Matt Drwenski explains how “roadsTaken,” the interactive map and database of highway displacement in Houston, was designed and displayed.

The recent wave of military coups in West Africa have garnered significant civilian support. In a new commentary from The Conversation, postdoctoral associate Salah Ben Hammou discusses how civilian support — a phenomenon typically viewed as an anomaly to coups — is, in fact, crucial. Ben Hammou also emphasizes the need to understand underlying political contexts and social challenges that lead civilians to such public backing.

As foreign interference and the prevalence of disinformation test our democratic processes, election administrators must work across the aisle to demonstrate a shared commitment to healthy election systems at all levels of government. This brief provides a framework for effective bipartisan policies that balance the linchpins required equitable access and integrity of the results.

Low levels of cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico are making it impossible to resolve mutual security concerns, such as drug and human trafficking, cross border gunrunning, and money laundering. Both countries need to transcend their mutual suspicions to find common ground for cooperation to resolve binational security issues with satisfactory solutions, write Tony Payan and Rodrigo Montes de Oca.

On this episode of Baker Briefing, Tony Payan discusses U.S. tensions and other challenges setting the backdrop for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s entry into office on Oct. 1.

Why are normalization talks happening between Turkey’s leading political parties? In a new Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East brief, nonresident fellow A.Kadir Yildirim provides background and insights into why Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken this step after years of political polarization.

After seven years of steady decline and an accumulated drop of 25%, Latin America’s crude oil production has recovered by more than 9% over the past two years, thanks to significant growth in Guyana and Brazil and smaller increases in Argentina and Venezuela. Francisco J. Monaldi walks us through these developments and what could be ahead for the region.

The EU’s withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty may foreshadow an eventual end to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDI) — a legal mechanism that permits foreign investors to sue a country over actions that harm their investments. A report by fellow David A. Gantz outlines the history of ISDI provisions in global trade agreements and examines what ISDI’s end might mean for the future of investment and trade in the U.S., EU, and other nations.

If China coercively annexed Taiwan, it would be a devastating loss for America. This paper assesses key consequences and argues that the U.S. must urgently prevent such an outcome.