Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering how Europe can adapt to a world order defined by great powers’ spheres of influence, and the familiar problems dogging the EU’s efforts at further economic integration. | But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |  | Shuttered storefronts in the centuries-old main bazaar, of Tehran, Jan. 6, 2026 (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi). |
| Mass protests are sweeping Iran as a popular uprising that started in late December stretches into its 12th day. Demonstrators clashed with security forces in several cities Wednesday, as footage online appeared to show anti-riot officers firing guns and tear gas toward crowds of people. | At least 36 people—34 protesters and two security personnel—have been killed so far and at least 2,000 have been arrested, according to HRANA, a human rights monitoring group based outside the country. | The unrest began with a strike and demonstration by shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on Dec. 28. Bazaaris have historically been loyal to the government but are now upset with its failure to address the country’s economic crisis and shore up the value of the currency. The rial has been setting new record lows on a near-daily basis in recent weeks, making even basic goods prohibitively expensive for many Iranians. | But as the protests spread, they morphed into … Purchase a subscription now to get the full top story in your Daily Review email every day. |
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| | Only three years ago, it seemed unthinkable that the U.S. would embrace the idea of a world order defined by “spheres of influence,” in which great powers enjoy dominance in their respective regions but don’t interfere in others. One can find allusions to this approach in U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy, published last month. The U.S. military’s recent seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Trump’s persistent interest in acquiring Greenland fit this model clearly. For Europe, this development is a completely new challenge. The EU may have to change its mindset and adapt, Ulrike Franke writes. | | | When the European single market was established on Jan. 1, 1993, it represented one of the most ambitious visions of economic integration the world has ever seen. It aimed to guarantee the free movement of goods, services, labor and capital across what would in time grow to become 27 EU member states, as well as the European Economic Area comprising Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Yet while the single market has undoubtedly reduced trade barriers and increased freedom of movement across the bloc, it is still very much a work in progress, and Brussel’s latest strategy shows little sign of being able to overcome the myriad obstacles that have bedeviled Europe’s decades-long push to complete the single market, John Boyce argues. | | | Ukraine: “More than half a million households were without heat and power in the Dnipro region of Ukraine on Thursday morning after Russian strikes hit key energy infrastructure overnight,” The New York Times reports. This is the third winter in a row that Russia has struck Ukraine’s power grid, and the latest attacks have also targeted the gas infrastructure on which the country’s heating systems depend. | In a column in March, Charli Carpenter explained why attacks like these, which Russia justifies by claiming they target “dual-use infrastructure,” are violations of international law. While Russian officials have argued that Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is a legitimate target because it is connected to weapons production, “a country’s energy infrastructure does not become a legitimate military target just because it supports both civilian and military uses,” Carpenter wrote. This is particularly true in winter, “when civilians are heavily dependent on that infrastructure for indoor heating.” | | United States: The Trump administration has withdrawn from 66 international organizations, half of which are related to the United Nations and many of which are aimed at combating climate change. “Many of these bodies promote radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength,” the White House said in a statement. | With multilateralism under attack by the United States under Trump, the United Nations is going through “a process of reinvention, with an emphasis on lowering its ambitions rather than expanding its agenda,” Richard Gowan wrote in WPR in October. While U.S. officials prefer a U.N. focused on its “original mission of international peace and security, Global South countries “reply that the organization cannot abandon its focus on development,” while Europe “insists that the U.N. must continue to protect human rights,” Gowan wrote. The debate over the organization’s priorities is sure to heat up this year as member countries begin to consider who will replace Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the end of his term in December 2026. | | The paid edition of today’s newsletter includes additional On Our Radar items on Europe, South America, Mexico, India 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 | | Read all of our latest coverage here. |
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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.