Financial leverage and enforcement infrastructure, the two key tools of the EU's externalisation strategy, have not produced sustained cooperation on returns in Middle Eastern and African countries.
The international humanitarian system entered 2025 facing a crisis of legitimacy, morale, and funding. By mid-2025, global humanitarian aid had collapsed by 43%, from $36.9 billion in the previous year to $20.8 billion. This policy analysis examines the drivers, impacts, and implications of these unprecedented cuts, proposing structural reforms for a more equitable system.