WPR Daily Review

"A scandal brews around Trump's spy chief."

Views expressed in this geopolitical news and analysis are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 05 February 2026, 2054 UTC.

Content and Source:  "WPR Daily Review."

 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQfBkKBRBBpckqZcXdqDtZRWPsz

URL--https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com.

Please check email link, URL, or scroll down to read your selections.  Thanks for joining us today.

Russ Roberts (https://trendsingeopolitics.blogspot.com).

February 05, 2026

Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering how Iran’s recent protests have raised the profile of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah; and the African Union’s failure to tackle the myriad crises unfolding across Africa.

But first, here’s our take on today’s top story:

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the White House, Washington, Oct. 23, 2025 (AP photo by Evan Vucci).

The U.S. federal law enforcement raid last week at the elections office of Fulton county, Georgia, was controversial from the start. The county, which includes Atlanta, has been a primary target of President Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 elections.

So when FBI agents on Jan. 28 executed a search warrant and seized some 700 boxes of documents, including 2020 ballots and voter data, from the county, it set off alarm bells among election experts and pro-democracy advocates—particularly in light of Trump’s recent statements that he thinks the federal government should “take over” elections in Democratic-led areas. The U.S. Constitution explicitly authorizes states to administer federal elections.

Things took an even more scandalous turn, however, when photos emerged of Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s director of national intelligence, at the scene of the FBI raid. This prompted questions from lawmakers and legal analysts, as Gabbard’s role is to coordinate and oversee the work of the U.S. intelligence community, not to oversee domestic law enforcement matters.

What followed was a string of confusing and at times conflicting … Purchase a subscription now to read the rest and get the full top story in your Daily Review email every day.

 

Sponsor

What investment is rudimentary for billionaires but ‘revolutionary’ for 70,571+ investors entering 2026?

Imagine this. You open your phone to an alert. It says, “you spent $236,000,000 more this month than you did last month.”

If you were the top bidder at Sotheby’s fall auctions, it could be reality.

Sounds crazy, right? But when the ultra-wealthy spend staggering amounts on blue-chip art, it’s not just for decoration.

The scarcity of these treasured artworks has helped drive their prices, in exceptional cases, to thin-air heights, without moving in lockstep with other asset classes.

The contemporary and post war segments have even outpaced the S&P 500 overall since 1995.*

Now, over 70,000 people have invested $1.2 billion+ across 500 iconic artworks featuring Banksy, Basquiat, Picasso, and more.

How? You don’t need Medici money to invest in multimillion dollar artworks with Masterworks.

Thousands of members have gotten annualized net returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8% from 26 sales to date.

Explore offerings

*Based on Masterworks data. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd

The uprising that swept across Iran last month was not the first time Iranians have taken to the streets in massive anti-regime demonstrations, but there was much about the latest round that was sharply different from previous ones. Most ominously, authorities launched a counterattack of unspeakable brutality. The regime’s ruthlessness was predictable, even if it was shocking in its scale. What was genuinely surprising, however, was the name that emerged from the chants of protesters: that of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deceased former shah of Iran. In her weekly column, Frida Ghitis takes a look at Pahlavi’s rising profile.

Iran’s Protests Have Raised the Profile of a Surprising Figure

The Iranian regime’s ruthless response to recent protests was predictable. More surprising was the rise of the exiled crown prince’s popular appeal.

 

The African continent is currently wracked by crises, ranging ​​from multi-layered conflicts and civil wars to democratic erosion and stalled decolonization efforts. These crises are all driven by local factors, but they also all share a common feature: the African Union’s silence and powerlessness in the face of Africa’s major geopolitical challenges and humanitarian catastrophes, Abd-el-Kader Cheref argues.

The African Union’s Confounding Absenteeism

With the African continent facing one crisis after another, the AU has not played a meaningful role in tackling any of them.

China, United States: President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, had a lengthy phone call Wednesday in which they discussed a variety of issues. In a social media post, Trump listed Taiwan as only one of several matters the two men talked about. However, Chinese state media focused on the discussion of Taiwan, noting that Xi “emphasized that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations.” According to Beijing’s readout, Xi also told Trump that China “will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China” and that the United States must “handle arms sales to Taiwan with extreme caution.”

Many China hands have recently begun to sound the alarm about the growing risk that Beijing will act militarily in the coming years to bring Taiwan under its control. “One must imagine that Xi feels emboldened by what he hears from Trump, who has often appeared noncommittal and transactional toward Taiwan,” Mary Gallagher wrote in her WPR column this week. Gallagher also assessed that Xi’s recent purging of China’s highest-ranking military officer, Gen. Zhang Youxia, makes war over Taiwan more likely, as Zhang well understood the difficulty of taking Taiwan and was willing to speak frankly with Xi about those risks in a way that his younger, less experienced replacements may not.

 

Xi’s Military Purge Makes War Over Taiwan More Likely

Turmoil at the senior echelons of China’s military make U.S.-China communication even more difficult and increase the risk of miscalculation.

Venezuela: Two Venezuelan businessmen with ties to former President Nicolas Maduro, and who face money laundering charges in the United States, were detained by Venezuelan security officials in Caracas. The arrest, reportedly done with the knowledge of U.S. law enforcement, “signaled a deepening cooperation between the two countries,” The New York Times reported. However, the arrests could also indicate that Maduro’s successor, Delcy Rodriguez, is attempting to consolidate control over internal regime rivals tied to Maduro.

 

The paid edition of today’s newsletter includes additional On Our Radar items on the United StatesJapan, the European UnionBrazil and China.

Purchase your all-access subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis.

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

  • Benjamin Gedan and Nicolás Albertoni on the Trump Corollary and the fracturing of Latin America.

  • Ulrike Franke on the security risks of Europe’s reliance on Chinese drones.

  • Mary Gallagher on what Xi’s military purges mean for the prospects of a war over Taiwan.

  • Candace Rondeaux on the meaning of Europe’s decision to sanction the IRGC.

Read all of our latest coverage here.

fbtwiginin

Please add our sending address to your address book or contacts list:

newsletter@mail.worldpoliticsreview.com

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here

© 2026 GlobalPost Media Corporation

World Politics Review, 401 E Jackson St, Ste 3300
Tampa, FL 33606, United States

beehiiv logoPowered by beehiiv
Terms of Service

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

WPR Daily Review.

WPR Daily Review.

WPR Daily Review.