WPR Weekend Review

 "Trump's populism promotion agenda" and "Franco-German tensions."

Views expressed in this geopolitical news and analysis are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 25 October 2026, 1526 UTC.

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October 25, 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 over the last week and preview what’s on deck. (This is the limited, free version of the weekly. Upgrade now to begin receiving the full edition each week.) If you have any comments or feedback, just hit reply to send them along. But first, an invitation for you: On Nov. 4 at 12pm EST, the day after the U.S. midterm elections, World Politics Review and its sister publication, GlobalPost, will present a virtual panel discussion about the final two years of Trump's foreign policy. I will moderate, and our panelists will include: Daniel W. Drezner, distinguished professor of international politics at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and occasional contributor to WPR. Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House and a professorial lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies' campus in Bologna, Italy. James Bosworth, founder of Hxagon, a firm that does political risk analysis and bespoke research in emerging and frontier markets, and WPR columnist. Register here to attend. We hope to see you there. 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.):       Once Again, Macron’s France Goes Up in Flames: Massive protests across France last weekend against the high cost of living and cuts to public services were overshadowed by scenes of violence, arson and pillage. Thousands of shops and businesses were vandalized and looted, and more than … Read more here or upgrade now to begin receiving the full edition of the weekly newsletter.             Brazil Wants Change. It’s Choosing Between Familiar Faces: Thousands of Brazilians marched through Rio de Janeiro earlier this month to protest against far-right presidential candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who had just won the first-round election held days earlier. Amid drums, fireworks and dancing, they … Read more here or upgrade now to begin receiving the full edition of the weekly newsletter.             The Real Test for U.S. Democracy Will Come After the Midterms: We know enough about Donald Trump at this point to be able to say with certainty that he will not be chastened by the results of the upcoming midterm elections. Assuming the latest polls are even close to accurate … Read more here or upgrade now to begin receiving the full edition of the weekly newsletter.       The Week’s Highlights President Donald Trump attends a meeting with administration officials at Camp David, Md., July 31, 2026. (AP Photo by Jacquelyn Martin) Under Trump, the U.S. Shifts From Democracy Promotion to Populism Promotion. On Tuesday, Robert Pee looked at the Trump administration’s efforts to replace U.S. democracy promotion abroad with promotion of right-wing populism. Since 1998, the State Department’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund has provided grants to support pro-democracy activists, independent media organizations and human rights defenders working under hybrid and authoritarian regimes. Trump administration officials have now redirected more than $175 million of that funding to overseas groups that promote “Western civilizational norms” and oppose immigration and “gender ideology.” It’s a telling sign of a broader shift that has been underway since the beginning of Trump’s second term: the replacement of democracy promotion with right-wing populism promotion. To take one example, in July the State Department posted a … Read the full article here or upgrade now to begin receiving the full version of this weekly newsletter. Are France and Germany Breaking Up Again? And on Wednesday, Ulrike Franke examined the perilous state of Franco-German ties. The week of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s Oct. 8 state visit to France offered an unusually compact portrait of a partnership whose pageantry remains intact even as its substance thins out. That afternoon, France’s top general told lawmakers that Germany had “decided to quit the project” of building a common future tank under the Main Ground Combat System, or MGCS. Berlin denied it, and Paris walked back his remarks. But neither country’s defense minister said there would actually be a tank at the end of that cooperation. That silence is the real story. The Franco-German Defense and Security Council had already redefined … Read the full article here or upgrade now to begin receiving the full version of this weekly newsletter. The Week’s Most-Read Story Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff before a meeting at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, Oct. 21, 2026. (Kristina Solovyova for Sputnik via AP) Trump’s Appeasement of Putin Is Bound to Backfire. And in this week’s top story by views, Frida Ghitis looked at why Trump’s bet on a deal with a man and a country Americans don’t trust is likely to prove costly for Trump, his party and the Ukrainian people. In recent days, President Donald Trump has waived new sanctions on Moscow, made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy Russian diesel, and castigated Ukraine’s president—effectively aligning the United States with Russia in increasingly open ways. Trump likely hopes that his efforts to bring down fuel prices—ineffectual as they may be—will be recognized by voters ahead of midterm elections that are looming on Nov. 3. But all evidence indicates that voters are likely to punish, not reward, Trump’s latest pro-Russia moves. … Not only do economists say his efforts to bring Russian fuel to market will not lower prices, but the polls also show why Trump’s actions are likely to bring even more troubles for him, and hence for Republicans. In a country that is deeply divided, there is one topic on which most Americans agree: disdain for Putin and Russia. What’s On Tap And coming up this week, we’ve got: Jumo Ayandele on Formula 1’s high-stakes return to Africa. Jared Bell on the Trump administration’s fraught uranium deal with Niger. Alana Moceri on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s risky snap election gambit. That’s it for now. Until Monday, —Elliot Waldman The Week On WPR Africa   A Coup Within a Coup in Guinea-Bissau The ruling junta is turning against ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and the postponement of elections raises fears of a power grab. Americas   Brazil Wants Change. It’s Choosing Between Familiar Faces Lula is facing an uphill battle against Flávio Bolsonaro, but both candidates have their liabilities as they court voters hungry for change.   Ahead of Elections, Blackouts Put Ecuador’s Noboa in a Bind Historically dry conditions are causing widespread outages in the hydropower-dependent country, putting Noboa’s failed energy promises in the spotlight. Asia-Pacific   The Determinants of Good and Bad Trade With China Beijing’s economic relationships can produce remarkably different results depending on the partner governments’ policy frameworks. Europe   Mistral Shows the Promise and the Limits of Europe’s AI Ambitions The company’s recent incorporation of a Chinese LLM shows that it is choosing a practical growth path.   Are France and Germany Breaking Up Again? Recent setbacks in joint defense programs are calling the Franco-German partnership into question.   Once Again, Macron’s France Goes Up in Flames This weekend’s protests mark the third major social conflagration of Macron’s two-term presidency.   Europe Faces Its Own Gen Z Revolt European governments are paying the costs for having repeatedly betrayed the intergenerational social contract over the past two decades. Middle East & North Africa   Uneven Justice for Assad-era Abuses Could Undermine Syria’s Recovery Prosecutions of officials who served under Assad are being rushed through the judicial system without a formal legal framework. United States   The Real Test for U.S. Democracy Will Come After the Midterms The deeper and more long-term threat to democracy is the Republican Party’s illiberal, ethnonationalist backlash.   How Hegseth’s Livestreamed Execution Debacle Bolstered International Law International norms actually become more powerful, not less, when given the chance to be publicly rearticulated and defended.   Trump’s Appeasement of Putin Is Bound to Backfire U.S. voters are likely to punish, not reward, Trump’s pro-Russia moves when they cast their ballots in upcoming midterm elections.   Under Trump, the U.S. Shifts From Democracy Promotion to Populism Promotion The Trump administration is repurposing the tactics previously used by U.S. democracy promoters to advance an ethnonationalist agenda. Global   Counting the Dead in the Fog of War Tallying casualties accurately in wartime is difficult work for a variety of reasons, but it will always be important.   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