WPR Weekly Review

"Germany's autumn of political discontent."

Views expressed in this geopolitical news and analysis are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 30 August 2026, 2206 UTC.

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August 30, 2026 In partnership with 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. This is the abridged version of our weekly email. You can upgrade to a premium subscription to get the full edition each Sunday. 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 adjust your settings here.):       Trump’s ‘Economic D-Day’ Falls Flat: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put Iran’s trading partners on formal notice last Monday that they would be targeted with secondary economic sanctions if they do not sever their ties with Tehran. The move stopped well short of the expectations raised by Bessent’s prior warning of an “economic D-Day” for Iran. But it signaled the start of yet another attempt to increase U.S. leverage over Tehran and jumpstart stalled negotiations over a final peace deal. It is anyone’s guess whether … Read more here or upgrade to a premium subscription to get the full weekly each Sunday.             Tunisians Have Had Enough of Saied: Late last month, on the fifth anniversary of President Kais Saied’s power grab in Tunisia, thousands of people marched in the capital, Tunis, and elsewhere around the country, demanding his resignation. The protests followed nearly two weeks of rolling blackouts and prolonged water cuts. But in a much broader sense, they signaled … Read more here or upgrade to a premium subscription to get the full weekly each Sunday.             Trump Delivers a Message to Russia—and Europe: CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow earlier in the week, where he met with Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s foreign ​intelligence service, and other Russian intelligence officials on Tuesday. The meeting was confirmed by President Donald Trump and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov yesterday. Trump characterized the visit as “semi-routine,” while the Kremlin offered few details on what was discussed. But The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported that … Read more here or upgrade to a premium subscription to get the full weekly each Sunday.       Free email without sacrificing your privacy Gmail is free, but you pay with your data. Proton Mail is different. We don’t scan your messages. We don’t sell your behavior. We don’t follow you across the internet. Proton Mail gives you full-featured, private email without surveillance or creepy profiling. It’s email that respects your time, your attention, and your boundaries. Email doesn’t have to cost your privacy. Ditch the Gmail data grab The Week’s Highlights More than 5,000 participants at an AfD campaign rally in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, 23 August 2026 (Matthias Bein for picture-alliance/dpa via AP) In Germany’s Once-Staid Politics, Turbulence Is the New Normal. On Wednesday, Ulrike Franke examined the turmoil of Germany’s domestic politics. Germany's domestic politics are in turmoil heading into autumn, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz under attack, beset by plummeting approval ratings and coalition divisions, leading many to speculate he won't finish his four-year term, despite having only taken office last May. Until a few years ago, German politics was best described as stable, calm, even boring, marked by long stretches of continuity under the center-right Christian Democratic Union. That predictability is under threat as the knives come out for Merz. The most immediate challenge is the regional elections set for September in four of Germany's 16 states: Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony, Berlin and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. The center-left Social Democratic Party, governing alongside Merz's CDU, is polling … Upgrade to a premium subscription to get the full weekly each Sunday. Venezuela’s Post-Maduro Talks Are Making Progress. Now Comes the Hard Part. Also on Wednesday, Imdat Oner looked at the most recent round of talks between Venezuela’s government and its pro-democracy opposition factions. For two decades, negotiations between Venezuela's government and opposition have followed a familiar pattern: talks are announced, but the process stalls once the Chavistas would have to surrender real power. The most recent round, the first since the U.S. ousted Nicolas Maduro in January, broke from that pattern. In their Aug. 12 joint statement, the interim government's delegation and opposition representatives agreed to begin reforming Venezuela's justice system, including the law governing the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, or TSJ, which became a pillar shielding the Chavistas from oversight and upheld Maduro's disputed 2024 election victory. The agreement goes beyond the confidence-building measures of earlier rounds. The two sides also agreed to … Upgrade to a premium subscription to get the full weekly each Sunday. The Week’s Most-Read Story President Donald Trump speaks outside the White House, Aug. 19, 2026 (AP Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta) America’s Regard for Sovereignty Is a One-Way Street. And in the week’s top story by views, Karthik Sankaran argued that Washington’s concerns about the erosion of sovereignty seem only to apply when the U.S. is the purported victim of the erosion, rather than when it is the perpetrator.  How … to think about this administration’s views on sovereignty? The clue lies in Rubio’s formulation: “Sovereign States over Globalism.” This suggests a view that privileges sovereignty over any efforts to constrain state behavior through multilateral institutions—even some of the very institutions that the U.S. helped create in the aftermath of World War II. As for why the U.S. might prefer such an order, it might owe something to … Upgrade to a premium subscription to get the full weekly each Sunday. What’s On Tap And coming up this week, we’ve got: Deepak Adhikari on the geopolitical balancing act facing Nepal’s young prime minister. Andrey Sapozhnikov on why Russians’ hope has become Putin’s greatest threat. Jared O. Bell on the costs accruing to the Global South for the Iran war. That’s it for now. Until next Monday, —Elliot Waldman The Week On WPR Africa   Mounting Debt Is Impeding Africa’s Climate Change Adaptation Efforts Financial strains are imposing limits on what African countries can spend on disaster recovery and climate adaptation.   Hichilema Won Reelection in Zambia. Democracy Lost The evidence suggests the president received enough votes for a second term. But his efforts to tilt the playing field have harmed Zambia’s democracy. Americas   Venezuela’s Post-Maduro Talks Are Making Progress. Now Comes the Hard Part The first round of negotiations produced a real concession from the Chavista government, but several key issues remain unaddressed.   The U.S.-Canada Trade War Heats Up The breakdown of talks ushers in a period of uncertainty for the North American free trade zone, with implications that go beyond economic ties.   China Is Not Yielding to the ‘Trump Corollary’ in Latin America Beijing is courting Trump allies as Washington struggles to keep up with China’s economic influence in the region. Europe   Europe Can Learn From China Without Becoming Its Assembly Line Major European economies will need to engage with China’s know-how without becoming fully reliant on it.   In Germany’s Once-Staid Politics, Turbulence Is the New Normal Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under attack and may not finish his term, while the extreme-right AfD continues its ascent in the polls. Middle East & North Africa   Tehran Signals Continued Defiance With Elevation of Hard-Liners New appointments to Iran’s security apparatus indicate the government is hardening its position both at home and abroad.   Tunisians Have Had Enough of Saied Protests late last month over rolling blackouts and prolonged water cuts signaled a much broader frustration among Tunisians with Saied’s autocratic rule. United States   Revisiting the ‘Trump Tower Peace Theory’ The Iran war may have blown a hole in the theory that Trump avoids conflict with countries where he has real estate holdings.   Trump Just Delivered a Message to Russia—and Europe Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow suggests that, in the face of a direct threat, the Trump administration is willing to adopt a conventional U.S. posture of solidarity with Europe.   Trump’s ‘Economic D-Day’ Falls Flat An underwhelming rollout signals the start of yet another long-shot attempt to increase U.S. leverage over Tehran.   America’s Regard for Sovereignty Is a One-Way Street The Trump administration invokes sovereignty to resist international law while using its power to violate the sovereignty of others. Global   A Back-to-School Reading List for the Globally Minded Eight books on democracy, war and climate that are indispensable for young students trying to make sense of today’s world.   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