Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering the shortcomings of Trump’s National Defense Strategy, and why Carney was wrong about the rules-based global order in his speech at Davos. | But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |  | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in New Delhi, Jan. 27, 2026 (AP photo by Manish Swarup). |
| After 18 years of on-and-off negotiations, India and the European Union on Tuesday announced a mammoth free trade agreement that slashes tariffs on almost all goods. If the deal is ratified and implemented, it will create a free trade zone covering some 2 billion people and one-quarter of global GDP. | Policymakers and analysts on both sides hailed the pact as a major win, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it “the mother of all trade deals.” India secured lower tariffs for key exports like textiles and jewelry, as well as greater access to European job markets for its rapidly growing class of high-tech service professionals. | For Europe, the deal is expected to double the value of EU exports to India over the next six years, The New York Times reports. Affected industries include machinery, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and, critically, automobiles. New Delhi agreed to gradually allow up to 250,000 imported European vehicles at preferential tariffs that are set to fall from the current rate of 110 percent to 10 percent over time, giving a much-needed boost to Europe’s struggling automakers. | Today’s announcement was long in the making. Negotiators from both sides first sat down to begin hammering out a free trade deal in … Purchase a subscription now to read the rest and get the full top story in your Daily Review email every day. |
|
| | | | | Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney made a splash at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week with a speech arguing that middle powers should “stop pretending” the international rules-based order still exists and accept that they live in a “might makes right” world. Carney’s speech was well-received because it was a brilliantly conceived and executed piece of political rhetoric. Unfortunately, its messaging also reflected a doomsday narrative popular of late among foreign policy professionals and thought leaders: that the international rules-based order is, if not entirely dead, then mostly dead, WPR’s Charli Carpenter argues. |  | Carney’s ‘New World Order’ Isn’t So New | The Canadian premier’s remarks falsely assume that U.S. buy-in is required to uphold the existing world order. | www.worldpoliticsreview.com/carneys-new-world-order-isnt-so-new |
|
|
| | Last Friday evening, as much of the U.S. was busy preparing for a historic winter storm, the Department of Defense released the 2026 National Defense Strategy. The purpose of an NDS is to give military planners and commanders their marching orders as the Pentagon reorganizes its force posture in line with the president’s priorities. This particular document is unusual in that, unlike past iterations of the NDS, it alienates traditional U.S. allies and partners rather than strengthening ties with them, while preparing the armed forces to fight the ghosts of the past rather than meet the challenges of tomorrow, Ana Janaina Nelson writes. | | | Global: “For decades crushing debt has spread misery in the world’s poor and lower-income nations. But the menace of unsupportable borrowing that now hangs over the global economy emanates from some of the richest countries,” The New York Times reports. Growing debt among economically developed countries could raise interest rates and crowd out private-sector borrowing, while also driving inflation. More immediately, the higher cost of debt-servicing, at a time when the U.S., Europe and Japan are boosting their defense budgets, means less money available for social spending, infrastructure and education. | Mali: As part of an ongoing crackdown on mine operators, Mali has detained five officials of the local firm operating the Yanfolila gold mine “for allegedly failing to repatriate foreign currency from export revenues,” Reuters reports. | Mali revised its mining code in 2023 to increase state revenues from mining and increase local ownership. In November, the country resolved a two-year dispute with Barrick Mining, one of the world’s largest gold producers, over control of two gold mines. | West Africa is the center of gold production on the continent and as the price of gold has risen significantly in recent years, governments have moved to make sure that they benefit. However, as Jessica Moody explained in WPR in July, Africa’s gold rush is a double-edged sword. Artisanal gold mining activity has also increased, leading to tensions between artisanal and industrial miners, and to violent clashes as jihadist insurgents seek to tap mining revenues to fund their operations. | | The paid edition of today’s newsletter includes additional On Our Radar items on Albania and Honduras. | 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 | Kat Duffy on the trust problem facing America’s tech behemoths in the Trump era. James Bosworth on the Trumpian overtones of the trade war between Ecuador and Colombia. Siddhant Kishore on how Syria’s conflict with the Kurds undermines its progress in countering ISIS. Paul Poast on Trump’s efforts to make America imperialist again.
| 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.