WPR Daily Review.

"The U.S. has adopted an autocracy promotion agenda."

Views expressed in this geopolitical news and analysis are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 03 April 2025, 2028 UTC.

Content and Source:  https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com.

Please check link or scroll down to read your selections.  Thanks for joining us today.

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

 

View this email in your browser.

April 3, 2025

Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering the Trump administration’s promotion of populism abroad and the challenges facing Uruguay’s new president.

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

Striking longshoreman picket with a flag outside the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal Port, in Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 1, 2024 (AP photo by Matt Slocum).

Trade: U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping and expansive new tariffs yesterday, including a baseline 10 percent tax on imports from nearly every other country in the world and higher rates on dozens of others. (Washington Post)

Our Take: Since Trump returned to the White House in January, perhaps no question has generated more scrutiny, debate and speculation than the shape his promised tariffs would ultimately take. And yet, despite all that attention—and Trump’s economic saber-rattling of recent months—it is fair to say...

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

One thing overlooked in the “Signalgate” scandal was the sincerely held belief by the top foreign and defense policymakers in U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that the U.S. remains the world’s unparalleled hegemon.

Trump officials are not necessarily wrong in these beliefs. Despite ongoing debates about whether we now live in a bipolar or multipolar world, the hard data points toward persistent U.S. structural power. In theory, this should reassure those concerned about the democratic recession currently on display around the world, as one of the traditional benefits of having a democratic hegemon at the center of an international order has been that it tends to facilitate the spread of democracy elsewhere.

However, that democratization effect could shift to favor the spread of authoritarianism if the democratic hegemon itself experiences a domestic regime change. And in the case of the U.S., columnist Daniel W. Drezner writes, that may already be happening.

Under Trump, the U.S. Has Adopted an Autocracy Promotion Agenda By Daniel W. Drezner As the U.S. becomes less democratic, Trump appears interested in promoting populist rulers around the world. It could backfire.

*****

Yamandu Orsi was sworn in as Uruguay’s president on March 1, heralding a return to power for his left-wing Frente Amplio, or FA, coalition after its first stint in office from 2005 to 2020. Orsi won the runoff presidential election calling for cautious reform to boost growth and tackle inequality.

At his victory celebration in November, Orsi emphasized that his government would promote “freedom, equality, and the fraternity that is solidarity and respect for others.” Yet the FA’s return to power comes at a less auspicious moment for Uruguay, both internationally and at home, than when it first governed in the early years of this century, Laurence Blair writes.

Uruguay’s Orsi Faces Pitfalls at Home and Challenges Abroad By Laurence Blair Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi won last year’s presidential election calling for cautious reform. But he now has to navigate difficult terrain.

On Monday, a French court found Marine Le Pen, the de facto leader of the far-right National Rally party, and several co-defendants guilty of embezzling €4.5 million in European Parliament payroll funds to pay for the RN’s political activities in France. In addition to a jail sentence and fine, Le Pen was declared ineligible to run for public office for five years, with the latter measure applied immediately while she appeals the verdict, potentially preventing her from contesting the 2027 presidential election in which she is a frontrunner.

This week’s question: Should Marine Le Pen be barred from the 2027 election?

Yes. Yes, but only if her sentence has been confirmed on appeal beforehand. No.

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

Thousands of Haitians protested in Port-au-Prince yesterday against the armed gangs that have controlled the vast majority of the city for several years. The gangs are now united under a coalition known as Viv Ansanm, while an undermanned and underfunded U.N.-backed security mission in the country has had little success in rolling them back.

The ineffectiveness of the security mission, as well as Haiti’s national police, have led to calls for a fully-fledged peacekeeping mission to the country. But as Flora Marlene Willimek wrote last year, it’s clear that a purely military one-size-fits-all approach will not solve the problem. Instead, a nuanced strategy including nonmilitary approaches might be more appropriate.

A Military Approach Alone Won’t Be Enough to Tackle Haiti’s Gangs By Flora Marlene Willimek Nov. 18, 2024 | Consensus is growing for a United Nations peacekeeping mission for Haiti. But nonmilitary approaches should be explored too.

*****

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will travel to Saudi Arabia next month on his first foreign trip since he returned to the White House in January. The trip comes after Saudi Arabia hosted talks between U.S. and Russian officials over the war in Ukraine, and after Riyadh announced hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in the United States.

Strengthening ties with the Trump administration is critical to the international agenda of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, who wants to position Riyadh as central to U.S. regional policy in the Middle East. But as Jon Hoffman wrote in March, Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic frenzy is inextricably linked to MBS’ ambitious domestic vision, which is the key driver behind Riyadh’s foreign policy.

MBS’ Domestic Agenda Is Also Driving Saudi Arabia’s Diplomatic Blitz By Jon Hoffman March 12, 2025 | Saudi Arabia is trying to position itself as a constructive actor on the world stage, a move intimately linked to internal politics inside the kingdom.

*****

Dozens of Serbian students began cycling today to the seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, in an effort to draw EU attention to mass protests in the country against corruption. For months, university students have been the driving force behind the demonstrations, which have won over the Serbian public and forced President Aleksandar Vucic into a corner. Read more in this recent briefing by Stefan Antić.

*****

The Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in South Africa’s unity government, voted against a national budget yesterday, throwing the already fragile coalition’s future into doubt. The long-dominant African National Congress sought a coalition with the DA last year after losing its majority for the first time in decades, but questions immediately arose about how the longtime rivals would govern together. Read more in this briefing by Chris O. Ògúnmọ́dẹdé from last year.

More from WPR

Benjamin H. Friedman and Rose Kelanic on the U.S. attacks on the Houthis. Richard Gowan on the challenges facing the next U.N. leader. Mary Gallagher on the link between Trump’s domestic and foreign policies. Elfadil Ibrahim on Egypt’s regional diplomacy.

Read all of our latest coverage here.

Copyright © 2025 World Politics Review LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to our free daily newsletter. 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 preferences or opt out of all WPR emails (not recommended).