When the world's at stake,
go beyond the headlines.

A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep into a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***This year has seen the highest number of irregular border crossings into the European Union since 2016, with the migratory route across the central Mediterranean sea the most traveled in the world, according to monitoring group Frontex. There have also been a record number of deaths. In the first six months of 2023, nearly 2,000 migrants died on the route, compared to less than 1,400 in the same period last year. In May, more than 600 migrants are believed to have died aboard a single boat, the Adriana, that capsized off the coast of Greece. We asked four experts to tell us more about this spike in migration and in migrant deaths, what might be behind it, and what can be done to stop it.Read more below. Sally Hayden Author, My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration RouteThe people trying to cross into Europe from North Africa by sea are fleeing a range of different situations, including wars, dictatorships, climate change–related droughts, and crushing poverty. A large portion of the world’s population does not have access to safe and legal routes to secure countries, so they feel that they have no other option but to make dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean. Rhetoric from politicians that speaks about tackling the business model of smugglers often ignores the fact that human smugglers are fulfilling a need. The response from Europe has been to fortify borders, which leads to more deaths. Leslie Rogne Schumacher Visiting Assistant Professor Department of History Wells CollegeThe Mediterranean Sea has always been dangerous.