The phrase "to be determined" has never cut so deep. When the consequences are so steep, the threat so vast, the casualties so great, it is disheartening to hear words like political stagnation or stalemate tagged under the seemingly never-ending battle to develop effective climate change legislation.

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The rift between humanitarian aid and military response in regions close to or in disaster stricken areas of the Middle East, specifically Pakistan, is becoming ever larger. These needs however, aren't mutually exclusive of each other. The challenges brought on by climate change might very well shift U.S. foreign policy...