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"Venezuela's hybrid regime, Kenya's youth activists."

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May 02, 2026 Hi everyone, this is Elliot Waldman, WPR’s editor-in-chief. Welcome back to our Weekly Review, where we recap the highlights from our coverage this week and preview what’s on deck. If you have any comments or feedback, just hit reply to send them along. Or better yet, if you haven’t done so already, please take five minutes to complete our reader survey. It will help us better serve you, and you’ll also qualify to win one of 10 all-access subscriptions we are giving away to survey respondents. Top Stories Here are some of the week’s major developments that we covered in our Daily Review newsletter. (If you don’t already receive the Daily Review, you can add it by adjusting your newsletter preferences.):     A Devastating Series of Attacks in Mali: Jihadist militants and separatist fighters in Mali launched a coordinated series of attacks across the country over the weekend, seizing several towns and military bases. Fierce fighting unfolded along … Read more here or upgrade to a premium subscription now to get the full version of the Weekly Review.         The UAE’s Exit From OPEC Was a Long Time Coming: The United Arab Emirates’ decision to withdraw from OPEC happened in much the same manner as Hemingway’s famous description of the way people go bankrupt: gradually, then suddenly. Abu Dhabi joined the cartel of oil-producing nations in … Read more here or upgrade to a premium subscription now to get the full version of the Weekly Review.         How Divided Is Iran?: The U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran has been waged not just through airstrikes and naval blockades, but also through viral videos, memes and messaging. With diplomatic talks at a standstill and the Strait of Hormuz still effectively blocked, the information war has … Read more here or upgrade to a premium subscription now to get the full version of the Weekly Review.     This Week’s Highlights Delcy Rodriguez, acting president of Venezuela, at an event in Caracas, April 13, 2026 (photo by Javier Campos/NurPhoto via AP) Venezuela Is Consolidating Its Hybrid Regime—With Washington’s Blessing. On Monday, Orlando J. Perez looked at how the U.S. approach to Venezuela threatens to make a future transition to democratic governance exceedingly difficult, if not impossible. Nearly four months after a U.S. military operation removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, the country's interim government is moving to take control of Houston-based Citgo Petroleum. Venezuelan insiders will manage Citgo, but Washington would exercise veto power over which insiders qualify. This pattern extends well beyond Citgo. Washington's publicly stated approach follows a three-phase formula: stabilize, rehabilitate, and only then transition to democracy. But that sequencing has given the regime in Caracas months to consolidate control over the institutions, revenue streams and enforcement networks that will shape whether any future election is genuine. Whoever controls a country's institutions, coercive capacity and … Upgrade to a premium subscription now to get the full version of the Weekly Review. Kenya’s Young Activists Chart a Difficult Path From Protest to Power. And on Tuesday, LIam Taylor looked at how the activists who led Kenya’s 2024 protests are struggling to translate the energy of their protests into durable political change. The massive demonstrations that swept Kenya in 2024 felt different from previous protests. What began as opposition to a finance bill that would have raised taxes turned into a rejection of the entire ruling class. The protesters said they were without leaders, tribe or party. On June 25, they stormed Parliament. President William Ruto withdrew the bill and later dismissed his Cabinet, but many of the sacked ministers were soon reappointed, and the government found other ways to raise taxes. Nearly two years on, the activists who caught the imagination of a nation are still trying to learn lessons from what happened. As one activist put it, "Power had fallen in the streets. It wasn't clear who was going to collect it." This is the defining question for protest movements the world over. In his book … Upgrade to a premium subscription now to get the full version of the Weekly Review. This Week’s Most-Read Story President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens, in Washington, Sept. 2, 2025 (AP photo by Mark Schiefelbein). Despite a Boost to Russia From the Iran War, Ukraine Has Gained the Upper Hand. And in this week’s top story by pageviews, Frida Ghitis looks at why, despite its best efforts, Moscow’s campaign against Ukraine has stalled, and not just slightly. If that sounds like empty bluster aimed at cheering a country that continues to endure painful, deadly Russian attacks against civilian targets, it isn’t. Independent observers confirm that Ukraine has essentially disabled one of Russia’s biggest advantages, its manpower superiority, by its ingenious use of advanced technology. As a result, Russia’s war machine is at a standstill. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia notched no territorial gains inside Ukraine in March, the first time that occurred in two and a half years. In fact, Ukraine recaptured small tracts of land that it had previously lost. Russia still holds 19 percent of Ukraine’s territory, but most of that was captured in the first weeks of the conflict. … It is Ukraine’s well-known drone technology and increasingly its unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs, that have transformed the conflict. … Read more here. What’s On Tap And coming up next week, we’ve got: A briefing by Jessica Moody on the worrying spread of jihadism in Guinea. A briefing by Rebecca Rottenberg on Russia’s media influence strategy in Africa. An in-depth piece by Cameron Hudson on how the war in Sudan is spilling over into neighboring Chad. That’s it for now. Until next week, —Elliot Waldman This Week On WPR Africa   In Mali, a Rebel Alliance Goes for the Jugular An ambitious military offensive in Mali by a coalition of jihadist and separatist fighters came close to toppling the ruling military junta.   Kenya’s Young Activists Chart a Difficult Path From Protest to Power Nearly two years on from youth-led demonstrations that swept the country in 2024, Kenyan activists are still learning lessons from them.   A Devastating Series of Attacks in Mali Jihadist militants and separatist fighters in Mali launched a coordinated series of attacks across the country over the weekend. Americas   False Claims of Election Fraud Put Peru’s Democracy on Its Last Legs Throughout Peru’s long political crisis, citizens have at least been able to trust that their votes will be fairly counted. That may be about to change.   Venezuela Is Consolidating Its Hybrid Regime—With Washington’s Blessing Interim President Delcy Rodriguez is fulfilling the Trump administration’s priorities. Democracy is an afterthought.   Trump’s ‘Venezuela Playbook’ Is a Bad Fit for Cuba Analysts are nervous about Trump potentially applying the Venezuela model to yet another authoritarian country in the hemisphere. Asia-Pacific   A Debate Over Cross-Strait Ties Divides Taiwan’s Opposition Party The KMT’s two top leaders are at odds over the government’s proposed defense budget, reflecting a deeper schism. Europe   Despite a Boost to Russia From the Iran War, Ukraine Has Gained the Upper Hand Moscow has benefited from the Iran war, but Ukraine is nevertheless doing better now than at almost any time since Russia’s all-out invasion.   Germany’s First-Ever Defense Strategy Underdelivers The new strategy will help Germany become a more capable and responsible military actor, but a “paradigm shift” it is not. Middle East & North Africa   How Divided Is Iran? Trump has claimed that factionalism in Tehran is the main obstacle to a deal, but the expert consensus is that Iran is far from divided.   The UAE’s Exit From OPEC Was a Long Time Coming Withdrawing from OPEC now sends a strong signal that Abu Dhabi its deprioritizing its relations with Arab neighbors. United States   America’s Abandonment of Legitimacy For much of the postwar era, Washington treated legitimacy as a core component of its power. Its refusal to continue doing so will have grave consequences. Global   Why International Order Still Matters It is easier to point out the fraying of the existing international order than it is to precisely define what international order is.   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 Powered by beehiiv Terms of Service