How Climate and Violence Fuel Migration, Reforming Police Misconduct Settlements, and More

The value of commercial geospatial and open-source information, improving police accountability, and addressing root causes of migration.

View in browser April 2, 2021 Climate, violence, and Honduran migration to the United States   Honduras has one of the world's highest homicide rates, with violence linked to drug trafficking groups and gangs. At the same time, the country has suffered from repeated droughts over the last decade, leading to increased food insecurity. Sarah Bermeo and David Leblang examine how these factors are driving migration and discuss ways to address the root causes of these issues.   Read more How to fix the financial gymnastics of police misconduct settlements   The current structure for addressing civilian payouts for police misconduct overwhelmingly absolves officers like Derek Chauvin from any financial culpability. Rashawn Ray explains why the funding structure for police misconduct is the way it is, and how to shift the financial burden from taxpayers to police departments.     Read on Lawfare The not-so-secret value of sharing commercial geospatial and open-source information   When reports surfaced that the Chinese Communist Party was detaining Uyghurs in "re-education" camps, Chinese authorities initially denied the existence of these camps. However, commercial geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) provided by satellite imagery helped to establish undeniable visual evidence. Mir Sadat and Michael Sinclair write that commercial GEOINT will play an increasingly integral role in U.S. defense.   Read more Help support Brookings with a donation   Brookings is committed to making its high-quality, independent policy research free to the public. Please consider making a contribution today to our Annual Fund to support our experts' work. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. is currently closed and all events are virtual only. For more information on the Institution's response, read our full guidance here. The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often