Just like in 2017 and 2018, many of the biggest stories in global affairs in 2019 were drowned out by the latest tweet or tirade from President Donald Trump. In this week’s editors’ discussion on Trend Lines, WPR’s Freddy Deknatel and Elliot Waldman talk about some of the year’s most under-covered trends.

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Relevant Articles on WPR:

Trump Works Overtime to Shake Down Allies in Asia and Appease North Korea

Trump’s Transactional Worldview Is Imperiling the U.S.-South Korea Alliance

Sudan Needs Much More Than Upgraded U.S. Ties to Rebuild Itself After Bashir

Protesters Won’t Be Swayed by Algeria’s Election Theater

The Costs of Germany’s Weak Response to a Russian Murder Plot on Its Soil

60 Years Later, a Cold War Scandal Still Holds Lessons for the United Nations

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter Dörrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

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