WPR Daily Review.

"The UN is set to get smaller, glummer, and (probably) worse."

Views expressed in this geopolitical news and analysis are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 30 April 2025, 1950 UTC.

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

View this email in your browser. April 30, 2025 Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering planned cuts at the U.N. and Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama’s first 100 days. But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: Mali: A national dialogue in the capital of Bamako yesterday resulted in a recommendation that military junta leader Assimi Goita, who most recently took power in a 2021 coup, be named president with a five-year mandate before elections. The conference, which was boycotted by Mali’s opposition, also recommended the dissolution of all political parties and limitations on the creation of new parties. (Reuters) Our Take: Given the context in which Mali’s “national dialogue” took place, it is fair to say that, barring any major surprises, these recommendations represent the roadmap the country will follow. That would leave the military junta... Subscribe to WPR to read our take on today’s top story. The United Nations system will hemorrhage staff in the coming months. Reeling from U.S. funding freezes and cuts, U.N. officials are predicting hefty layoffs. This may be only the beginning of a broader process of U.N. reform and contraction. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced a system-wide review of budgets and mandates, and has told staff that he wants to reduce “bloat” around the organization’s bureaucracy. As U.N. cuts and cost-saving measures kick in, the international civil service will not implode completely. But the process of reductions and layoffs is likely to leave those U.N. staff who remain at the organization demoralized and with their prestige dented. That will only add insult to injury, because even before the scale of U.S. cuts became clear, many international officials were already feeling undervalued, columnist Richard Gowan writes. The U.N. Is Set to Get Smaller, Glummer and Probably Worse By Richard Gowan Due to U.S. funding cuts, the U.N. will hemorrhage staff in the coming months. That could do lasting damage to the organization—but it doesn’t have to. ***** On Jan. 7, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama was inaugurated for a second, nonconsecutive term, one month after winning the country’s 2024 presidential election with the largest margin of victory in 24 years. Mahama framed his return to office as “a unique opportunity to reset Ghana.” More than 100 days have passed since Mahama’s inaugural address, and many Ghanaians have already begun to assess the degree to which he has fulfilled the “covenant” he proposed to the public during the election campaign. So far, Chris O. Ògúnmọ́dẹdé reports from Accra, Mahama appears caught between a desire to leverage his political capital in quick pursuit of legacy-defining gambits and a recognition that the far-reaching change many of his supporters desire—and he himself promised—will require patience, prudence and a good deal of luck. In ‘Resetting’ Ghana, Mahama Has to Balance Speed with Patience By Chris Olaoluwa Ògúnmọ́dẹdé Four months after returning to the presidency, Ghana’s Mahama is caught between the pursuit of quick change and the prudence needed to deliver it. Pakistan said today it has “credible intelligence” that India plans to launch military action against the country soon, as tensions continue to escalate between the neighboring countries following an attack last week in the Kashmir region that killed 26 civilians. This week’s question: Will there be a direct military conflict between India and Pakistan in May? Yes. No. We’ll select one person from those who answer the question above to receive a free month of full access to WPR. In Germany, the center-left Social Democrats, or SPD, have approved a deal to join a coalition government led by the center-right Christian Democratic Union, paving the way for CDU leader Friedrich Merz to take over as chancellor. The deal gives the SPD control of the finance, justice and defense minister positions. The SPD and CDU already worked together, along with the Green Party, during a lame-duck parliament session last month to pass a €1 trillion defense and infrastructure investment plan. As Aaron Allen wrote then, the move suggests that Merz and Germany are now prepared to undertake a significant level of debt, something unprecedented in the post-World War II era, with the goal of revitalizing the country’s sluggish economy and strengthening its defense capabilities amid a rapidly changing and uncertain global landscape. Germany Just Opened the Taps to Jumpstart Its Military and Economy By Aaron Allen March 27, 2025 | Germany’s new leaders are pulling out the stops to revitalize its sluggish economy and strengthen defense. ***** Foreign ministers from BRICS failed to agree to a joint communique at a gathering in Rio yesterday due to several internal disagreements over the language of the statement. Reuters reports that China pushed for a harsher tone on trade protectionism, while Egypt and Ethiopia pushed back on language calling for U.N. reform. The expansion of BRICS last year to include four new members—the UAE, Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia—has exacerbated the existing tensions within the grouping, namely the battle between its democratic and autocratic member states to define the group’s goals. James Bosworth argued last year that Brazil should use its hosting of this year’s summit to push the balance of power back toward the democracies. The Battle for the Future of BRICS Has Just Begun By James Bosworth Oct. 28, 2024 | Brazil’s president doesn’t want BRICS to simply be a diplomatic tool for China and Russia. Last week’s summit was a victory on that front. ***** China’s manufacturing activity contracted this month, falling to its weakest level since December 2023, in an early sign of the impact of the trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump. As Mary Gallagher wrote recently, many observers are assuming that China will be the big beneficiary of the trade war, but for several reasons that is far from certain. ***** Deadly clashes set off by sectarian tensions targeting Syria’s Druze community killed 12 people overnight from Monday to Tuesday. The clashes come after sectarian tensions along Syria’s coast last month led to mass killings of Alawite civilians, resulting in nearly 1,000 deaths. As Francisco Serrano wrote at the time, continued sectarian violence could doom the chances for the political and social opening many Syrians had hoped for after the collapse of the Assad regime last year. More from WPR Mary Gallagher on the Trump team’s internal disagreements on China. Jeremy McKey and Jordan Sandman on the geopolitics of digital payment systems. James Bosworth on Haiti’s worsening crisis. Zikora Ibeh on how drones are transforming conflicts in Africa. 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 401 E. Jackson St, Ste 3300 Tampa, FL 33606 USA World Politics Review is part of GlobalPost Media Corporation. 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? 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