World Politics Review https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/ Expert analysis on global affairs from World Politics Review. Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:41:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/cropped-favicon-white-bg-32x32.png World Politics Review https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/ 32 32 205851186 The Mecca Defense Pact Isn’t Just About the U.S. https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/mecca-defense-pact-saudi-turkey-pakistan-israel/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:18:27 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431666 The new Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan alliance is mainly a response to Israel’s rising military assertiveness in the region.

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A billboard advertising the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with images of each country’s leaders, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Aug. 9, 2026. (Syed Mehdi for NurPhoto via AP)
 Germany’s Military Recruitment Crisis Is About to Test Berlin’s Rhetoric https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/germany-bundeswehr-military-conscription-recruitment/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:30:00 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431635 Germany wants Europe’s strongest army. But with its voluntary recruitment drive failing, Berlin now faces two unattractive choices.

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Chancellor Friedrich Merz observes military recruits in Medebach, Germany, 13 June, 2026. (Christoph Reichwein/DPA via AP)
 U.S. Rolls Back Beneficial Ownership Reporting Rules https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/us-corporate-ownership-reporting-rollback-cta/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:48:55 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431630 The Treasury Department exempts U.S. firms and individuals from beneficial ownership reporting, reversing a key anti-money laundering measure.

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The Treasury Department in Washington, Oct. 29, 2010 (Photo by Mike Janes for Four Seam Images via AP).
 The High Cost of Hegseth’s ‘Lethality’ Fixation https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/pentagon-hegseth-lethality-fixation/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:31:47 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431623 A Pentagon report on civilian casualties caused by the U.S. anti-Houthi campaign in Yemen highlights the dangers of Hegseth’s narrow approach.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explains U.S. military operations at a press conference at the Pentagon, June 22, 2025 (The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images).
 The Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan Defense Pact Will Never Be a ‘Muslim NATO’ https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/saudi-arabia-turkey-pakistan-mecca-defense-alliance/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:18:22 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431608 The new alliance reflects a changing regional security environment, even if its mutual defense clause is unlikely to hold up in reality.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after signing the trilateral defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 7, 2026. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)
 Afghan Farmers Are Collateral Damage in the Taliban’s War on Drugs https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/afghanistan-poppy-ban-badakhshan-farmers-taliban/ Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:39:09 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431561 The Taliban’s crackdown on opium poppies has been effective, but it has left poor Afghan farmers struggling to find alternative sources of income.

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Taliban forces destroy a poppy field in Kunar province, Afghanistan, April 16, 2023. (Oriane Zerah for SIPA USA via AP)
 North Korea Test-Fires Missile Ahead of Annual U.S.-South Korea Drills https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/north-korea-missile-tests-us-south-korea-drills/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 22:23:46 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431570 A new North Korean missile test comes as Pyongyang remains distant from Washington and tensions rise ahead of joint military drills.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, his daughter and an official watch what Pyongyang says is a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from an undisclosed location in North Korea (Korean Central News Agency photo via Korea News Service and AP Images).
 Zambia’s Hichilema Seeks a Second Term https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/zambia-hichilema-election-lungu/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 22:15:30 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431567 President Hakainde Hichilema seeks a second term as voters weigh economic gains against rising concerns over democratic backsliding.

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Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema at an event near Lobito, Angola, Dec. 4, 2024 (AP photo by Ben Curtis)
 Oman Walks a Tightrope in the U.S.-Iran war https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/oman-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz-neutrality-tightrope/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 19:32:19 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431546 Oman has staunchly maintained its neutrality in the current conflict, infuriating Trump as well as its Gulf neighbors.

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Tankers and cargo vessels in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo)
 Senegal’s Faye Moves to Rebuild His Political Base as Debt Default Looms https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/sengal-faye-kiiraay-sonko-power-struggle/ Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:35:08 +0000 https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/?p=431518 President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is digging in for prolonged standoff with his ally-turned-rival, former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.

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Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye addresses the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo by Angelina Katsanis)