Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering Trump’s brazen attempt to create a rival to the United Nations under his direct control, and the Central African Republic’s laudable but tenuous security gains. | But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |  | President Donald Trump with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2026 (AP photo by Evan Vucci). |
| It was the collective sigh of relief heard ‘round the world. President Donald Trump pledged in remarks to the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday that he wouldn’t take Greenland by force, climbing down from weeks of belligerent threats against the semi-autonomous Danish territory. | Then, following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump announced a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland that meant he would no longer impose tariffs against eight European nations that had supported Greenland’s sovereignty, which were scheduled to go into effect Feb. 1. While the details have yet to be negotiated, the blueprint reportedly involves the stationing of U.S. missiles and a beefed up NATO presence in Greenland, as well as mining rights to mineral deposits that would exclude China. | In typical fashion, Trump framed the deal as a major coup. “We’re getting everything we want at no cost,” he told Fox Business. But in reality, it is a major deviation from Trump’s previous insistence on “complete and total” U.S. control over Greenland. | It’s tempting to view the deal as yet another case of TACO: Trump Always Chickens Out. And indeed, Trump may have been influenced by … Purchase a subscription now to read the rest and get the full top story in your Daily Review email every day. |
|
| | As President Donald Trump begins the second year of his second term, the world has grown accustomed to the unexpected. Even so, when his administration started rolling out the next phase of its plan for the future of Gaza last week, the package of committees and boards it announced contained some shocking surprises. Specifically, it includes a jaw-dropping idea that has nothing to do with Gaza, one that would give Trump a scope of personal power so audaciously broad that it’s hard to imagine anyone else moving to turn into reality, Frida Ghitis writes in her weekly column. | | | President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s landslide victory in the Central African Republic’s general election last month, with 78 percent of the vote, was never in doubt. His party maintains a firm grip on the state apparatus and the opposition is weak and fragmented. | The security context surrounding the Dec. 28 elections was markedly improved from years past, with voting taking place in peace across most of the country. But as Tangi Bihan reports, the question now is whether this stability is sustainable—or merely cosmetic. | | | Iran: The Iranian government claimed to have completely crushed the massive protests that broke out across the country in recent weeks, while releasing its first official death toll of more than 3,000 people—significantly lower than independent estimates. Though Trump initially threatened to intervene militarily in response to the crackdown, he has since backed away from taking action. As horrific as the Iranian government’s response was, Idean Salehyan argued in a recent WPR briefing, U.S. military involvement would have made it worse. |  | | Bombing Iran May Hinder, Not Help, the Protesters | Iran’s historical experience of foreign meddling means that U.S. airstrikes could galvanize the regime and its supporters rather than weaken them. | www.worldpoliticsreview.com/iran-protests-us-airstrikes |
|
|
|
|
| Philippines: “A Philippine court on Thursday convicted a journalist on charges of financing terrorism and sentenced her to more than a decade in prison, in a ruling that rights and press groups said was a blatant attack on press freedom,” The New York Times reports. The case against Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who was accused of aiding the country’s long-running communist insurgency, was initially brought by former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Duterte’s successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., promised to break with Duterte’s record of human rights abuses. But as Joshua Kurlantzick and Abigail McGowan wrote in a WPR briefing last year, on media freedoms and a wide range of other practices, Marcos “says all the right things but proceeds with business as usual.” | The paid edition of today’s newsletter includes additional On Our Radar items on South Korea, Argentina and China. | Purchase your subscription now to make sure you don’t miss anything. | If you believe you are already a paid subscriber and are receiving this free edition by mistake, please reply to this email and we’ll make sure you receive the paid edition going forward. | | More from WPR | Ulrike Franke on the surprising degree of military leverage that Europe has over the U.S. Candace Rondeaux on what the “Pax Silica” initiative reveals about our stratified world. Mary Gallagher on Canada’s pragmatic approach to commercial ties with China. Paul Vrieze on Beijing’s role in legitimizing Myanmar’s junta as it conducts sham elections.
| Read all of our latest coverage here. |
|
Comments
Post a Comment
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.