2021 Season of Giving: Solving the Diaper Dilemma
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that everyone had a wonderful celebration. Instead of sending the usual The Friday Brief this week, covering a policy issue or conflict, I am highlighting diaper banks that need support for Giving Tuesday and throughout this Season of Giving. A recent article by The 19th discussed the connection between diaper need and poverty. Diaper banks in low wealth areas require private support to serve millions of families each year.
Black and Missing in the United States
With the recent and tragic high-profile case of Gabby Petito, there is renewed scrutiny over the lack of similarly dedicated media attention for missing women of color in the United States. Last September, we covered the largely invisible epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) and examined bipartisan U.S. legislation designed to solve those crimes and prevent future incidents of violence against Indigenous women. Now, we are taking a look at the alarming number of missing Black girls and women in the United States.
Is Belarus Trying to Destabilize the EU?
Caught in the middle of a contentious dispute between Belarus and the European Union (EU), refugees and asylum seekers from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa are stranded in frigid temperatures at the border of Belarus and Poland. Some governments have alleged that Belarus is trying to instigate a conflict, conceivably to retaliate against EU sanctions.
All Eyes on Sudan
On October 25, Sudan's military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, launched a hostile takeover of the country's government. In the days prior, Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Envoy for the Horn of Africa, had been told that despite deep fissures between military and civilian leadership, the Sudanese military would not block the country's democratic transition. Satisfied with those assurances, Mr. Feltman boarded a flight to Qatar. By the time he landed, Sudan was in the midst of a military coup.
World Leaders Gather in Scotland for COP26 🌱
From October 31 - November 12, the UK, in partnership with Italy, will host the 26th United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland. Leaders from around the world are convening to discuss the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. What do politicians and sponsoring corporations hope to accomplish?
A Royal Rumble in Eswatini
King Mswati III, the head of Africa's last absolute monarchy, has faced pro-democracy protests since June 2021. Largely led by high school and university students throughout Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), the protests aim to unseat the monarchy and institute free education. How has the international community responded?