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

China

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

The May 14-15 meetings will likely yield a limited extension of the current U.S.-China economic detente while leaving core strategic disputes over technology controls, Taiwan and Iran largely unresolved.

Trump-Xi Summit Likely To Preserve Trade Truce, Test Strategic Fault Lines

U.S.-China Relations

Kenya

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

France

United Kingdom

Boats on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions between the United States and Iran will remain elevated, especially around the strait, following the May 7 U.S.-Iran exchange of attacks and Iranian attacks against the United Arab Emirates.

Military & Security

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

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, France Convenes an Africa Summit

U.S.-Iran Relations

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Trucks haul away ore from a pit in the Chinese-owned Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023.

Greater access to Congo's mining sector will likely help the U.S. further secure its cobalt and copper supplies, but ongoing security concerns in the Central African country and China's dominance over global mineral processing will limit the extent of these gains.

Trump Goes Hunting For Congo's Minerals

Snapshots

United Arab Emirates

People wave Iranian pre-1979 Islamic Revolution and American flags while members of the Iranian community celebrate in front of the Federal Building on March 1, in Los Angeles. 

The recent exchange of fire around the Strait of Hormuz reflects calculated efforts by Washington and Tehran to re-establish deterrence and project strength, complicating already fragile negotiations.


Iran and U.S. Exchange Fire, Further Straining Ceasefire

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

U.S. Naval Update Map: May 7, 2026

Alberta separatists gather during a rally in front of the Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton, Canada, on May 4, 2026.

A renewed independence push in Alberta is highly unlikely to succeed, but Ottawa will still likely have to confront stronger secessionist pressures in Quebec after elections later this year. 

What To Make of the Albertan Secessionist Movement in Canada

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

If Flavio Bolsonaro wins in October, his right-wing administration would largely abandon Brazil's environmental and climate commitments, accelerate extractive investments and projects, and pursue strong geopolitical alignment with Washington.

The Balance Between Environmental and Extractive Policies in Brazil's Presidential Election, Part 2

An Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 16.

A military response from the United States aiming to compel Iranian concessions without committing to ground operations could trigger a prolonged cycle of retaliatory attacks between U.S. allies and Iran.


Iran, U.S. Ceasefire at Elevated Risk of Collapse After Iran Attacks UAE

Energy

If President Lula wins reelection in October, his administration would continue balancing the promotion of green initiatives with the expansion of mining and drilling, while retaining strategic neutrality in the U.S.-China competition.

The Balance Between Environmental and Extractive Policies in Brazil's Presidential Election, Part 1

Australia

Japan

India

An oil products tanker at Muscat Anchorage on March 21, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.K. Elections, Iran War Resumption Risk

CNN broke a story on May 12 reporting that CIA operations officers facilitated an assassination of a high-ranking Sinaloa cartel leader, Francisco Beltran "El Payin," in Mexico on March 28, citing unnamed sources familiar with the campaign.

U.S., Mexico: CIA Reportedly Facilitating Counter-Cartel Operations in Mexico

Ukraine

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must order Ukraine's armed forces to stop firing and leave the Donbas and other Russian-claimed regions before Moscow and Kyiv can enter peace talks, Kommersant reported on May 13.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Bets on More Donbas Gains Before Serious Talks

Kazakhstan

Cove Kaz Capital, a U.S. citical minerals company linked to two of U.S. President Donald Trump's sons through its planned merger with Skyline Builders, asked the U.S. Defense Department's Office of Strategic Capital for an additional $400 million to develop the Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty tungsten projects in Kazakhstan, the Financial Times reported on May 12.

Kazakhstan, U.S.: Kazakhstan Tungsten Project Seeks More U.S. Backing

Venezuela's National Assembly approved a reform that will expand the number of Supreme Court judges from 20 to 32, El Pais reported on May 13. 

Venezuela: Regime Approves Reform To Expand Supreme Court

Taiwan

As U.S. President Donald Trump landed in China, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held roughly three hours of trade talks in South Korea aimed at preparing the summit agenda between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14-15, with topics including tariffs, semiconductors, rare earths, agriculture, aerospace, energy and the Iran conflict, Reuters reported on May 13. 

China, U.S.: Summit Prep Points to Limited Trade Accommodations, Taiwan Friction

Europe

The European Commission entered talks to bring the European Union into Pax Silica, a U.S.-led initiative aimed at building a trusted network for semiconductors, AI infrastructure, critical minerals and data centers to reduce reliance on China, Bloomberg reported May 12.

EU, U.S.: Brussels Enters Talks to Join U.S.-Led Pax Silica Alliance

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez said before the International Court of Justice that it is "inevitable and indispensable" for her country to negotiate the disputed Essequibo region with Guyana through political, peaceful and diplomatic means, Deutsche Welle reported on May 11.

Venezuela, Guyana: Rodriguez Calls for Essequibo Negotiation Before the ICJ

Iran's deputy political director ​of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' navy, Mohammad Akbarzadeh, said Tehran had redrawn the boundaries of the Strait of Hormuz to stretch from Sirri Island to Jask, increasing the Iranian definition of the strait's width tenfold, Reuters reported on May 12.

U.S., Iran: Iran Redraws the Strait of Hormuz, Trump Says Ceasefire on 'Life Support'

Americas

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Mexico: CIA Reportedly Facilitating Counter-Cartel Operations in Mexico

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Bets on More Donbas Gains Before Serious Talks

Kazakhstan, U.S.: Kazakhstan Tungsten Project Seeks More U.S. Backing

Venezuela: Regime Approves Reform To Expand Supreme Court

China, U.S.: Summit Prep Points to Limited Trade Accommodations, Taiwan Friction

EU, U.S.: Brussels Enters Talks to Join U.S.-Led Pax Silica Alliance

Venezuela, Guyana: Rodriguez Calls for Essequibo Negotiation Before the ICJ

U.S., Iran: Iran Redraws the Strait of Hormuz, Trump Says Ceasefire on 'Life Support'

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