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"Trump might work with the U.N. after all."

Views expressed in this geopolitical news and analysis are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 24 January 2025, 0254 UTC.

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Russ Roberts (https://trendsingeopolitics.blogspot.com).

 

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January 23, 2025

Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering the Trump administration’s U.N. agenda and the challenges facing Singapore’s long-dominant ruling party.

But first, here’s our take on today’s top story:

People displaced by the ongoing fighting between Congolese forces and M23 rebels gather in a camp on the outskirts of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, March 13, 2024 (AP photo by Moses Sawasawa).

Democratic Republic of Congo: The M23 rebel group has advanced quickly toward Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, in an offensive this month. On Tuesday, the group captured the town of Minova, a key supply route just 25 miles from Goma, and in the past two weeks alone the fighting had displaced more than 178,000 people, according to the United Nations. (AP)

Our Take: This latest offensive marks the most significant territorial advance M23, or the March 23rd Movement, has made since it reemerged in late 2021 after nearly a decade of inactivity. Since then...

	Subscribe to WPR to read our take on today’s top story.

Officials and diplomats at the United Nations were saddened but not surprised by the first moves made by U.S. President Donald Trump this week, including withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and the WHO. They are still wondering how much further the U.S. will go in disengaging from the U.N. and other multilateral bodies.

Nonetheless, the administration has also signaled that it will not zero out support for the U.N. across the board, as some inside the organization had feared. As Richard Gowan writes, the confirmation hearing for Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the U.N., Rep. Elise Stefanik, suggested that the Trump administration will take a selective but stringent approach to working with U.N. agencies.

Trump Might Find Ways to Work With the U.N. After All By Richard Gowan The confirmation hearing for Trump’s U.N. ambassador pick signaled that his second term might not be as disruptive for the organization as many feared.

*****

Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party has long been famous for never losing an election, winning every vote since the city-state became independent in 1965. To be sure, in the past the PAP won by tilting the playing field in its favor before Election Day, and to some extent it still does so today. But rather than using obvious and outright authoritarian tactics to win votes, the PAP has shifted toward using subtler means.

Yet as Singapore prepares for an election that will take place in November, the PAP faces a far more competitive landscape and by far its biggest electoral challenge yet, Joshua Kurlantzick and Abigail McGowan write.

Singapore’s Next Elections Could Remake Its Political Landscape By Joshua Kurlantzick The PAP has dominated Singaporean politics since its founding. But in elections this year, it will face its biggest challenge yet.

Among the raft of executive orders U.S. President Donald Trump signed upon taking office Monday, several represented the first steps toward implementing the new iteration of his America First agenda.

This week’s question: Do you think Trump’s foreign, trade and security policies will strengthen the United States over the next four years?

Yes. No.

We’ll select one person from those who answer the question above to receive a free month of full access to WPR.

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have created a joint force that will battle Islamist insurgencies across the Sahel region in all three countries, Niger’s defense minister said yesterday. All three states are currently led by military juntas following successive coups in recent years and recently formed the Alliance of Sahelian States, a trilateral bloc.

The three countries have been battling Islamist armed groups for more than a decade, but the insurgents have made significant headway over the past year, highlighted by an attack in Mali’s capital in September. As Jessica Moody wrote at the time, that attack destroyed the image the country’s military junta had tried to create of a strong government able to protect its people.

Mali’s Military Junta Can No Longer Hide Its Security Failures By Jessica Moody Sept. 30, 2024 | An attack in Mali’s capital on Sept. 17 left more than 70 people dead, marking a landmark moment in Mali’s longstanding battle with jihadism.

*****

Mexico has unveiled its ambitious plan to receive thousands of citizens it expects to be deported by the U.S. during President Donald Trump’s second term. The plan will involve building nine reception centers along the U.S.-Mexico border and will involve more than 34 federal agencies and 16 state governments.

Mexico already plays a significant role in stopping, delaying and detaining migrants from all over Latin America trying to reach the U.S.-Mexico border. As Daniela Díaz and Joshua Collins wrote recently, that points to an underlying if often neglected reality of the balance of power between the two neighbors: Trump’s promise to “secure the border” is dead in the water without Mexican cooperation.

Mexico Is Doing the United States’ Dirty Work on Migration By Daniela Díaz Jan. 2, 2025 | Mexican authorities are stopping, delaying and detaining record numbers of migrants en route to the U.S. border.

*****

In a speech laying out his foreign policy plans, Friedrich Merz—leader of the conservative CDU party and the person most likely to become German chancellor following upcoming elections—said he wants to win back the trust of allies and be more assertive on the global stage. Nevertheless, as Ulrike Franke wrote yesterday, the CDU’s electoral program is mainly focused on the past, highlighting how Germany’s biggest parties are lacking in bold visions and big ideas for the country.

*****

Gabon will hold a presidential election on April 12, bringing an end to the transitional period following an August 2023 coup. The election follows a referendum in November that saw a new constitution approved. Read more about post-coup Gabon in this briefing by Chris O. Ògúnmọ́dẹdé from last year.

More from WPR

Benjamin N. Gedan on U.S. support for Guatemala’s democracy. Daniel W. Drezner on fears of a great power war. Mary Gallagher on Trump and globalization. Paul Poast on Trump’s 19-century foreign policy.

Read all of our latest coverage here.

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