Comedian John Oliver’s end-of-year video obscenely summed up most folks’ sentiments: “This has been a really shitty year.” But it’s worth noting that for some people, like most Syrians, it’s been shitty for years. Suffering, instability and conflicts often ripple out well beyond borders. Our writers reflect on the issues that, at Humanosphere anyway, remind us that we need to pay attention to the entire world community if we want to truly understand.