How Putin’s War Affects Africa, the State of the Labor Market, and More

Social media's eating disorder problem, an update on the U.S. economy, and how the war in Ukraine impacts African governments.

View in browser February 28, 2022   Editor's note: To stay up to date with Brookings research and commentary on developments regarding Russia and Ukraine, be sure to bookmark our topic page. What does the war in Ukraine mean for Africa?   "Although some African countries may benefit from a shift in global markets away from Russia due to the crisis, the short-term potential impacts on economic livelihoods are worrying while the implications for pan-African solidarity and adherence to multilateralism increasingly uncertain," writes Danielle Resnick.   Read more   In a separate piece for the Washington Post, Caitlin Talmadge explains why Russia's nuclear alert announcement is not unprecedented or particularly surprising. Listen: The state of jobs and the US labor market   The American economy added over 460,000 jobs in January and added 7 million new jobs over the past four months—even through the delta and omicron COVID-19 surges. So how is the labor market doing and what are some caveats to this good news? Stephanie Aaronson joins the Brookings Cafeteria podcast to give an overview.   Listen to the podcast Solving social media's eating disorder problem   The number of adolescents admitted into hospitals for eating disorders has skyrocketed during the pandemic, with medical experts citing increased time on social media as a contributing factor. This is an important aspect of user safety that cannot be overlooked by U.S. lawmakers as they seek to hold tech companies accountable, Samantha Lai argues.   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. The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often