War-gaming, elections, and Mueller’s report: Weekend Reads

[Balance of Power]( From [Bloomberg Politics]( [FOLLOW US [Facebook Share]]( [Twitter Share]( [SUBSCRIBE [Subscribe]](  A spate of [elections is looming]( around the world, and Thailand kicks things off – on Sunday it holds its first general vote since a military coup in 2014. In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in full campaign mode as his party seeks to retain control of the biggest cities, while in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just got a boost from Donald Trump’s tweet on recognizing the [Golan Heights]( as Israeli territory, ahead of polls on April 9. Read more about these ballots in this edition of Weekend Reads – as well as stories on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, Africa’s water shortages and Britain’s unpredictable leader. - [Caroline Alexander]( Supporters of Thailand’s pro-military Palang Pracharath party. For more images by our photographers, see [political slideshow](. [Mueller Closes Trump Probe; Barr May Reveal Details Over Weekend]( Mueller has submitted his final report, a still-secret document that closes his 22-month investigation into whether Trump or those around him conspired in Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. [Chris Strohm]( and [Larry Liebert]( analyse [what comes next](. [U.K. Cabinet Ministers Are War-Gaming the Fall of Theresa May]( Our Westminster correspondents report that Theresa May is confronting what could be the end of her premiership as the near impossible task of delivering a Brexit deal cracks her fragile government apart. Read more: - [Europeans Lose Faith in Britain’s Unpredictable Leader]( - [Lonely Dinner in Brussels Gives May Vital Brexit Breathing Space]( - [From Agincourt to Suez to Brexit, French-British Rivalry Endures]( [Half the World Worries About Italy Getting in Bed With China]( Italy is today poised to become the first Group of Seven nation to sign up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a transcontinental infrastructure project. [John Follain]( and [Helene Fouquet]( look at the deal, which critics say allows Beijing to trade present-day investment for future leverage.  Italy gave Chinese President Xi Jinping a lavish welcome on Friday with an escort of guards on horseback usually reserved for visiting monarchs. [Iranians Line Up at Dawn for a Sanctions Meal They Can Afford]( Iran isn’t facing a Venezuela-style collapse, but renewed U.S. sanctions have slashed oil revenue, battered the rial and pushed prices beyond the reach of many. As [Golnar Motevalli]( reports from Tehran, shortages, in meat, medicine, even gasoline in some regions, are spreading; proof, say hardliners, that President Hassan Rouhani’s engagement with the West has failed. [Trump’s Sanctions Staff Defects as U.S. Expands Economic War]( [Saleha Moshin]( finds the U.S. office in charge of financial sanctions, Trump’s favorite weapon against American adversaries, risks being hobbled by staff departures due to management turmoil and growing private-sector demand for its expertise. [Islamist Insurgencies Feed Age-Old West African Conflicts]( Communal conflict in Mali and other West African nations is being stoked by climate change, population growth and state neglect and exploited by Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. And as [Katarina Hoije]( and [Bokar Sangare]( show, there’s concern the violence is spreading. Read more about climate change and Africa: - [Africa’s Booming Cities Are Running Out of Water]( - [Drought Forces Zambia and Zimbabwe to Cut Hydropower Output](  A landfill site and camp in Mali’s capital, Bamako. [Erdogan in Election Blitz With Rivals at Gates of Capital]( For a man who wields almost unbridled power across his realm Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking this month’s local elections very seriously, and with opinion polls show his ruling AK Party set to lose dominion over Ankara and shedding support in Istanbul, he has every reason to. [Selcan Hacaoglu](, [Firat Kozok]( and [Taylan Bilgic]( unpack the Turkish president’s frenzied burst of campaigning. [Kremlin Ponders Ways for Putin to Hold On Even If He Steps Down]( An aging leader steps down as president but keeps a firm grip on the reins of power. For many in the Kremlin, [Henry Meyer](, [Ilya Arkhipov]( and [Stepan Kravchenko]( report, the choreographed events unfolding in neighboring Kazakhstan are a model for Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider. [Economic Overhaul at Risk as Temer Arrest Roils Brazil Politics]( Michel Temer on Thursday became the second former Brazilian head of state after Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to be arrested by the Carwash probe - as [Samy Adghirni]( and [David Biller]( write, the largest corruption investigation in the country’s history remains a powerful and unpredictable force in its politics. And finally … Fancy a move? Two indexes published this week could help. For the second year in a row, Finland has taken the top spot as the world's happiest nation, beating Nordic peers Denmark, Norway and Iceland in a [ranking]( of 156 countries by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Then there’s the [most expensive city index](. It has two new rivals – Singapore has been joined by Paris and Hong Kong in a tie – the trio are 7 percent more expensive to live in than New York. Photos from top to bottom: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg;TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images; Katarina Hoije/Bloomberg   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Bloomberg Politics newsletter Balance of Power. You can tell your friends to [sign up here](.  [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022