Saturday, July 12, 2025

World Politics review - Weekly review - July 12, 2025 - we took a look at the week’s major developments:

July 12, 2025

Hi, everybody. I’m Judah Grunstein, WPR’s editor-in-chief, and this is a free preview of our Weekly Review newsletter, which recaps the highlights from our coverage this week and previews what we have planned for next week.

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This Week’s Highlights

MAS’ Implosion Has Blown Bolivia’s Presidential Election Wide Open. On Monday, Thomas Graham examined the political maneuvering ahead of Bolivia’s upcoming presidential election.

The field for Bolivia’s elections has finally settled. The rivalry between incumbent President Luis Arce and former President Evo Morales has removed both men from the competition, crashed the prospects of their ruling MAS party and thrown the doors open to the opposition. Morales’ candidacy for the presidency is now all but off the table after the Constitutional Court, over which Arce exercises influence, ruled that he was unable to run. But if Arce succeeded in removing Morales from the race, he has presided over an economic collapse that left his own bid for a second term as president in tatters.
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For Turkey, the ‘New’ Middle East Is Cause for Concern. And on Friday, Sinem Adar argued that the impact of the conflict between Israel and Iran will have lasting implications for Turkey’s foreign policy.

When Israel launched its attacks on Iran last month, Turkey, like several other regional actors, condemned the strikes as a violation of international law. Yet, Ankara continues to have concerns even though the danger of escalation seems to have subsided for now. Changing regional dynamics seem to be leading to three outcomes, all of which Turkey finds undesirable: the normalization of the principle of “might makes right,” Israel’s ascent to regional domination and the apparent end of multipolarity in the Middle East. Accordingly, Turkey has rhetorically emphasized diplomacy over military power, while ramping up its defense industry investments, strengthening cooperation with Arab states and courting the United States.
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This Week’s Most-Read Story

Germany’s Tank Buildup Isn’t as Outdated as It Might Seem. And in this week’s top story by pageviews, WPR columnist Ulrike Franke looked at the central role played by tanks in Germany’s military procurement plans:

Like any other military system, tanks can of course only be part of the answer. Combined arms warfare—the “deadly ballet” of integrating different combat arms, such as infantry and artillery, and services, such as ground and air forces—is needed in order to prevail against an attacker. But for as long as humans must operate on the modern battlefield, armored vehicles and the protection they afford will almost certainly be part of this ballet.

What’s On Tap

And coming up next week, we’ve got:

A briefing by Michael Hart on the political fallout of the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute.
A briefing by Jonathan Fenton-Harvey on the state of Yemen’s frozen conflict.
And a briefing by Jessica Moody on what’s driving West Africa’s gold rush.

That’s it for this week. And if you have any comments or feedback, just hit reply to send them along, or contact me on BlueSky at @judah-grunstein.bksy.social.

—Judah Grunstein

This Week On WPR:

Africa

Ruto Once Courted Kenya’s Youth. Now He’s Trying to Silence Them

By Nanjala Nyabola

Instead of listening to protesters’ grievances, Ruto’s government is repressing them. That’s a bad sign for the health of Kenya’s democracy.

Gnassingbe’s Power Grab Sparks Rare Protests in Togo

By Tangi Bihan

Gnassingbe’s latest power grab in Togo was met with rare public protests. And unlike past mobilizations, it was young people taking to the streets.

The Americas

MAS’ Implosion Has Blown Bolivia’s Presidential Election Wide Open

By Thomas Graham

The Arce-Morales feud has effectively split Bolivia’s long-dominant MAS party, opening the door for the opposition in August’s presidential election.

Asia-Pacific

China’s Post-Xi Succession Problem Has Global Implications

By Mary Gallagher

Xi has made the Chinese government more opaque while refusing to prepare for his succession. Both are problems with global implications.

Fiji Is Finally Confronting Its History of Violent Coups

By Catherine Wilson

Fiji hopes a Truth and Reconciliation Commission on its history of violent coups can heal the divisions between its two main communities.

Europe

Russian Oligarchs Are Back in Putin’s Crosshairs

By Frida Ghitis

With a recent wave of arrests and expropriations, as well as possible assassinations, Putin appears to be turning on more of Russia’s rich and powerful.