Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico, leaving many on the island without power, drinking water, or cellular service. Such disasters are not just an issue for the Caribbean, said the Wilson Center’s Roger-Mark De Souza in an interview with WOUB that was last month’s most read story on New Security Beat. All coastal areas of the United States, with their growing populations and vulnerable but valuable infrastructure, should be prepared to face more severe climate-related natural disasters.

The violent suppression of Myanmar’s Rohingya people continued this past month in spite of international outcry, and Rachel Blomquist and Richard Cincotta’s April 2016 analysis of the country’s demographic contours continues to provide valuable context for understanding Myanmar’s inter-ethnic tension. “The path to democracy seems to cut directly through the Rohingya issue.”

Also popular last month: innovations in delivering maternal health services; Chinese cities coping with too little and too much water, and whether genetically modified crops can help China feed its people.

1. Devastation Can Foster Resilience: Interview With Roger-Mark De Souza by Wilson Center Staff

2. Reaching the Farthest Behind: Maternal Health Innovations at the Facility Level by Yuval Cohen

3. Sponge City: Solutions for China’s Thirsty and Flooded Cities by Lauren Sidner

4. GMOs: Can U.S.-China Cooperation Address Public Distrust and Increase Food Security? by Gabrielle Rivers

5. Myanmar’s Democratic Deficit: Demography and the Rohingya Dilemma by Rachel Blomquist & Richard Cincotta