Americas

The Tragic Link Between Gang Violence and Displacement in Central America

From the massive migration of an estimated 70,000 unaccompanied children to the U.S. border this past summer to President Barack Obama’s recent executive action on immigration reform, issues facing Central America have entered the national spotlight here in the US. The underlying internal displacement trends within Central America have not received as much attention, but…

The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Request: Humanitarian and Peacekeeping Accounts

With so many humanitarian crises around the world, priority humanitarian and peacekeeping accounts need increased support from Congress now more than ever. This includes the Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) and the International Disaster Assistance (IDA) humanitarian accounts, along with the core peacekeeping accounts including Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) and Contributions for International Peacekeeping (CIPA). 

Stay Engaged in Afghanistan

“Afghanistan is not hopeless.” So said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) in a recent speech at the US Institute of Peace. Cotton, elected to the Senate last year after one term in the House of Representatives, is a former U.S. Army officer. He served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division and in 2008-9 with a U.S.…

In Mexico, Hundreds of Thousands Displaced by Crime

Although official counts vary widely, hundreds of thousands of Mexican citizens are known to be internally displaced. Most of those who fled their homes left as a result of violence at the hands of organized criminal groups. The highest rates of displacement are found in Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Durango, Sinaloa, Michoacán, and Guerrero –…

Mexico’s Unseen Victims

Mexico is in the midst of a hidden humanitarian crisis. Entire rural communities have been viciously emptied by violent drug cartels looking to appropriate their land and natural resources.