Breast and cervical cancer, the leading forms of cancer among women in India, threaten not only women’s physical health but also their mental health, due to the stigma it brings to them and their families. In July’s top post, Yuval Cohen writes about Wilson Center Public Policy Fellow Cecilia Van Hollen’s research on the connections between agricultural chemicals, breastfeeding, gendered work, poverty, and spiritual beliefs in India, featured in her upcoming book, “The Curse of the Kali Yuga: Searching for Meaning and Care for Cancer in India.”

A new model developed by the Health Policy plus project measures the contribution of family planning to Malawi’s efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. And in Nicaragua, Wilson Center Global Fellow Richard Cincotta measures the likelihood that the country’s changing demographics will influence its political trajectory as violent protests continue.

Afghanistan’s customary water law could help solve its escalating water crisis, writes Elizabeth B. Hessami, but only if the government takes steps to improve water governance. And in China, Wilson Center Fellow Guo Chen, assesses the ban on non-industrial plastic waste imports. Without China, how will developed countries take out their plastic trash?

1. Women and Cancer in India by Yuval Cohen

2. Family Planning Can Mean Big Progress for the Sustainable Development Goals—And Here’s How by Kaja Jurczynska, Suzy Sacher & Scott Moreland

3. As Afghanistan’s Water Crisis Escalates, More Effective Water Governance Could Bolster Regional Stability by Elizabeth B. Hessami

4. China’s Waste Import Ban: Dumpster Fire or Opportunity for Change? by Guo Chen

5. Nicaragua and the Fading of Latin America’s Youthful Clusters by Richard Cincotta