World Politics review Weekly Review - July 19, 2026 - Hungary’s Magyar Starts to Clean House After Orban and more...

 

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July 19, 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 edition of the Weekly Review. To receive the full edition going forward, upgrade to an all-access subscription. If you have any comments or feedback, just hit reply to send them along. 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.):     Hungary’s Magyar Starts to Clean House After Orban: Hungary’s parliament passed a constitutional amendment to remove President Tamas Sulyok, the first major step by Prime Minister Peter Magyar to undo the state capture that took place under his predecessor, Viktor Orban. Magyar won …Read more here and upgrade your subscription to ensure you don’t miss our newsletter top stories each weekday.         In Venezuela, Who’s Playing Who?: The government of Venezuela and an opposition figure who recently returned to the country announced that they would begin formal talks aimed at “strengthening democracy” in the country on Aug. 1. The talks would be the first concrete step toward addressing the thorny question of political legitimacy in Caracas since the U.S. military operation that seized former President Nicolas Maduro in January. But they also underscore the many potential pitfalls and dangers for the U.S. as a result of its deepening involvement in Venezuela’s governance since then. Perhaps the most revealing … Read more here and upgrade your subscription to ensure you don’t miss our newsletter top stories each weekday.         America’s Tarnished Global Image: The Pew Research Center released its annual global public opinion survey on popular perceptions of the U.S. and China, which found that China is viewed more favorably in 25 of the 36 countries surveyed. The U.S. had a higher favorability rating in just six countries, with the two strategic rivals roughly equal in the remaining five. Laura Silver, Pew’s associate director, characterized views of the U.S. as being … Read more here and upgrade your subscription to ensure you don’t miss our newsletter top stories each weekday.     The Week’s Highlights An empty checkpoint where a mannequin dressed as a soldier stands in downtown Khartoum, Sudan, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo by Bernat Armangue) Sudan Could Be Headed for De Facto Partition. On Monday, Mohamed Wad Al-sak examined the looming battle for El-Obeid, Sudan, between the country’s army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and how its outcome could determine the fate of the country and whether it remains unified. After three years of brutal civil war, the stage is set for a fight over El-Obeid, the largest city in Sudan's Kordofan region, a powerful economic engine due to its livestock, oil processing and gum arabic production. The city sits at a critical axis connecting Khartoum to the oil fields of the south, hosting a major military base, railway lines and an airport, and serves as the SAF's operational headquarters for central Sudan. If the RSF seizes it, the militia could sever the army's western supply corridor, eliminate its command infrastructure and establish a contiguous territorial arc from Darfur through Kordofan toward the Nile—effectively a de facto partition of the country. The SAF holds El-Obeid today, but the city has … Upgrade your subscription to get the full highlights each week. Latin America’s Rightward Shift Isn’t About Ideology. And on Tuesday, Orlando J. Pérez argued that the recent string of right-wing electoral victories across Latin America do not constitute an ideological realignment but rather a practical response to crime and public disorder. Across Latin America, candidates from the political right have won a string of elections in the past few years. To many observers, and to the Trump administration, which is courting the region's new leaders, the pattern signals an ideological realignment. That reading is understandable but largely wrong. Despite the run of right-wing victories, the region's electorate has barely moved in ideological terms. Voters are doing what Latin American electorates have done for 30 years: remove whoever holds power when crime climbs and the economy disappoints, while gambling on whoever sounds most credible about repairing both. A study of 17 countries between 2008 and 2019 found that the region’s earlier turn toward … Upgrade your subscription to get the full highlights each week. The Week’s Most-Read Story Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te with Eswatini King Mswati III in a military welcome ceremony at the Mandvulo International Conference Hall in Eswatini, May 3, 2026. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP) China’s Pressure Campaign Against Taiwan Puts African Nations in a Bind. And in this week’s top story by page views, Lesley Anne Warner looked at the escalation in the coercive methods China is asking its African partners to employ to isolate Taiwan: China’s increasing use of coercive diplomacy in Africa vis-à-vis Taiwan is occurring alongside a global increase in transnational repression, as more governments—particularly China—reach across borders to intimidate, detain or forcibly return exiled dissidents. What sets the African cases apart is that the coercion is not carried out by Beijing against its own nationals, but delegated to third-country governments, effectively making African states active participants in enforcing China’s Taiwan policy. As transnational repression becomes a more normalized instrument of statecraft globally, African governments will likely continue to find themselves in situations where they opt to bend to China’s will as a routine cost of maintaining access to Chinese financing and markets. What’s On Tap And coming up this week, we’ve got: John Boyce on the DOGE-like cuts to the EU’s foreign assistance. Jack McBrams on how USAID cuts exposed refugee girls in Malawi to predators. Arsalan Bukhari on the debate unfolding in India over the question of who counts as Indian. That’s it for now. Until Monday, —Elliot Waldman The Week On WPR Africa   Amid Attacks on Tunisia’s Civil Society, Lawyers Are Both Shields and Targets Attorneys in Tunisia are struggling to push back against attacks on judicial independence, even as they themselves face persecution.   Sudan Could Be Headed for De Facto Partition The coming battle for the strategic city of El-Obeid will determine the military and economic balance of power in Sudan. Americas   In Venezuela, Who’s Playing Who? As Venezuela prepares for political talks, the Trump administration’s growing influence over the country’s transition could complicate a return to democracy.   Latin America’s Rightward Shift Isn’t About Ideology Recent victories by right-wing candidates across the region mainly reflect voters’ frustration with public safety and cost of living.   In Guatemala, Arevalo’s Win for the Rule of Law Comes at a High Price Gabriel Garcia Luna inherits a captured prosecutor’s office as Guatemala tries to revive its anti-corruption agenda before the 2027 election. Asia-Pacific   Trump’s War in Iran Prompts Southeast Asia to Turn to Russia Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are pushing Southeast Asian governments to diversify their energy sources, making Russia a natural partner.   China’s Pressure Campaign Against Taiwan Puts African Nations in a Bind Recent incidents suggest that Africa could become a more regular arena for Beijing’s coercive diplomacy over Taiwan. Europe   Supporting Democracy in the South Caucasus Is a Strategic Imperative Guaranteeing the success of planned infrastructure projects in the region will require stability and institutional checks and balances.   Hungary’s Magyar Starts to Clean House After Orban Peter Magyar’s victory has opened a new chapter for Hungary, as his government seeks to dismantle Viktor Orban’s political legacy. Middle East & North Africa   How Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad Turned a Tiny Emirate Into a Geopolitical Powerhouse The late former ruler of Qatar leveraged its rich oil and gas deposits to turn the tiny Gulf state into an unlikely force on the world stage.   Trump’s ‘Groundhog Day’ War The Iran war has become a battle over control of the Strait of Hormuz, making a lasting ceasefire far more difficult to achieve. United States   The Art of ‘Trump Whispering’ From obsequious praise to rounds of golf, world leaders have found various ways to work with Trump and influence U.S. foreign policy.   America’s Tarnished Global Image Pew’s latest survey finds views of the U.S. at or near historic lows, and China rated more favorably in most countries. Global   Killer Robots Are No Longer Science Fiction. Are They Here to Stay? The first reported battlefield deaths caused by autonomous weapons could give new momentum to efforts to ban killer robots.