While the Russian government has positioned itself as a beneficiary of an increasingly accessible Arctic, climate change has direct negative consequences for the Russian economy. Private researchers have estimated that infrastructure damage related to permafrost degradation will cost Russia close to $105 billion by mid-century.

SOURCE: "Russia’s Climate Gamble" by CSIS's Heather Conley, Colin Wall, Andrew Lohsen, Nikos Tsafos, and Ben Cahill.

Sub-Saharan African countries already host more than 26 percent of the world’s refugee population and in the final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, a handful of African governments raised their hands to host Afghan refugees. Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, and the self-declared independent state of Somaliland offered to welcome anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand refugees into their country.

SOURCE: "Why African Governments Are Accepting Afghan Refugees" by CSIS's Judd Devermont and Erol Yayboke.

While remotely crewed systems’ most important contribution is mitigating the risk of physical harm to the warfighter, they offer additional advantages including longer flight duration, and lower costs per effects—Air Force pilot pipeline training costs for remote systems are an estimated 95 percent lower than training costs for traditionally crewed systems.

SOURCE: "Reaching Farther, Risking Less" by Rose Butchart and Gregory Sanders.

The Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador face numerous political and economic issues that contribute to the increasing levels of migration. In a survey conducted by the World Food Programme in January 2021, nearly 15 percent of those surveyed indicated they were making concrete plans to migrate from their home country, up from 8 percent in 2018.

SOURCE: "Economic Opportunity in the Northern Triangle" by CSIS's Conor M. Savoy.