Much discussion this past year has centered on the scourge of war, and rightfully so. But the incidence of famine and food insecurity in the world are problems that are just as critical at the moment. Indeed, 2023 was a year of famine and hunger, according to the U.N. World Food Program.
Although the scale of the unrest that engulfed the streets of Dublin last month took both the authorities and the general public by surprise, it probably shouldn’t have. It is just the latest and most extreme in a series of incidents in Ireland over the past six months fueled by the far right and rising anti-immigrant sentiment.
Even as Chad’s leader, Gen. Mahamat Idriss Deby, oversees a political transition toward elections planned for next year, he faces significant longer-term challenges to his rule. If he can navigate them, Deby is almost certain to win next year’s election. In the meantime, the day-to-day mechanics of repression will remain intact.