Policy Briefs & Resources

This Policy Brief addresses the critical challenge of climate change adaptation in Somaliland, where the impacts of climate change have led to severe social, economic, political, and ecological consequences. Climate change has already had profound effects for pastoralists whose livelihoods rely heavily on livestock, making them highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. The paper emphasizes the urgent need for climate policies and adaptation strategies that cater to the context’s specific needs, effectively bridging global climate action consensus with localized approaches. It concludes with recommendations for the Somaliland Government, other Somali stakeholders and for the international community.

The biggest takeaway from India’s eighteenth general election is that the death of Indian democracy has been much exaggerated. The exercise was a resounding win for the election machinery of the world’s most populous democracy. The entire exercise and the outcome affirm once again the competence, professionalism and integrity of the country’s election machinery. The truth is that Modi’s India has become more illiberal than many Indians, as well as Westerners, are comfortable with, but his mass appeal has endured because he has provided the most competent governance in decades that delivered more tangible outcomes on the ground.

Affective polarization has been a persistent feature of Afghanistan’s society and politics in the past decades. However, with the return of the Taliban, the country has witnessed heightened affective polarization along ethnic and ideological lines, intricately linked with the elite’s behaviour and social media use. This article attempts to conceptualize the complex causal relations of affective polarization, elite behaviour, and social media platforms in Afghanistan’s fragmented social and political landscape.

This report addresses the challenges of planned relocation, looking at cases in Fiji, and it presents a specific promising community engagement approach that is pursued by the peacebuilding NGO Transcend Oceania in its work with Fijian communities. Transcend Oceania’s approach encourages a shift away from the conventional ‘victimhood’ discourse; affected communities see themselves as active agents rather than entirely dependent on external assistance. This approach offers some insights that can provide guidance for other relocation endeavours in the Pacific and more generally.