Mexico has been in the news lately for its devastating earthquakes — and for the number of people organizing donations and helping with rescue operations, independent of a slow-to-react government. But there’s another disaster ravaging the country: Violent crime has reached a 20-year high.

Last Wednesday, the House of Representative’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, jointly led by Congressmen Randy Hultgren and James McGovern held a public hearing in Washington DC on Nigeria. The framing of the topic was a bit surprising.

The United States has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to explore the option of dialogue when resolving internal crisis in Nigeria. The advice was given on Thursday, September 28, in Washington DC when the US institute of peace (USIP) convened a conference titled - Peace in Nigeria: How to build it, and America’s role.

Urging Nigeria to look beyond a military option in resolving internal conflicts, the appeal from the United States Institute of Peace, is coming following the military approach in combating Nnamdi Kanu led IPOB in the South Eastern region of Nigeria.

This fall, local World Affairs Councils will host USIP experts for a series of activities in Tennessee, Florida and Missouri. In the inaugural event, USIP President Nancy Lindborg will join the Tennessee World Affairs Council in Nashville for a public, town hall-style forum at Belmont University, as well as other discussions at the Nashville Rotary Club and at local high schools.

Ever since Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, subsequently backing a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine that simmers to this day, the United States has responded with a mix of sanctions, diplomacy, and military assistance.

The U.S.-backed Iraqi military has reportedly announced that it plans “to coordinate military efforts” with neighboring Iran, considered by the American government to be the leading state-sponsor of terrorism.

Violent Extremism

“I’ve almost felt a sense of relief among Pakistani officials, that they’ve been in a bad marriage for too long, and they were never going to ask for a divorce, but now the other side has said, ‘I’m going to leave you,’ so you don’t look bad in front of the kids,” said Moeed Yusuf, an expert on U.S.-Pakistan relations at the United States Institute of Peace.