The insurgency in northern Mali has spread to the country’s central regions and into Niger and Burkina Faso, with a total of 937 incidents of violence in the three countries since the start of 2020. A prolonged political crisis in Mali will almost certainly worsen security conditions. 

SOURCE: "The Malian Military Ousts a Wayward Government" by CSIS's Judd Devermont.

The share of permanent job losers relative to the overall labor force in the U.S. increased from 1.6 percent in April to 2.3 percent in July. This trend might prove the norm if the labor market contracts and individuals who were once temporarily laid off lose their jobs outright. 

SOURCE: "Lasting Disruption to the Labor Market" from CSISMag.

Transgressions between China and India along the Sino-Indian border have become more frequent, with approximately 1,025 transgressions from 2016-2019. These incidents underscore India's growing role as a regional security provider in Asia. 

SOURCE: "A Frozen Line in the Himalayas" by CSIS's Richard M. Rossow, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., and Kriti Upadhyaya. 

A fire in March destroyed 49,000 voting machines, one of the many reasons Venezuela is even less capable of hosting free and fair elections than it was in 2018.

SOURCE: "What Does the Future of the Venezuelan Interim Government Look Like?" by CSIS's Moises Rendon and Claudia Fernandez.