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

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname

Bahamas

Trinidad and Tobago

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

South Africa

France

Ukraine

The Ukrainian flag is projected on the facade of Berlaymont, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels on Nov. 18 to commemorate the Nov. 18, 2024, Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: A European Council Decision on Ukraine Financing, South Africa Braces for Commission Findings

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Yemen

Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv amid a fresh barrage of Iranian rockets on June 16, 2025.

Economics

Israel-Hamas Conflict

If effective, the laser air defense system will significantly reduce the cost of intercepting short-range aerial threats and bolster Israel's multilayered protection against aerial attacks.


The Role of Iron Beam in Israel's Evolving Defense Architecture

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

U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 11, 2025

Middle East and North Africa

Jordanian police close the entrance of a Muslim Brotherhood headquarters on April 23, 2025, in Amman, Jordan.

While the White House has initiated a review process to label the Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization, it is unlikely to result in a comprehensive ban on the group.

U.S. Unlikely To Broadly Designate Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization

China

Philippines

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his third State of the Nation Address before lawmakers at the House of Representatives on July 22, 2024 in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. 

A widespread corruption scandal is threatening to cause political instability in the Philippines, which could lead to policy paralysis and weaken the Philippines' posture against China.

A Corruption Scandal Threatens Political Crisis in the Philippines

Cambodia

Thailand

A Thai soldier points out an area on a map near the Cambodian border during a press visit on Aug. 16, 2025, in Sisaket, Thailand. 

Renewed fighting along the border could surpass the July clashes in scale, and while U.S. pressure will likely compel both countries to return to the ceasefire, the risk of future flare-ups will remain high.

Latest Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Will Test U.S. Appetite for Intervention

Snapshots

The U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group participates in joint operations with the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 13, 2025.

Increased military mobilizations, failed negotiations with Maduro and persistent aggressive rhetoric suggest the Trump administration will likely soon escalate its Caribbean military campaign to targeted strikes in Venezuelan territory.

The U.S. Remains Poised To Attack Venezuelan Territory

U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 4, 2025

Europe

Eurasia

Russia

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 2, 2025.

Energy

Fundamental disagreements between Ukraine and Russia over territorial concessions and security guarantees suggest that peace negotiations are unlikely to lead to a comprehensive breakthrough.

Despite U.S. Diplomatic Push, Ukraine Peace Still a Long Way Off

India

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their bilateral meeting during the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: Putin-Modi Meeting, Honduras General Election

U.S. President Donald Trump said via Truth Social that Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet had both agreed to "cease all shooting" effective the evening of Dec. 12 (which has already passed in-region) and revert to the earlier U.S.- and Malaysia-brokered peace accord, Reuters reported the same day. 

Thailand, Cambodia, U.S.: Trump Claims Ceasefire Reset, Bangkok Signals Conditions as Fighting Continues

The U.S. Treasury Department lifted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes, g1 reported on Dec. 12. 

U.S., Brazil: U.S. Lifts Magnitsky Sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice 

Cote d'Ivoire

Mali

The government of Cote d'Ivoire is pressing the United States to deploy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets to the country to help counter the fuel blockade imposed on the Malian capital Bamako by al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Reuters reported Dec. 11, citing conversations with two Ivorian officials.

Cote D'Ivoire: Government Lobbies for U.S. Air Assets to Counter JNIM Blockade on Bamako

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order late on Dec. 11 that seeks to curb state-level artificial intelligence laws as part of the administration's larger deregulation push for the sector, The Washington Post reported the same day. 

U.S.: Trump Signs Executive Order Aiming To Curb State AI Laws

Australia

Japan

Singapore

South Korea

The U.S. Trump administration plans to sign the Pax Silica Declaration with Australia, Japan, Israel, Singapore and South Korea on Dec. 12, forming a coalition designed to counter China's control of critical minerals and its growing clout in the artificial intelligence sector, Politico reported the same day.

Global: U.S., Five Others To Sign Pax Silica Declaration in a Bid To Counter China in CRMs, AI

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya

Nigeria

The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, Reuters reported on Dec. 11.

U.S., Africa: House of Representatives Committee Approves AGOA Extension

The United States seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, Reuters reported on Dec. 10. 

U.S., Venezuela: U.S. Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker Indicates Further Pressure Campaign Escalation

Exchanges involving artillery, drone and rocket fire spread across several sectors, according to multiple sources, with 10 Cambodian and the first Thai civilian deaths confirmed and displacement surpassing several hundred thousand on both sides of the border, Nikkei Asia reported on Dec. 11.

Thailand, Cambodia: Civilian Costs Mount as Fighting Enters Fifth Day

Americas

SITUATION REPORTS

Thailand, Cambodia, U.S.: Trump Claims Ceasefire Reset, Bangkok Signals Conditions as Fighting Continues

U.S., Brazil: U.S. Lifts Magnitsky Sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice

Cote D'Ivoire: Government Lobbies for U.S. Air Assets to Counter JNIM Blockade on Bamako

U.S.: Trump Signs Executive Order Aiming To Curb State AI Laws

Global: U.S., Five Others To Sign Pax Silica Declaration in a Bid To Counter China in CRMs, AI

U.S., Africa: House of Representatives Committee Approves AGOA Extension

U.S., Venezuela: U.S. Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tanker Indicates Further Pressure Campaign Escalation

Thailand, Cambodia: Civilian Costs Mount as Fighting Enters Fifth Day

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