Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering the throughline between China’s recently announced “red lines” in its relations with the U.S., and how attacks on minority groups’ food traditions around the world threaten their cultural identity. | But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |  | Iraqi police officers stand guard at a polling center as voters arrive to cast their ballots for parliamentary elections, in Najaf, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025 (AP photo by Anmar Khalil). |
| Voters in Iraq are heading to the polls today to elect all 329 members of the country’s unicameral legislature. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s political alliance, the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, is widely expected to win the most votes as Sudani has earned plaudits for a construction boom and for a period of relative stability even as other parts of the Middle East have been wracked by conflict. | Once the election results are announced, negotiations over forming a ruling coalition are expected to unfold in typically tortuous fashion over a period of weeks or even months. The next government will have to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating pressure campaign to curb the power of Iraq’s Shiite militias, many—though not all—of which are aligned to varying degrees with Iran. | The militias, collectively known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, have rapidly increased their power and influence in recent years. Political wings of the PMF dominate the current parliament and control several government ministries, allowing them to allocate lucrative government contracts at a time when state coffers are flush with cash due to relatively high prices for oil, Iraq’s key export. | As a result, the PMF has ample resources to deploy for political campaigns and to mobilize their … Purchase a subscription now to get the paid edition of the Daily Review, which includes the full top story. | | This is the free edition of our Daily Newsletter. If you believe you are a paid subscriber and are receiving this edition by mistake, please reply to this email and we’ll make sure you receive the paid edition going forward. |
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| Today’s Sponsor: |  | | As U.S. President Donald Trump and his aides debate whether to pursue a policy of regime change in Venezuela, China is warning the U.S. against interfering in its affairs. Following the trade truce announced after Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in South Korea last month, Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the U.S., reiterated China’s “four red lines” in a virtual address to the U.S.-China Business Council. First articulated last year as a set of four “no go” areas, these red lines are instructive for understanding what the Chinese regime wants. The throughline between the four points, WPR columnist Mary Gallagher writes, is Beijing’s overarching concern about U.S. support for Taiwan. | | | Ethnic cleansing doesn’t start with the wholesale slaughter of a people, argues veteran human rights investigator Michael Shaikh in his new book, “The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found.” That’s just where it ends. Cuisine is more than an expression of what society eats on any given day: “It’s a repository of people’s history handed down from generation to generation,” Shaikh writes. “When a community’s food culture is attacked, it can have cascading and devastating implications not only for its emotional and spiritual wellbeing but also for its physical existence.” Aryn Baker reviews Shaikh’s book and its implications for protecting the cultural identity of endangered minority groups. | | | U.S. Pushes Lebanon to Crack Down on Hezbollah Funding | The United States is pushing Lebanon’s government to crack down on the flow of funding to Hezbollah before next year’s parliamentary elections. Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said during a visit to Beirut Monday that the Shiite paramilitary group was trying to bring at least $1 billion into the country. | Hezbollah was significantly weakened by its recent war with Israel and by the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria last year, which eliminated “a major conduit of Iranian-supplied weapons” for the group, Bilal Y. Saab wrote in WPR in April. Hezbollah’s weakness gives the Lebanese army a window to establish a monopoly of force in the country for the first time in years. At the same time that the U.S. is attempting to limit the flow of funds to Hezbollah, it has approved $230 million in security assistance for the Lebanese government. |
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| | | Serbians Protest Kushner-Led Development | Thousands gathered in the Serbian capital of Belgrade to protest a new law that will pave the way for the conversion of an old army headquarters to a mixed-use luxury development. The development company spearheading the project was founded by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump. | Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had stripped the former army compound, which was damaged during the Kosovo conflict, of its protected status last year, and protestors told Reuters they viewed his government’s approval of the development as an attempt to curry favor with Trump. Protests against Vucic’s government have been ongoing for more than a year. As Stefan Antic wrote in WPR in March, “corruption and negligence … have been hallmarks of Vucic’s ruling Progressive Party, or SNS, over the past decade.” |
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Welcome to my geopolitics blog site. This is a Hawaii Island news site focusing on geopolitical news, analysis, information, and commentary. I will cite a variety of sources, ranging from all sides of the political spectrum.