The Americas stretch from the Arctic Circle in Canada to the southern tip of Chile. This geographically, culturally and politically diverse region is home to the United States, a nation whose geography helped it become the foremost economic and military power in the world &mdash; an ascendance aided in part by bringing Mexico and Canada into its sphere of influence. Farther south, the nations of South America are like islands, separated by vast spaces of impenetrable mountains, rivers and jungles. Try though these countries may to integrate more closely, deeper ties such as those that characterize North America will prove elusive.

This geographically, culturally and politically diverse region is home to the United States, a nation whose geography helped it become the foremost economic and military power in the world

Americas

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Barbados

Belize

Brazil

Canada

Chile

Colombia

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Mexico

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United States

Uruguay

Venezuela

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Greenland

Jamaica

Venezuela's Unraveling

Colombian Peace Process

Security Challenges in Latin America

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The Importance of Mexico

North America Unrivaled

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

Crossing Borders

Assessments

Sub-Saharan Africa

Asia-Pacific

South Asia

A thermometer reading a high temperature is shown over an image of Earth.

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

The compounding effects of the weather event and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are set to drive global inflation and strain agricultural output well into next year.


How the 2026 El Nino Climate Event Will Affect the Global Economy and Security

Philippines

Europe

The NATO headquarters is seen in Brussels, Belgium.

Politics

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Turkey Hosts NATO Summit, Iran Buries Slain Supreme Leader

U.S.-Iran Relations

This map shows the approximate locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups.

U.S. Naval Update Map: July 2, 2026

Media

Iran

Ukraine

Russia

Forecast Webcast

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Third-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Third-Quarter Forecast Webcast

Snapshots

Sudan

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Sudan's de facto leader and army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, waves to spectators after attending a soccer match at Kober Stadium in Khartoum on May 15, 2026.

The outbreak of the Iran war has redirected Western and Arab diplomatic attention away from Sudan, worsening the country's long-running civil war.

Humanitarian Disaster Looms in Sudan as RSF Prepares New Offensive

China

Computer chips are seen on top of the U.S. and Chinese flags.

The Trump administration's recent shift to a more restrictive, ad-hoc licensing regime for frontier AI models risks slowing U.S. innovation and giving Chinese rivals a competitive advantage.

From Laissez-Faire to Licensing: Understanding Trump's Evolving AI Strategy

U.S.-China Relations

Middle East and North Africa

Eurasia

Cyber

Energy

Social Issues

A fragile truce in the Middle East, persistent energy-driven inflation, shifting U.S. trade policy and escalating regional pressures from Europe to Africa will collectively shape geopolitical risk in the third quarter.

2026 Third-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

Japan

United Kingdom

India

Cargo ships June 19 off the coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in Sharjah emirate, along the Gulf of Oman.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan's Takaichi Goes to India, an Unsteady U.S.-Iran Ceasefire

Israel

Lebanon

Oman

Maps4media-processed Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows a broad overview of the Strait of Hormuz on June 16, 2026.

U.S.-Iran talks will face increasingly large obstacles as negotiators approach more contentious topics, namely Iran's nuclear program.

For the U.S. and Iran, the Hardest Negotiations Lie Ahead

Columns

On Geopolitics

The U.S. Treasury Department building in Washington, D.C.

The legal and geographical constraints of Washington's jurisdiction make freezing the assets of countries like Iran a far more flexible and effective diplomatic tool than outright seizure. 

American Financial Power: Freezing vs. Seizing Other Countries' Foreign Assets

Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former Cuban President Raul Castro, said he was open to negotiating with the United States and would be willing to negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump himself, according to an interview with USA Today published on July 6.

Cuba, U.S.: Former President's Grandson Willing To Negotiate With U.S.

On July 6-7, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will hear arguments against a proposed 25% tariff on Brazilian goods as the final step of an ongoing Section 301 investigation, Veja reported on July 6.

Brazil, U.S.: Flavio Bolsonaro To Attend USTR Hearing on Brazil

Iran began funeral observances for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 4 in Tehran, kicking off almost a week of proceedings throughout other major cities that will end on July 9 in Mashhad, Reuters reported on July 5.

Iran: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Absent From Father's Funeral Proceedings

OpenAI's executives have discussed giving the U.S. government a 5% stake in the artificial intelligence lab in an effort to secure good relations with the Trump administration, the Financial Times reported July 2.

U.S.: OpenAI Weighs Handing Over 5% Stake to U.S. Government

Indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran in place in Doha, Qatar, focused on the Strait of Hormuz yielded progress, a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said July 1.

U.S., Iran: Indirect Technical Talks Yield No Major Breakthroughs

A Peruvian court ruled that the government oversees the Chinese-owned port of Chancay, Bloomberg reported July 1.

Peru, U.S., China: Peruvian Court Demands Government Oversight Over Chinese Port

Iraq

The United States resumed at least some air shipments of U.S. dollars to Iraq months after Washington had initially suspended them in April, The New York Times reported July 2, citing aides to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

U.S., Iraq: U.S. Resumes Suspended Dollar Shipments to Iraq

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that the United States has decided not to renew its trade deal with Canada and Mexico for now and will instead conduct annual reviews of the pact, formally known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Bloomberg reported July 1.

U.S., Canada, Mexico: Washington Decides Not To Renew USMCA for Now

Americas

SITUATION REPORTS

Cuba, U.S.: Former President's Grandson Willing To Negotiate With U.S.

Brazil, U.S.: Flavio Bolsonaro To Attend USTR Hearing on Brazil

Iran: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Absent From Father's Funeral Proceedings

U.S.: OpenAI Weighs Handing Over 5% Stake to U.S. Government

U.S., Iran: Indirect Technical Talks Yield No Major Breakthroughs

Peru, U.S., China: Peruvian Court Demands Government Oversight Over Chinese Port

U.S., Iraq: U.S. Resumes Suspended Dollar Shipments to Iraq

U.S., Canada, Mexico: Washington Decides Not To Renew USMCA for Now

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