Current reporting on the Afghan civil economy highlights the extent to which the government has failed to meet its people’s needs. The Afghan government depends on donor aid for approximately 80% of all public security and civil expenditures—a dependence that donors seem unlikely to fund in the future even if the government does not collapse and that could lead to massive cuts if the Taliban takes over.

SOURCE: "Learning from the War: 'Who Lost Afghanistan?' versus Learning 'Why We Lost'" from CSIS's Anthony Cordesman.

Solar energy is growing faster than any other energy technology, and output could increase sixteenfold by 2040. While the Department of Energy aims to reduce the cost of solar by 60 percent by 2030, China's commanding position in the solar industry calls for a bolder and more innovative solar manufacturing strategy.

SOURCE: "The United States Needs a Solar Manufacturing Strategy" by CSIS's Nikos Tsafos and Lachlan Carey.

On August 3, 2021, the Ethiopian government suspended humanitarian organizations MSF, NRC, and the Al Maktoum Foundation from part or all of their operations in Ethiopia—with recent activity centered in Tigray. 5.2 million people in Tigray (90% of the population) are currently in need of humanitarian assistance and the disruption of these services will disproportionately affect women, girls, and other minority groups.

SOURCE: "Humanitarian Suspensions and the Politicization of Aid in Ethiopia" by CSIS's Kelly Moss and Jacob Kurtzer.

49 percent of countries covered by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project saw an increase in political violence in 2020, illustrating the pandemic's exacerbation of violence in countries experiencing fragility before Covid-19

SOURCE: “Beyond Emergency Pandemic Response: The Case for Prioritizing Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention” by CSIS’s Erol Yayboke and Janina Staguhn.