Jason Lyall

By late-2023, a record number of at least 71.1 million people were internally displaced around the world. More than 88% of them had fled conflict and violence (Internal Displacement Monitoring, 2023). The international community has spent billions of dollars on development aid and humanitarian assistance designed to assist internally displaced persons (IDPs) in these fragile countries.

Facing battlefield setbacks, this week Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial mobilization of up to 300,000 soldiers. Most analysts see this as a move to buy breathing space for his exhausted military - as well as appease critics in Russia who think the invasion has moved too slowly in Ukraine. But the mobilization announcement may be a sign of weakness, not strength.

Sign in and save to read later Print this article Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Get a link Page url Request Reprint Permissions Russia’s botched invasion of Ukraine, along with unexpectedly dogged Ukrainian resistance, has sparked a debate about whether the current ways of measuring military capabilities are flawed.