President-Elect Joe Biden will face a suite of challenges on the global stage, from nuclear tensions with North Korea to coordinating a response to the ongoing pandemic. 

The United States struggled with COVID-19, but some states managed to keep deaths and infections relatively low without shutting society down or ignoring the crisis.

Population growth and aging are fueling a spectacular rise in noncommunicable diseases, such as cancers and cardiovascular diseases, in poor countries that are ill-prepared to handle them.