Week In Review (WIRE) News 04.06.2026

Edited by Mary Wahn, Grey Cohen, John Gooden, Emma Grace Jarvis, Ethan Joyce, Bianca Orfila-Molinet, and Meera Srinivasan

Asia and the Pacific

Written by Jesse Vu

Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Camp Face Consequences of U.S. Cuts to Foreign Aid Under the Trump Administration

Rohingya refugees, a persecuted minority group from Myanmar, are facing an existential food crisis in Bangladesh camps this week. Earlier this month, the food assistance from the U.N. that they previously relied upon was slashed. This cut in food assistance has the potential to impact up to 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who are currently living on $12 per month from food assistance programs.

Rohingya refugees in the camps originally fled brutal attacks in Myanmar in 2017, and due to the regime change that led to the military takeover of Myanmar's government in 2021, the refugee group will not be able to return home any time soon. Additionally, since Bangladesh authorities have barred these refugees from legally working in their country, options for these refugees are limited, and food assistance is their only aid to survival. Consequently, cutting food aid to those refugees will directly put them at risk of starvation and malnourishment. According to the World Food Program, the new system in place will lower the amount each refugee receives to $7, instead of the original $12. The only exception to this cut will be the households that are considered extremely food-insecure and headed by children. 

While the WFP spokesperson, Kun Li, stated the food aid cut was not caused by the United States’ decision to cut funding to the UN, the agency repeatedly warned last year that this would eventually happen as the U.S and others had made the decision to cut a third of their funding to the UN. With the cut now in effect, it is possible that many refugees in the camp will not meet the minimum nutrition standard of 2100 calories a day.

Central America and the Caribbean

Written by Gabriella Ramirez

Gang Violence Persists in Haiti as FBI Arrives in Cuba

Violence surged in the central Haitian town of Petite-Rivière de l'Artibonite early Sunday morning as a powerful gang, Gran Grif, warred with a vigilante group. The Defenseurs Plus rights group reports at least 70 people were killed, and 30 were injured, with an estimated 6,000 people displaced by the violence. Around 2023, vigilante groups began to emerge in Haiti to strike back against gangs, closing off neighborhoods and beheading suspected gang members. Meanwhile, the Gran Grif gang is responsible for 80% of civilian deaths on the island, forcing thousands to flee their homes. The gang was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in May 2025.

Additionally, the first foreign troop from a new gang-suppression force backed by the United Nations has arrived in Haiti to assist in quelling the violence. A team from the central African country of Chad is currently in Port-au-Prince, having arrived after U.N. officials met with Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to discuss the partnership. The new 5,500-member team will have the power to arrest suspected gang members. 

In Cuba, FBI agents arrived to investigate the fatal February shooting of five men aboard a U.S.-flagged speedboat, one which the Cuban government asserted was carrying suspects allegedly trying to infiltrate the island. The Cuban government has called the event a terrorist attack by Cuban expatriates who had been living in the U.S., while the U.S. government has dismissed any connection to the group, pushing for further investigation. Additionally, Russia plans to send a second tanker of crude oil to Cuba after one sent by the Kremlin reached Cuban territory earlier this week, emphasizing Russia’s solidarity with the island during its energy blockade. 

Europe

Written by Ethan Joyce

A Forgotten Clause in German Military Reform Legislation from December

On December 5, 2025, the Bundestag approved the Military Service Modernization Act. New reporting uncovered a hidden clause that both members of government and the media missed in that act. The clause requires men over the age of 17 to get explicit permission from their German Armed Forces career centers before leaving Germany for an extended stay (3 months or more), and while previous law had an “exit-permission” rule, it only applied during times of crisis (such as during wartime). The December reform changed one line in Section 2 of the preexisting law, extending this requirement to peacetime as well. This all comes as Germany’s leader, Friedrich Merz, aims for the country to become a major security and military power in Europe amid instability within NATO and a growing threat of war with Russia.  

The new law says that permission to leave should generally be granted unless refusing it would cause unreasonable hardship during a defensive situation. While the military cannot deny these applications in the present, especially because it is peacetime and Germany has a volunteer army, the process of applying is still technically mandatory. 

To make matters more confusing, the Defense Ministry has not publicized any application process nor created procedural guidance to address the new law’s changes. This means that thousands of Germans studying abroad, or working abroad, are now in violation of a law that most do not even know exists, which has no clear enforcement mechanism. This uncertainty has yet to be resolved. 

Middle East and North Africa

Written by Ansley Hovater

Individual and Public Entities Alike Act on Global Energy Crisis

Iran’s tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz has reduced shipping and caused a regional conflict to crescendo into what the International Energy Agency labeled the worst global energy disruption in history.  The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared a comprehensive closure of the Strait of Hormuz on March 2, threatening to target any ships that attempted passage. This vital waterway connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world’s oceans and roughly 34% of the global crude oil supply. Since its closure, crude oil prices have increased to over $100 per barrel, leading to a spike in fuel and oil prices and oil shortages worldwide. While many turn to innovation, diplomacy, and alternative energy sources, Bahrain pushed a now heavily edited proposal to reopen the trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the threat of continued bombing aimed at oil infrastructure escalates uncertainty surrounding the future energy market, risking permanent damage to global energy supply and increasing the likelihood of military escalation.

Solutions arise both on a larger, global scale and a country-specific scale. New Zealand began providing cash donations to families to pay for resources, South Africa is reducing fuel levies, and Sri Lanka shortened the work week to four days to conserve energy. This week, the UN Security Council is expected to vote on a proposal set forth by Bahrain, after voting was postponed twice last week. Bahrain’s proposal hopes to exploit any necessary means to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, suggesting employing additional military force in the Middle East to reopen the trade route. However, following vetoes by major members of the Security Council, including China, France, and Russia, the draft proposal evolved to eliminate any allusion to the use of force, resulting in a tamer, final proposal that the UN planned to vote on Friday. The most recent draft allows for defensive, not forceful, means to create a safe passage through the Strait for at least six months.

The lack of oil passing through the Strait threatens energy crises in countries the world over, and economic collapse in major oil economies of the Middle East. Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain all rely on this waterway to deliver the majority of their exports. Since the halt wields economic harm on these countries, panic ensues, and the strained relationships between Middle Eastern countries and external governments compound as Iran’s leverage threatens broader geopolitical conflict.   

North America

Written by Justin Cohen

Mission to the Moon Carries Americans and Canadians 

Earlier this week, the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Artemis II mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, beginning a planned ten-day journey to circle the Moon. While the crew will not touch down on the lunar surface, it will be the first mission to leave low Earth orbit in over 50 years.

Although the Artemis program is operated by the United States, joining the three NASA astronauts aboard the ship is the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, who will be the first non-American to visit around the Moon. Canada secured a spot on the mission as part of its commitment to build ‘Canadarm 3.’ The robotic arm mechanism, named after the original Canadarms that supported U.S. space shuttle and International Space Station operations, will be a part of NASA’s Lunar Gateway project, a space station NASA plans to position within the orbit of the Moon.

On the day of the launch, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney released a statement calling the launch a “testament to Canada and our world-class science, our cutting-edge technology, and our remarkable astronauts.” American President Donald Trump used the moment to declare that “[The United States] are WINNING, in Space, on Earth, and everywhere in between — Economically, Militarily, and now, BEYOND THE STARS."

South America

Written by Trinity De Lima 

U.S. Removes Sanctions on Delcy Rodriguez

Relations between Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez and President Trump are tightening following an update to the U.S. Department of the Treasury Specially Designated Nationals List, showing that Rodríguez had been removed. Rodriguez was added to the list in 2018 on U.S. allegations of undermining democracy. Upon the sanctions removal, Rodríguez responded with calls for additional removals of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, writing, “President Trump’s decision is a significant step in the right direction to normalize and strengthen relations between our countries. We trust that this progress and determination will ultimately lead to the lifting of the additional active sanctions on our country.” Experts believe the move will ultimately promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation. 

The move was still met with controversy; oppositionists in Caracas argued in favor of the United States, placing pressure on Rodríguez to release all the political prisoners still held in Venezuelan jails, a key demand of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Venezuela’s National Assembly passed an amnesty law freeing hundreds of detainees; however, the prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal claims that 500 political prisoners continue to remain behind bars. Additionally, the move to lift sanctions on Rodriguez signals that the U.S. recognizes her as the legitimate authority in Venezuela, to the dissatisfaction of much of the public. 

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado met with Rubio on Tuesday to discuss the future of Venezuela-U.S. relations. Despite being pushed aside by the Trump administration’s shifting focus to Rodriguez, Machado described the meeting as “excellent” and praised Rubio for his “dedication to democracy, freedom, and Venezuelan’s well-being.” In an interview with Fox News, Rubio stated that progress is being made and Venezuela is in the recovery phase of the U.S.-guided plan. To ease complaints against the administration’s recent political moves, Rubio said, “there will have to be free and fair elections, and that point has to come.” Overall, Venezuela is amply proving to be an experimental ground for the Trump administration and regime transition in Latin America. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Written by Alex Whirley

Burkina Faso Adopts ‘Charter of the Revolution’ Amid Territorial Losses to JNIM

On March 27th, the transitional legislature of Burkina Faso unanimously adopted the “Charter of the Revolution,” which acts as a de facto constitution and formalizes military-led governance. The Charter also emphasizes national sovereignty even amid an ongoing, severe jihadist insurgency in the northern and eastern regions.

JNIM’s (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) recent expansion across the Sahel region has severely weakened traditional state capabilities in Burkina Faso, putting all of West Africa on high alert. The government effectively controls only about 30% of Burkinabe territory. JNIM and rival groups, like the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, sieged entire towns, blockading roads and starving out local populations.

The adoption of a new “Charter of the Revolution" is part of a massive geopolitical realignment in West Africa. Having seized power in a September 2022 coup—overthrowing a previous junta leader who had similarly failed to contain escalating jihadist violence—Captain Ibrahim Traoré has leveraged public frustration to legitimize his rule. Under his leadership, Burkina Faso has fully embraced a populist “sovereigntist” ideology, which has involved expelling French military forces, pushing back against Western diplomatic influence, and turning to Russia’s Africa Corps for security assistance.