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"Serbia's protests, Uruguay's new president, Marine Le Pen convicted."

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April 5, 2025

Hi, everybody. I’m Judah Grunstein, WPR’s editor-in-chief, and 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.

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Top Stories

This week, in our Daily Review newsletter, we took a look at the week’s major developments:

France: Far-right leader Marine Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement Monday by a French court and banned from running for political office for five years, in addition to a jail sentence and fine. (Subscribe to WPR to read our analysis.) United States: President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled sweeping and expansive new tariffs that, once in effect, will raise the average import tax in the U.S. to the highest it has been in a century. (Subscribe to WPR to read our analysis.) South Korea: The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol yesterday, officially removing him from office and setting up a new presidential election, which must be held within 60 days. (Subscribe to WPR to read our analysis.)

This Week’s Highlights

Serbia’s Student-Led Protests Have Vucic Cornered. On Monday, Stefan Antić looked at the growing protests in Serbia against the regime of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

On March 15, an estimated crowd of 300,000 demonstrators took to the streets throughout Belgrade to stage the largest protests in Serbia’s history. It was the latest in a series of student-led marches across the country that have been gaining momentum since November 2024. They serve as a testament to the shifting tide of Serbian politics and the public’s frustration with the rampant corruption that is by now synonymous with the Vucic regime. Upgrade to a paid subscription to get the full bulleted breakdown of this article or listen to it in audio form.

Uruguay’s Orsi Faces Pitfalls at Home and Challenges Abroad. And on Thursday, Laurence Blair examined the challenges faced by Uruguay’s new president, Yamandu Orsi.

Orsi swearing in on March 1 heralded a return to power for his left-wing Frente Amplio, or FA, coalition after its first stint in office from 2005 to 2020. Orsi narrowly bested Alvaro Delgado, the former Cabinet chief of outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou, both from the conservative Partido Nacional. While Delgado was hurt by corruption scandals, crime and high poverty rates under Lacalle Pou, Orsi won votes by calling for cautious reform to boost growth and tackle inequality. He was also buoyed by the support of Jose “Pepe” Mujica, the storied ex-guerrilla and former president who served from 2010 to 2015. Upgrade to a paid subscription to get the full bulleted breakdown of this article or listen to it in audio form.

This Week’s Most-Read Story

China Is Already Pushing Back Against Trump in Panama and Latin America. And in this week’s top story by pageviews, columnist James Bosworth looked at China’s efforts to capitalize on U.S President Donald Trump’s policies in Latin America:

Since returning as U.S. president, Trump has espoused an expansionist ideology that seeks to increase the territory of the United States, including the Panama Canal. He also wants to combat China’s influence in the Western Hemisphere. In Panama, those two goals are clashing. China is waiting there and elsewhere in the hemisphere to make gains wherever the Trump administration gives them an opening. It’s possible that China’s own constraints and Latin America’s preferences may hold Beijing back in the future. But at least this month, China isn’t acting like it.

What’s On Tap

And coming up next week, we’ve got:

A column by James Bosworth on how Latin America fared under Trump’s newly announced tariffs. A briefing by Michael Hart on Malaysia’s quiet preparations to weather the storm of Trump’s tariffs. And a briefing by Jonathan Fenton-Harvey on India’s efforts to expand its influence in the Middle East.

That’s it for this week. And if you have any comments or feedback, just hit reply to send them along, or contact me on BlueSky at @judah-grunstein.bksy.social.

—Judah Grunstein

This Week On WPR:

Africa

Chakwera Has Wasted Malawi’s Democratic Breakthrough By R. Maxwell Bone Malawi’s presidential election will be a repeat of the 2020 vote that earned it plaudits. But the race is highlighting the same challenges for its democracy.

The Americas

China Is Already Pushing Back Against Trump in Panama and Latin America By James Bosworth China is aggressively pushing back on the Trump administration’s coercive approach in Latin America. 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.

Europe

Serbia’s Student-Led Protests Have Vucic Cornered By Stefan Antić Mass protests reflect a shifting tide in Serbia’s politics and the public’s frustration with rampant corruption under President Vucic.

Middle East & North Africa

The U.S. War Against the Houthis Is the Real ‘Signalgate’ Scandal By Benjamin H. Friedman Lost in the uproar over ‘Signalgate’ is a bigger issue: the Trump administration’s misguided decision to attack the Houthis in the first place. Egypt’s ‘Reconstruction Diplomacy’ Rests on Shaky Domestic Foundations By Elfadil Ibrahim Through mediation and reconstruction, Egypt has quietly restored its centrality in regional politics. But its balancing act may prove hard to maintain.

United States

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. Trump’s Domestic Crackdown Is About Countering China, Too By Mary Gallagher The Trump administration’s increasing authoritarianism domestically is linked to the challenge that is now driving U.S. foreign policy: China. Trump’s Transactional Approach to U.S. Alliances Isn’t the Real Problem By Paul Poast Treating alliances like a protection racket is not unprecedented. Doing it so frequently and publicly is.

Global

Guterres’ Successor Will Take Over a U.N. in Crisis Mode By Richard Gowan In 2026, the U.N. will pick a new secretary-general, even as the organization goes through the most serious crisis in its post-Cold War history.

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