A War on Water Desalination and Tuberculosis Innovations Amid Aid Cuts
March 27, 2026
Editors' Note
As the Iran war nears the one-month mark, essential infrastructure sits in the crosshairs. Early in the conflict, Iran and the U.S.-Israel coalition faced allegations of strikes against desalination plants, which remove salt and minerals from seawater to make it potable. Verbal threats against those facilities continue, and future attacks could create a humanitarian calamity that violates international law. The Middle East, home to 6% of the world's population but less than 2% of renewable freshwater, has relied on desalination since the mid-twentieth century.
To unpack the potential severity of attacks against the Arabian Gulf's water resources, TGH Research Associate Alejandra Martinez speaks with Youssef Brouziyne, the International Water Management Institute's Middle East and North Africa representative. They discuss the history of the region's desalination plants and how increased water stress could lead to disease outbreaks and forced migration.
On February 28, the day the first strikes hit Iran, Israel shut down crossings to the Gaza Strip. As of March 19, only one—Kerem Shalom—remains open. With a relapse of famine looming, CFR's Mariel Ferragamo interviews humanitarian workers in Gaza to understand how Palestinians are navigating persistent attacks, a lack of food, and battered infrastructure.
Next, MedGlobal's Lebanon Country Director Tania Baban describes how humanitarian workers and communities are stepping up to respond to the renewed conflict in a country already weakened by years of economic crisis and political instability.
Amid the America First Global Health Strategy's push toward government-to-government health financing, CFR Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav explains how, by strengthening multilane procurement channels, donors can streamline regulatory pathways for healthy products, improve competition between manufacturers, and lower drug prices.
Tuesday, March 24, marked World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. To commemorate the occasion, Madhukar Pai, director of McGill University's International TB Center, outlines how a new World Health Organization policy that supports portable testing could close surveillance gaps in high burden countries and sustain progress against the disease even as global health funding retracts.
Until next week!—Nsikan Akpan, Managing Editor, and Caroline Kantis, Associate Editor
