Highlighting the human dimensions of global crises – Fall 2023

To our alumni and friends,

As I reflect on global events since June, I am struck by how desperately the world needs a human security lens. States and non-state actors continue to prioritize power and profit while individuals and communities get caught in the crossfire. The most obvious example is the Hamas-Israel War, which has claimed the lives of at least 18,000 civilians and displaced around 1.8 million people. But it is not the only one. In just the last six months, thousands of people died in climate-induced floods in North Africa; over 100,000 Armenians were displaced by an Azerbaijani military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh; deadly conflicts broke out in Sudan, the DRC, and Myanmar; and the war in Ukraine continued unabated. All of these crises uprooted people from their homes, contributing to the estimated 114 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide. Since January, more than 500,000 migrants from dozens of countries have crossed the Darien Gap, a treacherous unpaved jungle between Colombia and Panama, in search of safety and sustenance.