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World Politics Review

@wpr.bsky.social
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In-depth news and expert analysis on global affairs. Subscribe here: wpr.pub/subscribe

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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 5h
Global grain stocks offer a solid cushion against this year’s “super El Niño.” But as Luca Mattei writes, reserves don’t finance irrigation pumps or provide the foreign currency countries need to import fertilizer and other key inputs.
wpr.pub
The ‘Super El Niño’ Is Testing the Limits of the Global Food System
On the whole, agricultural systems have so far proven resilient to changing weather patterns. But the severe El Niño is arriving at a sensitive time.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 6h
Trump has curtailed military drills with South Korea and reportedly floated sanctions relief to coax Kim Jong Un into a meeting. As columnist @fridaghitis.bsky.social writes, the lesson for regimes like Iran’s is what a nuclear arsenal can buy.
wpr.pub
Trump’s Courting of North Korea Contains a Dangerous Lesson for Iran
Washington’s warm approach to a nuclear-armed dictatorship is a disturbing backdrop to its push to prevent Iran from building a bomb.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 10h
U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping last week, even as China supports Iran in its war with the U.S. That’s not just admiration for strongmen. On security, Trump prefers great power cooperation to competition, @profpaulpoast.bsky.social writes.
wpr.pub
Why Trump Prefers Great Power Cooperation Over Competition
On security matters, Trump’s impulse is to play nice with Russia and China—even if it means overlooking their support for Iran.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 11h
The South China Sea contest has long been viewed through warships, coast guard vessels and artificial-island outposts. That lens still matters, James Borton and Jing Ge write, but it’s no longer sufficient.
wpr.pub
Science and Data Are Reshaping Power in the South China Sea
The contested waterway has long been viewed through the lens of hard power. That paradigm remains important, but it is no longer sufficient.
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GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 12h
Washington this week accused nearly 20 people from Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador of corruption or drug ties. Within days, Bolivian police had arrested two of them, including Attorney General Roger Mariaca. Get the whole story from GlobalPost:
bit.ly
Bolivia Arrests Attorney General Over Alleged Drug Ties After US Pressure
Bolivian police arrests attorney general, days after the United States blacklisted more than a dozen other officials over alleged drug ties.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 13h
The global food system has so far absorbed successive shocks. But countries without the fiscal room to cushion farmers—in sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and parts of Southeast Asia—will feel a disproportionate impact as a severe El Niño takes hold.
wpr.pub
The ‘Super El Niño’ Is Testing the Limits of the Global Food System
On the whole, agricultural systems have so far proven resilient to changing weather patterns. But the severe El Niño is arriving at a sensitive time.
020
Reposted by World Politics Review
GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 14h
Germany is sending warplanes to Latvia to guard against Russian drone strikes during the Baltic country’s Oct. 3 parliamentary elections, a sign of how heavily Russia’s war on Ukraine hangs over the vote. Get the whole story from GlobalPost:
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Latvians Go to the Polls With Russia as the Silent Candidate
Latvia heads into parliamentary elections amid concerns over Russia's escalating hybrid threats across Europe.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 14h
North Korea’s success in building nuclear weapons despite crippling sanctions teaches other dictatorships that an atomic arsenal can secure a regime’s survival—a disturbing backdrop to the push to keep Iran from getting the bomb, @fridaghitis.bsky.social writes.
wpr.pub
Trump’s Courting of North Korea Contains a Dangerous Lesson for Iran
Washington’s warm approach to a nuclear-armed dictatorship is a disturbing backdrop to its push to prevent Iran from building a bomb.
083
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Despite talk of a “right-wing wave” sweeping Latin America, the region’s leaders remain fragmented—and as long as they do, their nations will be items on other powers’ agendas rather than agenda-setters in their own right, @perez1oj.bsky.social writes.
wpr.pub
At the U.N., Latin America Agreed Only When It Cost Nothing
If the region remains unable to speak with one voice, its nations are destined to be items on powerful actors’ agendas.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The deal with Denmark offers a template for the U.S. to balance its security needs with its partners’ concerns over sovereignty, Candace Rondeaux writes.
wpr.pub
The Solution to Trump’s Diego Garcia Problem Runs Through Greenland
The deal with Denmark offers a template for the U.S. to balance its security needs with its partners’ concerns over sovereignty.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A potentially record-strength El Niño is arriving just as conflict in the Middle East has disrupted fertilizer supplies, energy costs and shipping, testing how far the global food system’s resilience can stretch, Luca Mattei writes.
wpr.pub
The ‘Super El Niño’ Is Testing the Limits of the Global Food System
On the whole, agricultural systems have so far proven resilient to changing weather patterns. But the severe El Niño is arriving at a sensitive time.
021
Reposted by World Politics Review
GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Norway’s parliament opened public hearings Wednesday into Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to the country’s politicians and diplomats, summoning 11 current and former ministers in a scandal that has also reached the royal family. Get the whole story from GlobalPost:
bit.ly
Norway Begins Parliamentary Hearings on Epstein Scandal
Hearings regarding the ties between Norway's politicians and US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have begun in the Norwegian parliament.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In 1993, Bill Clinton insisted North Korea “cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb.” Today, with Pyongyang’s nuclear status all but settled, it is Donald Trump who is courting Kim Jong Un—a lesson Iran is watching closely, @fridaghitis.bsky.social writes.
wpr.pub
Trump’s Courting of North Korea Contains a Dangerous Lesson for Iran
Washington’s warm approach to a nuclear-armed dictatorship is a disturbing backdrop to its push to prevent Iran from building a bomb.
041
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In Greenland, the U.S. won military access while Denmark kept its sovereignty. A similar balance could resolve the standoff over Diego Garcia, where U.S. opposition has stalled Britain’s deal to return sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
wpr.pub
The Solution to Trump’s Diego Garcia Problem Runs Through Greenland
The deal with Denmark offers a template for the U.S. to balance its security needs with its partners’ concerns over sovereignty.
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GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A banking scandal implicating Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has made corruption a major issue before Sunday’s vote. Yet polls show he’s still running neck-and-neck with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Get the whole story here: bit.ly/4yujD7s
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In a year when the U.S. seized Venezuela’s leader and kept bombing boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, the U.N. should have been where Latin America spoke with one voice. Instead, it agreed only where consensus cost nothing.
wpr.pub
At the U.N., Latin America Agreed Only When It Cost Nothing
If the region remains unable to speak with one voice, its nations are destined to be items on powerful actors’ agendas.
042
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Bangladesh’s embrace of Mandarin signals that its government is no longer as willing—or perhaps no longer feels as politically constrained—to keep India at the center of its foreign policy.
wpr.pub
Bangladesh’s Mandarin Push Signals a New Strategic Direction
The initiative reflects both economic ambitions and Dhaka’s efforts to diversify its relationships.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The U.S. and China are often described as locked in a “strategic stalemate,” with neither able to prevail in an all-out trade war. The bigger threat to their relationship may now come from inside each country.
wpr.pub
The Biggest Threat to U.S.-China Ties May Be Their Domestic Politics
Washington and Beijing both face economic turmoil and fraught civil-military relations, with highly uncertain leadership transitions looming.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Trump’s deal with Denmark secured U.S. military rights in Greenland without ownership—and it may offer a way out of the impasse he helped create over Diego Garcia, the Indian Ocean island hosting a joint U.S.-U.K. base, Candace Rondeaux writes.
wpr.pub
The Solution to Trump’s Diego Garcia Problem Runs Through Greenland
The deal with Denmark offers a template for the U.S. to balance its security needs with its partners’ concerns over sovereignty.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Latin American leaders at the U.N. General Assembly this year all invoked sovereignty—but each defined it differently in dealing with Washington, leaving the region unable to speak with one voice, @perez1oj.bsky.social writes.
wpr.pub
At the U.N., Latin America Agreed Only When It Cost Nothing
If the region remains unable to speak with one voice, its nations are destined to be items on powerful actors’ agendas.
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Reposted by World Politics Review
GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Bosnia and Herzegovina votes Oct. 4 in what analysts call one of its most consequential elections since the 1995 Dayton Accords—a test of whether the country can break three decades of ethnic obstruction and paralysis. Get the whole preview from GlobalPost:
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As Bosnians Go to the Polls, They Will Choose Their Leaders %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%
Ahead of the elections of Bosnia and Herzegovina, narratives surrounding the country's history and legacy divide. Learn more
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
From Mandarin classes in public schools to Chinese-backed port expansion and talks to buy Chinese fighter jets, Bangladesh is drawing closer to Beijing as its ties with India strain, signaling a new strategic direction.
wpr.pub
Bangladesh’s Mandarin Push Signals a New Strategic Direction
The initiative reflects both economic ambitions and Dhaka’s efforts to diversify its relationships.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Washington and Beijing both face economic turmoil, fraught civil-military relations and highly uncertain leadership transitions. Those pressures at home may be the biggest threat to U.S.-China ties.
wpr.pub
The Biggest Threat to U.S.-China Ties May Be Their Domestic Politics
Washington and Beijing both face economic turmoil and fraught civil-military relations, with highly uncertain leadership transitions looming.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez blames judges for the country’s near-record violence, and her government is cutting their budget. Will squeezing the courts deliver the security she promised—or hand an advantage to the cartels?
wpr.pub
In Costa Rica, Fernandez’s Fight With the Judiciary Puts Her Security Agenda at Risk
The government’s funding cuts for courts and prosecutors could wind up benefiting violent gangs and drug cartels.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
India’s crackdown on coverage of this summer’s youth-led protests has been quieter than an outright ban but no less powerful, as its opacity pushes journalists and creators toward self-censorship, Viren Naidu writes.
wpr.pub
India’s Gen Z Protests Exposed a New Architecture of Digital Control
Journalists and activists who chronicled the country’s youth uprising say they continue to face the consequences of an online crackdown.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Bangladesh’s push to teach Mandarin in its public schools and universities may be less a language policy than an early indicator of where the country sees its interests heading, Srijita Datta writes.
wpr.pub
Bangladesh’s Mandarin Push Signals a New Strategic Direction
The initiative reflects both economic ambitions and Dhaka’s efforts to diversify its relationships.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have made summitry a hallmark of this year. But good personal relations between the two leaders do not equate to stable bilateral ties, Mary Gallagher writes.
wpr.pub
The Biggest Threat to U.S.-China Ties May Be Their Domestic Politics
Washington and Beijing both face economic turmoil and fraught civil-military relations, with highly uncertain leadership transitions looming.
020
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez’s feud with the judiciary could end up aiding the cartels, columnist James Bosworth (@bloggingsbyboz.bsky.social) writes. Her government has cut about $77 million from this year’s judicial budget, including funds for police and prosecutors.
wpr.pub
In Costa Rica, Fernandez’s Fight With the Judiciary Puts Her Security Agenda at Risk
The government’s funding cuts for courts and prosecutors could wind up benefiting violent gangs and drug cartels.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Indian government departments used a legal provision requiring no written justification or independent review to take down coverage of this summer’s Gen Z protests, and confidentiality rules bar platforms from telling users why.
wpr.pub
India’s Gen Z Protests Exposed a New Architecture of Digital Control
Journalists and activists who chronicled the country’s youth uprising say they continue to face the consequences of an online crackdown.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Trusted journalism means taking the complexity of international affairs seriously. It’s the standard WPR has held itself to for two decades, and the one we mark on this #WorldNewsDay.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
For 20 years, World Politics Review has published rigorous, nonpartisan analysis of global affairs, written by experts who know the regions and issues they cover. On #WorldNewsDay, that commitment hasn’t changed.
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Reposted by World Politics Review
GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
On World News Day, a reminder that the next generation is keeping up with the world: roughly 14,000 students and teachers at more than 2,100 schools in 114 countries start each weekday with GlobalPost, for free. #WorldNewsDay bit.ly/46NTtAo
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Costa Rican President Laura Fernandez was elected on an anti-crime agenda. But her funding cuts to the judiciary she blames for rising violence risk benefiting the very gangs and cartels she vowed to fight, James Bosworth (@bloggingsbyboz.bsky.social) writes.
wpr.pub
In Costa Rica, Fernandez’s Fight With the Judiciary Puts Her Security Agenda at Risk
The government’s funding cuts for courts and prosecutors could wind up benefiting violent gangs and drug cartels.
062
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Journalists and activists who chronicled India’s recent youth uprising say they continue to face the consequences of an online crackdown, Viren Naidu reports.
wpr.pub
India’s Gen Z Protests Exposed a New Architecture of Digital Control
Journalists and activists who chronicled the country’s youth uprising say they continue to face the consequences of an online crackdown.
021
Reposted by World Politics Review
GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Hong Kong has launched its first five-year development plan, borrowing a model China’s Communist Party has used since the 1950s and pulling the famously free-market city’s economy closer to Beijing after years of political crackdowns.
bit.ly
Hong Kong’s Moves Closer to China %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%
The launch of Hong Kong's five-year development plan, using a model favored by China, shows a blueprint for a planned economy. Learn more
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
In late August, Niger’s junta survived a mutiny fueled by battlefield losses to jihadists and resentment over unequal treatment of troops. Can it purge suspected mutineers without further weakening the army it needs at the front?
wpr.pub
A Rebellion in Niger Underscores the Fragility of the Sahel’s Juntas
Unequal treatment and battlefield losses helped fuel the revolt. Now, the junta’s purge of suspected mutineers risks deepening mistrust.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Should the U.S. pull its forces back from the island chain running from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines—and if it does, must its alliances there go too? @profpaulpoast.bsky.social weighs a report that has sparked heated debate among strategists:
wpr.pub
Rethinking the U.S. Military’s Footprint in East Asia
A new report about America’s military posture in the region has sparked debate over how Washington should best protect its core interests.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger all seized power promising to restore security. Instead, worsening insecurity is straining their armies to the point of mutiny, most recently in Niger, Tangi Bihan writes.
wpr.pub
A Rebellion in Niger Underscores the Fragility of the Sahel’s Juntas
Unequal treatment and battlefield losses helped fuel the revolt. Now, the junta’s purge of suspected mutineers risks deepening mistrust.
031
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
There is a case for pulling U.S. forces in East Asia back out of easy range of Chinese strikes. But ending America’s alliances in the region would go too far, risking the loss of vital access for military operations and intelligence gathering.
wpr.pub
Rethinking the U.S. Military’s Footprint in East Asia
A new report about America’s military posture in the region has sparked debate over how Washington should best protect its core interests.
031
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The Palestinian Authority hasn’t held a legislative election since 2006, and President Mahmoud Abbas has governed by decree since 2009. A vote planned for November could change that, but the odds are stacked against it, Elfadil Ibrahim writes.
wpr.pub
Palestinians Plan for Long-Delayed Elections Amid Internal Divisions and Israeli Obstruction
Political infighting, Israeli restrictions and years of war are stacking the odds against elections that are planned for November.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Verbal hyperbole and intimidation have long been among U.S. President Donald Trump’s favorite weapons. His speech to the U.N. General Assembly this week showed how much of their firepower they have lost.
wpr.pub
Trump’s Bluster Isn’t Landing Like It Used to
The president’s rhetorical extremes once alarmed global leaders. But his latest U.N. speech showed how their shock value has diminished.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Niger’s junta put down its most serious mutiny since seizing power in 2023. But the revolt exposed how fragile the regime is, and its purge of suspected mutineers risks weakening an army already struggling against jihadists, Tangi Bihan writes.
wpr.pub
A Rebellion in Niger Underscores the Fragility of the Sahel’s Juntas
Unequal treatment and battlefield losses helped fuel the revolt. Now, the junta’s purge of suspected mutineers risks deepening mistrust.
020
Reposted by World Politics Review
GlobalPost @globalpost.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Italy’s Senate backed PM Giorgia Meloni’s plan to restart nuclear power, a major step toward reversing a ban Italians approved by referendum after the Chernobyl disaster nearly 40 years ago.
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Italy’s Parliament Backs Plan to Resume Nuclear Power After 40 Years
The Italian Senate approved Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s plan to restart nuclear power, nearly 40 years after it was banned.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A new report urging the U.S. to pull its forces back from East Asia and end its alliances there has been widely condemned. But are the report’s recommendations completely off base? Columnist @profpaulpoast.bsky.social weighs in:
wpr.pub
Rethinking the U.S. Military’s Footprint in East Asia
A new report about America’s military posture in the region has sparked debate over how Washington should best protect its core interests.
163
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
As foreign support for his administration wanes, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called the first legislative elections in 20 years. Whether Palestinians actually vote in November remains genuinely uncertain.
wpr.pub
Palestinians Plan for Long-Delayed Elections Amid Internal Divisions and Israeli Obstruction
Political infighting, Israeli restrictions and years of war are stacking the odds against elections that are planned for November.
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Reposted by World Politics Review
Paul Poast @profpaulpoast.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The report is an important read that should lead to some rethinking, if not wholesale changes, in how the US approaches East Asian defense. Link here: www.worldpoliticsreview.com/rethinking-t...
worldpoliticsreview.com
Rethinking the U.S. Military’s Footprint in East Asia
A new report about America’s military posture in the region has sparked debate over how Washington should best protect its core interests.
022
World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to “totally destroy” North Korea made front pages around the world. After a decade on the global stage, his rhetorical extremes have lost much of their shock value, columnist @fridaghitis.bsky.social writes.
wpr.pub
Trump’s Bluster Isn’t Landing Like It Used to
The president’s rhetorical extremes once alarmed global leaders. But his latest U.N. speech showed how their shock value has diminished.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Revisited for WPR’s 20th anniversary: With China’s rise lending new luster to state-led development, and industrial policy no longer a dirty word in the West, will African governments use a moment of crisis to break with the model of the past four decades?
wpr.pub
African Countries Need a New Economic Model
Many countries across Africa are experiencing a debt crisis. But it could be an opportunity to chart a new course on the economy.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Brazil’s Banco Master banking scandal leaves both camps in a bind. The Bolsonaros can attack a Supreme Court they distrust only by highlighting their own ties to the disgraced banker, while Lula must defend the court under scrutiny.
wpr.pub
A Banking Scandal Becomes an Electoral Minefield in Brazil
Fallout from the arrest of a prominent financier has ensnared the Supreme Court and both frontrunners in next month’s presidential election.
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World Politics Review @wpr.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Militaries around the world are embracing AI, and unless that comes with better training on how to use it, near-misses caused by people mishandling the technology are likely to multiply, WPR columnist @rikefranke.bsky.social writes.
wpr.pub
AI Really Could End the World—If Humans Don’t First
The public’s imagination has been captured by a doomsday narrative that fails to consider the very real threat of humans misusing AI.
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