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

Philippines

Europe

The NATO headquarters is seen in Brussels, Belgium.

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

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

Economics

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

Sub-Saharan Africa

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

South Asia

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

Bahrain

Kuwait

Qatar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, top) meets with GCC foreign ministers during his visit to the Middle East to discuss with Arab Gulf allies the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran on June 25 in Manama.

While Qatar and Saudi Arabia explore restoring trade ties with Iran, the United Arab Emirates is aligning its security with Israel and the United States.

Divergent Approaches to Iran Expose Gulf Arab Splits

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

Claude AI developer Anthropic announced June 30 that it would restore access to Claude Fable 5 on July 1 after the U.S. Commerce Secretary announced that the government had lifted export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5, the more advanced cybersecurity-focused AI model also blocked last month.

U.S.: Anthropic To Restore Access To Fable 5 AI Model After Lifting of Export Controls

U.S. President Donald Trump indicated a willingness to allow U.S.-Iran negotiations to extend beyond the official Aug. 18 deadline, despite being briefed on escalatory military operations against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported June 30.

U.S., Iran: Trump Indicates Preference for Diplomacy Despite Briefing on Military Options

Bolivia

The South American trade bloc Mercosur -- which includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -- launched negotiations with Japan on June 30 for an economic partnership agreement, Reuters reported.

Latin America: Mercosur Bloc Launches Trade Talks With Japan

Americas

SITUATION REPORTS

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

U.S.: Anthropic To Restore Access To Fable 5 AI Model After Lifting of Export Controls

U.S., Iran: Trump Indicates Preference for Diplomacy Despite Briefing on Military Options

Latin America: Mercosur Bloc Launches Trade Talks With Japan

Forecasts

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