Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering how Syria’s conflict with the Kurds jeopardizes its efforts to fight the Islamic State group, and the historical echoes of U.S. President Donald Trump’s imperialist foreign policy. | But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |  | A bank clerk counts U.S. dollar banknotes in Hai’an, China, Jan. 20, 2026 (FeatureChina photo via AP). |
| For now, at least, Trump has backed off from his aggressive push to take over Greenland, opting for a negotiated deal instead. But for global investors, the episode was just another illustration of the mounting risks of continuing to hold U.S. dollar-denominated assets, accelerating a trend toward diversification in many parts of the world. | In Northern Europe, large pension funds and asset managers are offloading U.S. assets, concerned not only about geopolitical risk but also the state of America’s finances. Washington now spends more than $1 trillion per year just on interest payments to service its debt, which is more than what it allocates to national defense. As a result, money managers from Denmark, Sweden and Finland—home to some of Europe’s largest pension funds—now view “U.S. foreign policy uncertainty and White House debt levels as a threat to the dollar, U.S. Treasuries and stocks,” according to Reuters. | Investment advisers are noticing similar sentiments elsewhere. Van Luu, the global head of solutions strategy, fixed income and foreign exchange at Russell Investments, told Reuters that he is having many conversations with clients about whether they should “tilt away from U.S. assets.” Meanwhile, India has reduced its U.S. treasury holdings to a five-year low. | All of this has contributed to the ongoing … Purchase a subscription now to read the rest and get the full top story in your Daily Review email every day. |
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| | When a gunman aligned with the Islamic State group killed two U.S. servicemembers and a civilian contractor in Palmyra, Syria, in mid-December, it prompted fears of a potential reconstitution of the violent extremist group. More accurately, the uptick in IS attacks signals a desperate attempt to drive a wedge between the Syrian transitional government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the United States, which have recently deepened their counterterrorism cooperation. While the interim government has made notable advances against IS since taking power in late 2024, its escalating conflict with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces risks undermining its counterterrorism gains, Siddhant Kishore writes. | | | Imperialism is back. Many point to Russia’s Vladmir Putin as having set the trend in 2022, when he likened himself to Peter the Great and then sought to recreate the Russian Empire by once again turning Ukraine into a vassal state. But China’s Xi Jinping has also shown his imperial inclinations by ramping up direct domination of Tibet and Xinjiang, effectively eliminating Hong Kong’s alternative governance system and making clear his desire to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control. Now it seems that Trump doesn’t want to be left out of the new great power turn toward imperialism, Paul Poast writes. |  | Trump Wants to Make America Imperialist Again | Given Trump’s desire to emulate his 19th-century predecessors, it shouldn’t surprise us that he is embracing imperial practices. | www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trump-greenland-imperialism-colonialism |
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| | Peru: Peruvian President Jose Jeri is under fire after videos surfaced showing him engaging in undisclosed contacts with a Chinese businessman, despite being legally required to log all of his official activities. Jeri, who took office after presiding over the impeachment of his predecessor, Dina Boluarte, has denied any wrongdoing, but a motion to bring impeachment proceedings against him is gaining momentum. He would be the third consecutive Peruvian president to be impeached, and the fourth since 2020. | Vietnam: “To Lam was reelected Friday as general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party and appears poised to become the country’s most powerful figure in decades,” the Associated Press reports. Lam is expected to be appointed to the country's presidency as well, breaking with the party’s precedent of splitting the top two leadership positions. Lam has identified economic reforms as his main priority, with the goal of boosting economic growth to 10 percent. | Lam gained more power as the health of his predecessor, Nguyen Phu Trong, faltered, Joshua Kurlantzick explained in WPR in August 2024. “Lam’s background in the Ministry of Public Security makes him likely to embrace the end to collective leadership initiated by Trong and perhaps advance even more toward one-man rule,” Kurlanzick wrote. | | The paid edition of today’s newsletter includes additional On Our Radar items on France, the United States and TikTok. | 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 | Tangi Bihan on the Central African Republic’s laudable but tenuous security gains. Frida Ghitis on the transparent power grab that is Trump’s “Board of Peace.” 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.
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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.