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

 

View this email in your browser. February 8, 2025 Hi, everybody. This is a free preview of our Weekly Review newsletter, which recaps the highlights from our coverage this week and previews what we have planned for next week. To get the full version of Weekly Review, along with access to all of our coverage, subscribe to WPR. WPR Weekly Quiz The latest installment of the WPR weekly quiz is out now. Test your knowledge for a chance to get a free month of full access to WPR. Click here to take the quiz. Top Stories This week, in our Daily Review newsletter, we took a look at the week’s major developments: Israel-Hamas War: During a visit by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. “will take over the Gaza Strip.” As with Trump’s other provocative suggestions, it is difficult to discern if this proposal should be taken seriously, literally, both or neither. On the one hand, it is in line with his post-reelection rhetorical shift from isolationism toward expansionism, with threats toward a number of countries and territories. This latest suggestion is by far the most stunning for several reasons, not least of which is because it would require the forced resettlement of more than 2 million Palestinians in violation of international law. On the other hand, Trump suggests a lot of ideas that never come close to fruition. Regardless, Trump’s comments alone are still consequential, as they could undercut U.S. diplomacy with the Middle East region, are likely to embolden the Israeli far right and threaten the already fragile ceasefire in Gaza. (Read more here.) China-Europe: Beijing named Lu Shaye as Special Representative for European Affairs on Thursday. Lu’s appointment is notable because, during his time in Paris, he came to symbolize Beijing’s era of “wolf warrior” diplomacy, a term coined in 2019 to describe the newly bellicose rhetoric from some prominent Chinese officials. After years of making headlines, Lu has been relatively quiet since 2023, when Beijing publicly distanced itself from comments he made questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states. Now, though, this appointment could signal that China recognizes growing tensions with Europe and is willing to be more combative in response. (Read more here.) Ecuador: Just 18 months after snap general elections, Ecuadorians are once again heading to the polls tomorrow. President Daniel Noboa is seeking reelection just over a year after declaring an “internal armed conflict” against criminal organizations that have fueled a surge in crime and violence since 2020. Noboa’s “tough on crime” approach was initially popular, but the results of the crackdown have been mixed. Still, Noboa’s approval rating remains around 50 percent, and his short tenure means he has maintained the outsider status that won him the presidency in the first place. At the same time, high unemployment, an energy crisis and a strange, public feud with his own VP could hurt Noboa and open the door for his main challenger: Luisa Gonzalez, a leftist backed by former President Rafael Correa. (Read more here.) This Week’s Highlights Last Week’s U.S.-Colombia Crisis Won’t Be the Last. On Tuesday, Cynthia J. Arnson looked at whether the diplomatic crisis that arose between Colombia and the United States last week portends more trouble to come. The brief but intense crisis between the U.S. and Colombia on Jan. 26 has been resolved, but tensions could soon resurface. Colombian President Gustavo Petro triggered the dispute by revoking landing rights for a U.S. deportation flight. U.S. President Donald Trump retaliated by announcing steep tariffs, revoking visas for Colombian officials, and threats of financial sanctions. Petro quickly backed down, agreeing to Trump’s demands, though they salvaged some dignity by using their own planes to collect deportees. This episode underscored the fragility of U.S.-Colombia relations, with potentially serious ramifications for the future. Upgrade to a paid subscription to get the full bulleted breakdown of the stories we highlight each week. China’s Domination of the Drone Supply Chain Is a Vulnerability for the West. And on Wednesday, Ulrike Franke examined the risks to Chinese competitors presented by China’s domination of the drone supply chain. Drones have become the defining weapon of the Russia-Ukraine war. When Russia invaded Ukraine almost three years ago, it had around 2,000 drones in its arsenal, a number that quickly proved insufficient. The number of drones of various types and sizes used in the war has risen to millions, with civilian drones playing a key role. Freely available and easily modified, civilian drones are used for reconnaissance, guiding artillery strikes and can even be armed. Their affordability and availability have made them indispensable, despite their limited durability on the battlefield. Upgrade to a paid subscription to get the full bulleted breakdown of the stories we highlight each week. This Week’s Most-Read Story U.S.-Latin America Policy Just Saw an Unprecedented Week of Chaos. And in this week’s top story by pageviews, James Bosworth broke down an overwhelming week of developments in U.S.-Latin America relations and what challenges the region is likely to face going forward: The U.S. has long been influential in Latin America, but rarely has it driven day-to-day events and crises across multiple countries in the way that occurred last week. Governments’ resources and attention will be stretched. Political opponents of sitting presidents will look for opportunities to highlight weaknesses. Trump seems to enjoy shaking up the status quo and basking in the spotlight as the center of events, so the United States is likely to be the center of many simultaneous domestic political discussions across the entire hemisphere for months to come. That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading! This Week On WPR: The Americas U.S.-Latin America Policy Just Saw an Unprecedented Week of Chaos By James Bosworth No single week in the past two decades has shifted U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America so dramatically. Last Week’s U.S.-Colombia Crisis Won’t Be the Last By Cynthia J. Arnson The short but intense crisis between the U.S. and Colombia was overcome. But there is ample opportunity for tensions to flare again in the near future. Sheinbaum Isn’t Tempering Her Ambitions for Mexico’s Economy By Eduardo Arcos President Claudia Sheinbaum recently unveiled her ambitious plan to boost Mexico’s economy. It’s almost certain to fall short of its goals. Asia-Pacific China Doesn’t Have to Step Up on Aid to Benefit From U.S. Retrenchment By Mary Gallagher China will no doubt benefit from U.S. foreign aid retrenchment. But how exactly Beijing will gain has been widely misunderstood. Europe China’s Domination of the Drone Supply Chain Is a Vulnerability for the West By Ulrike Franke Ukraine and Russia have together used hundreds of thousands of civilian drones on the battlefield. Most of them are from China. Europe’s ‘Femonationalists’ Are Blocking Efforts to Curb Violence Against Women By John Boyce Far-right parties across the EU are negating the existence of gender-based violence while also selectively politicizing the issue to their advantage. Middle East & North Africa Displaced Syrian Women Are Optimistic—but Very Cautiously So By Kanika Gupta After the fall of the Assad regime, displaced Syrian women are feeling more hopeful. But there is still plenty of uncertainty in Syria’s postwar future. Tunisia Shows How Europe’s Approach to Migration is Untenable By Sarah Yerkes & Sabina Henneberg Tunisia is deporting and mistreating migrants at Europe’s behest. The result is an untenable—and ineffective—model of migration management. United States U.S. Foreign Aid Has Always Been Too Easy of a Target By Paul Poast There are good arguments for U.S. foreign aid. They’ve just never held much sway with Americans. As President, Trump Seems to Change His Tune on Ukraine By Frida Ghitis Trump’s statements and actions on Ukraine as president so far have raised eyebrows—and created angst—among some of his most devoted followers. Global With the U.S. Stepping Down, New Climate Leaders Are Trying to Step Up By Heela Rasool-Ayub With the U.S. retreating from climate action, subnational actors can take the lead in reshaping global climate governance. They just need some help. The Trump Administration’s Approach Could Make or Break U.N. Reform By Richard Gowan As Trump continues to decouple the U.S. from parts of the U.N. system, his concerns about the world organization are actually shared by many. Copyright © 2025 World Politics Review LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive the free version of the Weekly Review. Our mailing address is: World Politics Review LLC 401 E. Jackson St, Ste 3300 Tampa, FL 33606 USA To be sure this email isn't filtered as spam, add newsletter@worldpoliticsreview.com to your address book or contacts list. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your email settings or opt out of all WPR emails.