| Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Daily Review. | Today at WPR, columnist Charli Carpenter looks at the prospects for banning “killer robots” now that they’re already in use. And Orlando J. Pérez explains why a wave of electoral victories for Latin America’s political right doesn’t signal a corresponding ideological shift. | Scroll down for more on those items. But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |  | Children play in the shallow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as a plume of smoke rises in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 13, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP) |
| The U.S. launched airstrikes against Iran for the third straight night, after Iran retaliated to previous attacks by launching missiles at America’s Gulf partners, while also striking two Emirati tankers in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. Amid the exchange of fire, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports would go back in effect, while notifying Congress that the U.S. and Iran were once again in a state of armed conflict. | The developments underscore two things about the Iran war: It is now above all a battle over control of the Strait of Hormuz, and that will make it even harder to bring to an end. | As a result, we are likely to see several more cycles of tentative deals punctuated by recurrences of fierce fighting, similar to what has just occurred with the recently signed memorandum of understanding, which was meant to end the war and pave the way for final status talks over Iran’s nuclear program. | That deal included guarantees to open the strait. But as with everything else … |
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| | Across Latin America, candidates from the political right have won a string of elections in the past few years, which to many observers signals an ideological realignment. But rather than reflecting a change in political views, the recent swing is driven by voters’ calculus of how incumbent leaders are performing on the issues that impact them the most, writes Orlando J. Pérez. | | | Last month, media outlets reported the first known battlefield deaths of human soldiers caused by a fully autonomous combat drone. The incident could become the re-focusing event that gives new momentum to efforts banning killer robots, but only if they trigger a savvy reframing by the campaign and stronger political leadership by states that favor such a ban, writes Charli Carpenter. | | | Israel: Israelis will head to the polls on Oct. 27 in the country’s first national election since the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, offering voters their first chance to deliver a verdict on Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minster. | Even as he remains on trial for corruption, Netanyahu has made national security the centerpiece of his campaign, insisting that only he can keep Israel safe. But nearly three years of regional instability has dented his image as Israel’s paramount protector. The war in Gaza has drawn accusations of genocide from the U.N. and from myriad independent scholars and experts. And the war with Iran has failed to deliver the decisive victory many Israelis expected. | As Frida Ghitis wrote in her column for WPR last month, Netanyahu has managed to keep his far-right coalition together, but he remains unpopular—and recent polling suggests he might not be voted back to power. The leading opposition contender is former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, whose Yashar party overtook Netanyahu’s Likud for the first time this week, according to a Kan News poll. | | China: The Chinese Communist Party expelled senior official Ma Xingrui from the Politburo, the country’s top governing body, accusing him of corruption and abuse of power for personal gain and sexual favors. Ma, a former party secretary for China’s Xinjiang region and once … Purchase your premium subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis. | Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport in response to what they claimed were Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport. Although no casualties have been reported so far, the exchange marked … Purchase your premium subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis. | Mexico, United States: Mexico has begun filing criminal complaints over the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals in the United States and sent cease-and-desist letters to detention centers where Mexican citizens have died, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. President Claudia Sheinbaum accused U.S. authorities of … Purchase your premium 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.