| Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Daily Review. | Today at WPR, John Boyce looks at the implications of the EU’s drastic cuts to its development aid budget. And columnist James Bosworth looks at the ongoing repression and other developments in Nicaragua as President Daniel Ortega’s health is rumored to be in decline. | Scroll down for more on those items. But first, here’s our take on today’s top story: |  | A bridge destroyed after a strike in Hormozgan province, southern Iran, July 18, 2026 (Amirhosein Khorgooi for Iranian Students’ News Agency via AP) |
| The U.S.-Iran war veered yet again toward a return to all-out conflict over the weekend, as two U.S. servicemembers were killed on Friday by an Iranian drone and missile attack on the base in Jordan where they were stationed; a third American died while conducting a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone on a base housing U.S. forces in Iraq. | Following the lethal attacks, the U.S. continued its airstrikes across Iran, while Iran targeted U.S. bases and civilian infrastructure in the region with missile and drone strikes. Tehran also launched further attacks against maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, essentially closing it off again to tanker traffic. | Both sides left the door open to diplomatic efforts to restore the ceasefire that had more or less held since April. But that leaves us … |
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| | As they prioritize and redirect resources toward defense spending, the EU and its member states have ruthlessly slashed development aid in recent years, marking the biggest cuts in more than a decade. But slashing aid budgets to stock up on weapons is a short-sighted strategy that risks creating a whole new set of global threats that no number of tanks, bombs or bullets will be able to mitigate, John Boyce argues. | | | Nicaragua’s long-ruling President Daniel Ortega rose to prominence as a leader of the Sandinista movement that overthrew the Somoza dynasty’s autocratic rule. But under him and his wife Rosario Murillo—whom he made “co-president” in a 2025 constitutional overhaul—repression has become every bit as brutal and systemic as it was under Somoza. Recently, the 80-year-old Ortega’s public appearances have become few and far between, raising questions about who is actually in charge—as Murillo builds a governing structure that answers to her, and their son Laureano Ortega Murillo takes on a growing role in matters of state, writes James Bosworth. | | | India: Police in New Delhi used batons and tear gas to disperse thousands of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters as they attempted to march to parliament demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The crackdown marked the first major use of force against the youth-led movement. | Initially launched as a satirical response to a remark by India’s chief justice comparing unemployed youth to “cockroaches,” the CJP gained momentum after repeated leaks forced a do-over of the country’s medical entrance exams. Renowned activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the movement later, starting an indefinite hunger strike. When police forcefully hospitalized Wangchuk after about three weeks of fasting, CJP’s founder Abhijeet Dipke began his own hunger strike and called for the resignations of both Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. | As WPR’s Srijita Datta wrote last month, the CJP’s rise raises the question of whether India could follow the path of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, where youth-led uprisings reshaped politics and forced sitting leaders to flee. Similar frustrations over unemployment, education and governance that fueled those movements are glaringly visible in India today, though the CJP’s efforts face steep obstacles. | | Russia, North Korea: Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui met at the Kremlin today, where Putin thanked Pyongyang for help in what Moscow calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has … Purchase your premium subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis. | Mali: Militants from the al-Qaida-linked JNIM and fighters from a Tuareg-led separatist group ambushed a military convoy in northern Mali over the weekend, killing more than 50 soldiers and allied Russian fighters, Reuters reported, citing a source close to the rebels. The attack marked the … Purchase your premium subscription now to make sure you don’t miss important news and analysis. | United Kingdom: Andy Burnham officially became the U.K.’s new prime minister during a meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. Burnham is the country’s seventh leader since 2016. In a … 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.