CIRSD Recommends

Syria: The Case for Interest-Based Diplomacy

The undoing of the Syria agreement with Russia caps off a rough few weeks for American diplomacy. Historically, though, the United States has enjoyed great diplomatic successes when engaging in smart diplomacy with an eye towards achieving key intere

Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo

At least seventy armed groups are believed to be currently operating in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Despite the stabilizing presence of nineteen thousand UN peacekeepers, the stronger militant groups in the region, l

The Taliban Erases Western Gains in Afghanistan

The Taliban has carried out repeated raids on Kunduz in northern Afghanistan despite ongoing Western presence in the country As the situation has deteriorated, locals have become caught between two fronts -- and the future of the country is at stake.

In fight against Islamic State, Kurds expand their territory

Groups in Iraq are using the battle against radical Islamists to settle older disputes and grab land. That could cause more conflict in the future.

ISIS Media Output Drops as Military Pressure Rises, Report Says

The vaunted propaganda operations of the Islamic State, which helped lure more than 30,000 foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq, have dropped off drastically as the extremist group has come under military pressure, according to a study by terrorism res

How to help North Koreans without helping the regime

When Typhoon Lionrock swept through North Korea from late August to early September, it destroyed tens of thousands of buildings and left thousands homeless and even more destitute than they were before. The destruction was so severe that the KCNA de

The Growing Danger of Military Conflict with Russia

Once more, the circle in U.S.-Russia relations is complete. The Clinton administration took office in 1993 promising a “Bill and Boris” strategic partnership between the two countries, and ended with recriminations over the Kosovo operation, with Gen

What to Know About Space Security

Space is increasingly important to the planet’s infrastructure – but it is also a potential battleground.

Colombia's Civil Conflict

Civil conflict in Colombia, one of the closest U.S. allies in Latin America, has left as many as 220,000 dead (PDF), 25,000 disappeared, and 5.7 million displaced over the last half century. By the early 2000s, fighting among the military, left-wing

Landmark Paris Climate Pact to Take Effect in 30 Days

Moving with a diplomatic haste rivaling the rapid recent rise in global temperatures, the European Union on Wednesday joined dozens of countries in signing onto a United Nations climate treaty, pushing it to within a month of taking legal force.

Why world leaders are meeting to discuss hydrofluorocarbons

IN 1985 a gaping hole was found in the ozone layer above Antarctica. Two years later leaders from around the world signed the Montreal Protocol, a treaty to phase out the substances causing it, known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were used in

Europe’s health systems on life support

Europe’s health care systems aren’t feeling very well.

Mohammed VI and the Choice Facing Islam

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has done his countrymen, his co-religionists, and the world a favor with his recent speech on the 63rd anniversary of the “Revolution of the King and the People.” During what is normally an annual event unlikely to garner

21st Century Health, Education, Development, and Global Security

Health and education are essential for sustainable development across low-, middle-, and high-income economies. Health, education, and development in a well-integrated cluster are the sine qua non building blocks of global security.

More than half of all businesses ignore UN's sustainable development goals

Businesses are failing to work on the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs), according to two new surveys, despite being billed as having a key role to play in achieving the ambitious goals.

Escaping the New Normal of Weak Growth

There is no question that the recovery from the global recession triggered by the 2008 financial crisis has been unusually lengthy and anemic. Some still expect an upswing in growth. But, eight years after the crisis erupted, what the global economy

People, Productivity and Potential: Nutrition as a cornerstone of the SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted last year are already changing not only what we focus on in health and development - but also how we approach these challenges and opportunities.

How Los Alamos Is Learning to Track Disease Outbreaks Around the World

In the 14th century, the Black Death devastated Europe. This bacterial disease killed some 200 million people, almost two-thirds of the Europeans then alive. Preventing the spread of the disease became an urgent public health issue, particularly for

A Different Kind of UN Secretary General

Serbia’s Vuk Jeremic is the only candidate to release a comprehensive platform.

The World Passes 400 PPM Threshold. Permanently

In the centuries to come, history books will likely look back on September 2016 as a major milestone for the world’s climate. At a time when atmospheric carbon dioxide is usually at its minimum, the monthly value failed to drop below 400 parts per mi

Exploring links between trade, standards, and the sustainable development goals

Trade has a critical role in achieving the sustainable development goals. The movement of goods and services across borders, as well as flows of technology, ideas and people, all enable progress toward ending poverty, improving economic growth and jo

Southeast Asia Replaces Africa as the World’s Hotbed of Piracy

Sembara Oktafian was in the engine room of a tugboat chugging toward the Philippines when something didn’t sound right.

How al-Qaeda Survived the Islamic State Challenge

The Islamic State’s (IS) emergence—with its control of territory, social media proficiency, and unprecedented ability to mobilize supporters—threatened al-Qaeda’s position of dominance within the global jihadist movement. For a time, the majority of

UN fears third leg of the global financial crisis - with prospect of epic debt defaults

The third leg of the world's intractable depression is yet to come. If trade economists at the United Nations are right, the next traumatic episode may entail the greatest debt jubilee in history.

Charting Boko Haram's Rapid Decline

After being declared the world’s deadliest terrorist organization in 2015, Boko Haram is a menace in retreat. As a whole, the conflict is on pace to claim about 3,500 lives in 2016, a third the number of lives lost in 2015 and the conflict’s lowest t

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