Council of Councils
Think Global Health
Onetime allies, the United States and Iran have seen tensions escalate repeatedly in the four decades since the Islamic Revolution.
Mariel Ferragamo covers Africa, the Middle East, and global health, and previously was the main editor of the Daily News Brief. Her prior experience includes roles at the Energy for Growth Hub and in the U.S. Congress. Mariel holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy from Colby College and a certification in journalism from New York University.
Most Recent
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The capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has drawn a range of reactions from around the world. But experts say the country’s future is uncertain.
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President Trump has repeatedly claimed to have ended eight wars since he returned to office. Accessing critical minerals and resource extraction appear to be at the core of those diplomatic efforts.
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A long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is finally underway, and now has UN approval. An end to the conflict, however, is still up in the air, with all the old obstacles remaining in Trump’s twenty-point roadmap to peace.
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Violence against the press is a rising trend worldwide—whether in the line of fire in fierce conflicts, or on the front lines of covering repressive regimes.
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As the UN General Assembly convenes for its eightieth session, one major topic of debate is the secretary-general’s internal reform plan, which proposes significant budget cuts and agency consolidations. What could these changes mean for the United Nations’ future?
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Palestinians have pursued statehood for over a century. As the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip continues, several countries have recognized the Palestinian territories as a sovereign nation—but many hurdles stand in the way of full independence and UN membership.
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As conflict continues to ravage parts of the world, including Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, aid workers providing humanitarian assistance are increasingly becoming targets of the violence.
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Malnutrition has reached alarming levels in Gaza, aid officials say, with famine declared in the territory’s most populated region, and hunger now reportedly affecting civilians as well as journalists, doctors, and other personnel on the ground.
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The regime is facing one of its largest protest movements in years. Tehran has shut down internet and telephone communications as the demonstrations grow more violent.
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The United States joined Israel’s bombing campaign of Iran’s nuclear program. A clear picture of the damage inside Iran—and the state of its nuclear strength—is still unfolding.
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The White House’s growing travel ban is now shutting down immigrant visa processing indefinitely for seventy-five countries, including Brazil, Iran, Russia, and Somalia, among several others.
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Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies and former ambassador Michelle Gavin breaks down the tense U.S.-South Africa meeting at the White House.
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Cinema was the latest item to fall into Trump’s tariff crosshairs. The White House has since walked the proposal back, but the industry remains on edge about its return and the possible economic consequences it could have on the arts.
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Censorship and Freedom of Expression
A mounting number of conflicts, coups, and authoritarian advances has worn down media freedoms worldwide. Watchdog groups say threats even in countries that have long defended media rights pose worrying new challenges. -
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As Sudan plunges into another chapter of fighting, the country is enduring the world’s worst humanitarian crisis at a time of drastically shrinking foreign aid.
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Public Health Threats and Pandemics
Vaccination campaigns have nearly eradicated some of the most deadly and transmissible diseases. However, against a backdrop of a rising tide of vaccine hesitancy, and U.S. leaders pulling global support, outbreaks are cropping up again. -
Public Health Threats and Pandemics
For more than a century, countries have wrestled with how to improve international cooperation in the face of major outbreaks of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the world to a near halt in 2020 and killed nearly seven million people, underscored the urgency. -
President Trump has imposed punitive measures on several countries in the name of curbing what he characterizes as high fentanyl flows into the United States. In reality, supplies of the drug—and related deaths—have sharply declined, though they are still at worrying levels.
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The Democratic Republic of Congo has been mired in conflict for years. As fresh fighting surges in the east, the roots of today’s violence can be traced back to old problems.
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As BRICS grows in both membership and global sway, its expansion comes with divisions among its members old and new on how to set the stage for a revised world order.
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Iran’s nuclear program and missile arsenal—particularly reports of a growing enriched uranium stockpile—garnered increased international scrutiny before becoming the primary targets of an attack by Israel in June.
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The Gulf states are angling for closer ties with African countries, and the feeling is mutual. But critics say differences over governance values, labor rights, and ongoing conflicts could stoke tensions.
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The United States maintains an extensive military footprint in the Middle East, including a number of naval assets and permanent U.S. bases. Washington’s presence has allowed it to respond to regional threats, including the Yemen-based Houthi rebels and escalating Israel-Iran tensions.
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Two new malaria vaccines offer Africans the hope of finally eradicating a disease that has long plagued them disproportionately. Experts say vaccination is just one tool in a much broader fight.
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Public Health Threats and Pandemics
A recent surge in avian flu outbreaks in birds and some mammals, including humans, is worrying farmers, scientists, and public health experts. The threat of the virus becoming a pandemic is said to be low, but its evolution continues to raise alarms and pointed questions about preparedness. -
After the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the country has made tremendous strides toward peace and development. But critics say these have come at the cost of political freedoms.
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The would-be independent state stands in contrast to Somalia as a place of relative stability, and despite its lack of international recognition, Somaliland continues to push its own foreign policy.
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African governments have increasingly welcomed economic, diplomatic, and security ties with Russia—leading Western countries to denounce what they see as Moscow’s destabilizing influence and seek their own, more equal partnerships.
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Overdoses involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the leading cause of death among young Americans and a threat to U.S. public health, the economy, and national security. Combating the epidemic requires addressing China’s and Mexico’s roles in the global fentanyl supply chain.
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The coup in Niger, once seen as the cornerstone of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in West Africa, now threatens wider regional instability and could potentially open the door to further Russian influence.
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A devastating power crisis is plaguing South Africa, battering its economy and threatening to sink its climate goals amid the global race to renewables.
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Countries in Africa have some of the harshest and most discriminatory LGBTQ+ policies in the world. But some governments are taking hopeful steps toward inclusion.
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More than two years into the civil war in Sudan, about twelve million people have been forcibly displaced. Yet experts say the country’s devastating humanitarian crisis is still not getting the international attention it deserves.
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The Democratic Republic of Congo has been subjected to decades of international intervention by European powers, as well as its African neighbors. This timeline traces the role of the outside forces that have beleaguered eastern Congo since the end of the colonial era.
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The Kurds are one of the world’s largest peoples without a state, making up sizable minorities in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Their century-old fight for rights, autonomy, and even an independent Kurdistan has been marked by marginalization and persecution.
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Government leaders are optimistic that COVID-19 is becoming more predictable and manageable, but the pandemic isn’t over yet.
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The U.S. health agency regulates the country’s foods and drugs, among other products. With the FDA’s role in drug development and nutrition policy and its COVID-19 pandemic response driving controversy, President Donald Trump is set to shake up its leadership.
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Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many of the world’s longest-ruling heads of state. Pro-democracy advocates have at times successfully stopped presidents from extending their mandates, but the authoritarian trend could be accelerating.
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The federal agency has a broad mandate to protect Americans’ health and an expansive global reach. Massive government shake-ups are now testing the strength of the organization.
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The International Criminal Court was created to bring justice to the world’s worst war criminals, but debate over the court still rages.
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U.S. trade with sub-Saharan Africa has plateaued in recent years, prompting analysts to question the effectiveness of a preferential trade program for the region.
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The United States has historically been the largest donor to the United Nations. However, during his second term, President Trump has reduced U.S. funding, withdrawn from major agencies, and scaled back the country’s involvement in UN initiatives.
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Public Health Threats and Pandemics
Opioid addiction has become one of the United States’ biggest killers, endangering public health, the economy, and national security. But closing the floodgates on fentanyl poses a significant foreign policy challenge. -
Africa continues to have more peacekeeping missions than any other continent. As conflict-stricken countries increasingly look outside the United Nations for support, experts say reforms are necessary to improve peacebuilding.