United States

Syria

Economics

Politics

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said the United States would scrap its $10 million bounty on Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Syria's de facto transitional leader and the head of Turkey-backed Syrian militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, after a meeting between the two, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 20. 

Syria: U.S. To Remove $10M Bounty on Syria's Transitional Leader

Military & Security

A delegation of three U.S. diplomats arrived in Syria early Dec. 20 to meet with militia leaders, civil society members and activists for the first time since the collapse of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, the New York Times reported the same day. 

U.S., Syria: First U.S. Diplomatic Delegation Arrives in Syria

Pakistan

The United States announced new sanctions on Dec. 18 targeting Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile program, including the state-owned National Development Complex that oversees the program, AP reported on Dec. 19.

Pakistan: U.S. Sanctions Pakistan's Missile Program Amid Weapons Proliferation Concerns

China

Japan

Philippines

Taiwan

U.S.-China Relations

An annual Pentagon report on China's military detailed on Dec. 18 the faster-than-expected expansion of China's nuclear arsenal to 600 warheads in 2024. 

China, U.S.: Pentagon Report Highlights Escalating Missile Arms Race

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped a continuing resolution to fund the U.S. federal government through March 14, 2025, and avoid a government shutdown on Dec. 21 following opposition to the spending bill by incoming President Donald Trump and allies on Capitol Hill, AP reported on Dec. 18. 

U.S.: House Speaker Scraps Spending Bill, Raising Likelihood of Government Shutdown

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The U.S. government is weighing whether to ban home internet routers sold by Chinese manufacturer TP-Link as a part of an ongoing investigation into whether the devices are enabling cyberattacks, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 18.

U.S., China: Washington Considers Ban on Popular Chinese Routers

North Korea

South Korea

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stated at a press conference on Dec. 18 that South Korea was setting up a "roadmap" to manage the potential resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks under incoming President Donald Trump, according to Yonhap on Dec. 18.

South Korea: Foreign Minister Planning for Revival of U.S.-North Korea Talks

Sub-Saharan Africa

In a draft of the U.S. continuing resolution to fund the government through March 14, 2025, released on Dec. 18, lawmakers included several measures designed to tighten restrictions on China and protect U.S. supply chains.

U.S., China: Washington's Continuing Resolution Draft Focuses on China, Leaves Out Africa

Snapshots

Europe

Increased EU purchases of U.S. fossil fuels may ease trade tensions and facilitate talks with the incoming Trump administration, but they are unlikely to alone defuse the risk of tariffs and other trade disputes in the years ahead.

Can the EU Avoid Trump's Tariffs by Importing More U.S. Oil and Gas?

Media

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Podcasts

What can Trump's nominees for positions in Middle Eastern diplomacy tell us about his approach to the region?

Essential Geopolitics: U.S.-Middle East Relations Under a Second Trump Term

Assessments

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

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

U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 19, 2024

U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 12, 2024

Columns

On Geopolitics

Iran

United Arab Emirates

Russia

Rebel fighters celebrate in the streets of Homs, Syria, in the early hours of Dec. 8, 2024, after seizing control of the city.

Syria, the geopolitical proving ground for virtually every major regional power, may be hobbled and damaged after 13 years of civil war. But it still gets a vote in its destiny. 

Syria Sets Out Toward a New and Uncertain Future

Iraq

Yemen

An anti-regime fighter tears off a poster depicting Syrian President Bashar al Assad (left) and his brother Maher at the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Dec. 2, 2024. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

With its proxy network weakened, developing nuclear weapons will become a more attractive option for Iran as it tries to rebuild deterrence against the U.S. and Israel.

Assad's Fall in Syria Deals Another Blow to Iran's Axis of Resistance

Lebanon

A military vehicle burns after it was hit by Syrian regime forces Dec. 7 in Syria's Hama governorate. After the regime's fall, competing rebel factions will vie to create a provisional government, a slow process prone to violence as foreign actors try to shape the postwar balance of power.

After the regime's fall, competing rebel factions will vie to create a provisional government, a slow process prone to violence as foreign actors try to shape the postwar balance of power.

Syrian Rebels Pushing to Damascus, Regime Facing Imminent Collapse

U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 5, 2024

Qatar

A child tapes a stick holding a Hamas flag during a demonstration in support of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Jan. 12, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Hamas' impending expulsion from Qatar will force the group to either relocate its Politburo or disperse its senior leaders across multiple countries, either of which would carry challenges.

With Its Welcome Worn Out in Qatar, Hamas Seeks a New Home Base

Angola

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tanzania

Zambia

Marshall Islands

Palau

Tuvalu

Sri Lanka

U.S. President Joe Biden and President Joao Lourenco of Angola on Nov. 30, 2023, at the White House. Biden on Dec. 2-4 will visit Angola, where he will focus on the Lobito Corridor project that aims to refurbish and expand railways connecting critical mineral-rich regions in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Angolan port of Lobito.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Angola, von der Leyen's Second Term

United Kingdom

Portugal

Spain

People visit the 1627 Pilgrim Village at "Plimoth Plantation," where role-players portray pilgrims seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On Thanksgiving, the United States celebrates the Plymouth Colony. However, few know that New England's colonization was a response to major geopolitical pressures -- particularly England's struggle against the Spanish both on the Continent and in the New World.

Thanksgiving and Puritan Geopolitics in the Americas

Fighters loyal to Yemen's Houthi group chant in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 21, 2024, during a military parade marking the anniversary of the Houthis’ 2014 takeover of the capital.

The Houthis' economic vulnerabilities, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates' desire to avoid being re-entangled in Yemen's decade-long civil war, will reduce the risk of a major escalation in Yemen. 

Gulf States Work to Avoid Major Escalation With Yemen’s Houthis

The United States encompasses territory spanning from the Arctic Circle and Central Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic.    The Greater Mississippi Basin is the United States' core and serves as the underpinning of its role as a global superpower.    The basin hosts an extensive network of navigable rivers that overlay the world's largest contiguous piece of arable land. This naturally interconnected river system facilitated integration among settlers and allowed for cheap transport of goods, providing the United States with the ability to feed itself efficiently and rapidly build up industry and capital to expand west. The Midwestern core gave early America strategic depth, while an expanding U.S. coastline, naturally indented with deep harbors, provided its opening to the world.    After reaching the Pacific coast in the mid-19th century, the United States found itself insulated by two oceans. On the continent itself, geography again has worked in the country's favor: lakes to the north and deserts to the south insulate the United States' population centers, with both Canada and Mexico facing too many natural constraints of their own to seriously rival it.    This unparalleled level of wealth and protection gives the United States options that few to no countries can claim. For one, the United States has used its wealth and security to build up the world's largest navy. Control of the world's major sea-lanes gives the United States the power to facilitate or deny trade to allies or rivals of the day. The onus therefore is on the United States to carefully manage its engagements abroad and build up strategic allies to protect its overseas interests and preserve its strength at home. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Syria: U.S. To Remove $10M Bounty on Syria's Transitional Leader

U.S., Syria: First U.S. Diplomatic Delegation Arrives in Syria

Pakistan: U.S. Sanctions Pakistan's Missile Program Amid Weapons Proliferation Concerns

China, U.S.: Pentagon Report Highlights Escalating Missile Arms Race

U.S.: House Speaker Scraps Spending Bill, Raising Likelihood of Government Shutdown

U.S., China: Washington Considers Ban on Popular Chinese Routers

South Korea: Foreign Minister Planning for Revival of U.S.-North Korea Talks

U.S., China: Washington's Continuing Resolution Draft Focuses on China, Leaves Out Africa

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