Hello, everyone. Today at WPR, we’re covering the inadequacy of aerial bombardments alone as a means of achieving the U.S. and Israel’s objectives in their war against Iran, and the worrying implications of a recent Islamic State attack in Niger. | But first, here’s our take on today’s top story, in partnership with our sister publication, GlobalPost: |  | Shiite Muslims burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest in Budgam, Indian-controlled Kashmir, March 6, 2026. (AP photo by Dar Yasin) |
| As the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran continues to escalate, more and more countries are feeling the impact of the conflict. Iranian officials said at least 1,230 people have been killed since Saturday, while Israel has confirmed around a dozen deaths. | The Israel Defense Forces said it launched another wave of overnight attacks against Iran and also struck Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the Israeli bombardment has killed at least 120 people. Israel on Thursday issued what it described as an urgent evacuation warning for entire neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs, expanding earlier orders that had typically focused on specific buildings. | In Azerbaijan, authorities said Thursday that Iranian drones injured two people and damaged the terminal building of an airport, with President Ilham Aliyev accusing Iran of committing “an act of terror against the territory of Azerbaijan.” He called on Iranian officials to provide an explanation and issue an apology about the strike, adding that those responsible “must be held criminally liable.” | Iran’s armed forces denied launching drones toward Azerbaijan and suggested the incident may have been a false-flag operation by Israel. | U.S. allies and partners are also coming under increased … 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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| | | Amid a persistent lack of clarity about Washingtons’ objectives in its war against Iran, one element of the campaign has been clear from the start: It is being conducted exclusively from the air. Within a few days, over 1,000 sorties had been carried out, a rate comparable to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. But if bombing is all that the Trump administration is prepared to do to achieve its goals—whether it’s regime change and/or compelling the regime to foreswear the pursuit of nuclear weapons—it will almost certainly not succeed, Paul Poast writes in his weekly column. | | | On the night of Jan. 28, several dozen Islamic State fighters launched a large-scale attack on the international airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger, and the adjacent air force facility known as Base 101. The assault and ensuing clashes with the Nigerien army—backed by Russian troops from Africa Corps—lasted about an hour, after which most of the attackers managed to escape on motorcycles. | For Niger’s ruling military junta, the attack on a highly sensitive facility in the capital—where more than 1,000 tons of uranium are stored at Base 101—is a major blow that exposes serious security failures. It also signals the growing confidence and sophistication of the Islamic State Sahel Province, Tangi Bihan reports. | | | Venezuela: The United States and Venezuela have reestablished diplomatic relations, the U.S State Department announced Thursday. “Our engagement is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government,” the depar said. | But while the swift pace of changes in the country since Maduro’s ouster “have been nothing short of breathtaking,” the regime that Maduro led “is still very much in place,” Mark Feierstein and Mary Speck noted in WPR last week. According to a national poll in late February that Feierstein and Speck oversaw, “By an 8-to-1 margin, Venezuelans believe the principal U.S. objective in Venezuela should be economic recovery rather than democratic consolidation.” But they are also expecting that economic stabilization “will be followed by a genuine political transition.” When and whether that transition occurs remains to be seen. | | Nepal: “A three-year-old party led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah looked set to sweep Nepal’s general election on Friday, trouncing established rivals in a result analysts likened to a ‘tsunami,’” Reuters reported. The election was the first since Gen Z-led protests in 2025 toppled then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s coalition government and triggered one of the country’s most serious political crises in decades. | On Monday in WPR, Kathmandu-based journalist Deepak Adhikari looked at the stakes in the election. Adhikari reported that Nepalis were disillusioned with the old guard and that new parties had a decided enthusiasm advantage, but leading up to the election, observers of Nepali politics wondered whether decades-old party structures would still give an edge to established parties. With Shah’s resounding victory, it’s clear that the energy released by last year’s protests has profoundly reshaped Nepal’s politics. | | The paid edition of today’s newsletter includes additional On Our Radar items on Ukraine, Iran and Colombia. | Purchase your all-access subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis. | | | 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.