDisplacement #Refugees

As humanitarian crises continue to grow, the risks faced by women and newborns are increasingly alarming. In this feature, Sarah Barnes, MPH of the Wilson Center | Maternal Health Initiative engages with maternal and newborn health experts from the Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health in Crises to uncover what aspects of care require more focus in humanitarian emergencies.     Contributors include Jihan Salad and Claudia Donkor from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Mushtaq Khan of the International Rescue Committee, Deborah Denis, Hani Rukh-E-Qamar, midwife Harriet Ruysen, and Rondi Anderson of Project HOPE. They discuss the often misunderstood and under-researched areas of maternal and newborn health. Together, they shed light on the urgent need for tailored responses to protect the most vulnerable during crises.     Read more in the fall ‘24 issue of the Wilson Quarterly: Confronting Unprecedented Humanitarian Needs.   #HumanitarianAid #MaternalNewbornHealth #RMNH https://lnkd.in/gcwXR3_7