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"U.S. refugee admissions were flagging long befor Trump."

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

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February 27, 2025

Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and Elon Musk’s aspirations to lead the global far right.

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

A protester holds a sign reading “Fossil Fuels Out” during a demonstration at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 12, 2022 (AP photo by Peter Dejong).

Climate Change: The energy giant BP said yesterday it planned to reduce its investments in renewable energy businesses by about 70 percent per year while increasing its investment in oil and gas production by 20 percent. On the same day, the European Commission proposed changing a directive on sustainability reporting so as to cover substantially fewer companies. (Reuters; New York Times)

Our Take: Both of these moves underscore the state of climate action and the strange moment in which the green transition finds itself. As much as anything, they reflect the degree to which global climate action exists in two parallel worlds...

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

Among the dozens of executive orders signed by U.S. President Donald Trump since taking office, one action received relatively little media attention: his decision to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, or USRAP. A judge in Seattle temporarily blocked that executive order earlier this week, but even if resettlement resumes, admissions numbers are likely to be quite low.

The effort to shutter USRAP was not entirely unexpected, as Trump slashed refugee admissions to historical lows during his first term, causing many resettlement agencies to close offices and lay off staff. This time around, however, it has become clear that what was once a program enjoying broad bipartisan support is now subject to the same rancorous divide on display with regard to all aspects of immigration policy, Idean Salehyan writes.

Trump Could Be the Final Nail in the Coffin for U.S. Refugee Admissions

By Idean Salehyan Refugee admissions programs once enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Now, as Trump slashes them, few are standing in his way.

*****

Over the past few weeks, multiple clips of Elon Musk in action have gone viral across the world, each conveying evidence of the billionaire’s transition from high-tech superstar to right-wing political activist.

With every passing day, as he carries out his prominent role in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and wades ever more deeply into European politics, Musk is becoming an aspirational leader of a far-right movement that is rising across the democratic West, columnist Frida Ghitis writes.

Elon Musk Is Becoming the Face of the Global Far-Right

By Frida Ghitis With every passing day, Elon Musk is becoming an aspirational leader of a far-right movement that is rising across the democratic West.

Syria’s National Dialogue Conference, billed by the country’s interim government as the first step in its political transition, wrapped up earlier this week in Damascus. The conference suggested that the interim leaders are willing to at the very least pay lip service to an inclusive and democratic transition, which Western countries say is necessary to fully lift crippling economic sanctions on the country.

This week’s question: Should the West fully lift economic sanctions on Syria?

Yes. No.

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

Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed is visiting Mogadishu for talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, as the two sides continue a rapprochement that began in December. Last month, the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations, a little more than a year after they broke ties amid a dispute over a port-access deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland.

As part of the rapprochement, Somalia agreed to work with Ethiopia to ensure it has “reliable, secure and sustainable access to and from the sea.” That raises new issues for Djibouti, which derives much of its revenues from providing shipping services for the land-locked Ethiopia. As Francisco Serrano wrote last year, the news that Ethiopia is looking for another long-term transit and logistics partner in the region caused much alarm in Djibouti.

The Ethiopia-Somaliland Port Deal Could Sink Djibouti’s Economy

By Francisco Serrano Feb. 2, 2024 | Djibouti built its economy based on transporting Ethiopia’s trade. Now, Ethiopia is looking for other partners.

*****

In Spain, two men convicted as part of the infamous Wolfpack Case—in which five men gang-raped an 18-year-old woman in a preplanned attack—had their sentences reduced by a court earlier today, the result of an oft-criticized loophole in Spain’s landmark sexual crime law.

The law—commonly known as “Only Yes Means Yes”—was written in the wake of the Wolfpack Case but didn’t come into effect until late 2022, at which point the unintended loophole became evident, as more than 1,000 imprisoned offenders had their sentences reduced. Months of public outrage eventually forced the government to apologize and promise to amend the law, as Alana Moceri detailed in 2023.

Spain’s Sexual Consent Law Debacle Has Sanchez’s Coalition on the Ropes

By Alana Moceri May 18, 2023 | Spain’s new law on sexual crime has faced political backlash because of unintended consequences, deepening a rift in the governing coalition.

*****

Members of the Trump administration are reportedly divided about whether U.S. military action against cartels in Mexico should be unilateral or in partnership with Mexican authorities. The discussion itself underscores how real the likelihood of U.S. military action in Mexico has become, with few officials against the idea. Read more in James Bosworth’s column from November.

*****

Romanian authorities lifted travel restrictions on the influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are known for promoting misogynist views online. They have been charged in Romania for human trafficking, and Andrew Tate was also charged with rape. As Hannah Thompson wrote in 2023, the increasing prominence of personalities like Andrew Tate, and the proliferation of misogynist rhetoric consumed by young men on social media platforms in general, is one of the biggest challenges in tackling gender-based violence.

More from WPR

Michael Hart on Vietnam’s South China Sea activities. Charli Carpenter on the nuclear weapons ban treaty. Nathalie Tocci on how Europe can support Ukraine. Jonathan Fenton-Harvey on Turkey-Iran competition in Iraq.

Read all of our latest coverage here.

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