United States

China

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The Federal Communications Commission plans to ban undersea telecommunication cables containing Chinese technology or equipment from connecting to the United States, according to a statement issued on July 16.

U.S.: FCC Proposes Ban of Chinese Equipment in Undersea Cables

Indonesia

Thailand

Vietnam

Economics

Politics

Facing a 36% U.S. tariff threat, Thailand proposed eliminating tariffs and nontariff barriers on 90% of U.S. goods -- up from 60% -- in a last-ditch bid to reach a deal before U.S. President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline, Bloomberg reported on July 17.

Thailand, U.S.: Following Other Deals, Bangkok Races To Beat Tariff Clock

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia "continues to analyze" U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose a 100% tariff on countries purchasing Russian oil unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal with Kyiv by early September, Reuters reported on July 17.

Russia, Ukraine: Russia 'Continues To Analyze' Trump's Sanctions Threat

Mexico

Social Issues

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum signed a new telecommunications law into law, which will take effect on July 17, El Economista reported July 16. 

Mexico: Government to Expand Internet Access, Cut Costs with New Telecom Law

Brazil

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched a Section 301 investigation over Brazil's trade practices and their potential unfair restriction on U.S. exports and companies, Reuters reported July 15. 

U.S., Brazil: Section 301 Investigation Will Keep Trade Rift Alive in Medium Term

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has confirmed that he and U.S. President Donald Trump have reached a trade deal after Trump's July 15 unilateral announcement that will see Indonesian exports receive a 19% tariff (down from the previously proposed 32%), and the United States will receive full access to the Indonesian market, The Jakarta Globe reported July 16. 

Indonesia, U.S.: Jakarta Confirms Trade Deal with Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States reached a preliminary trade deal with Indonesia centered on a 19% tariff rate for Indonesian goods, but Jakarta has yet to confirm its agreement, CNBC reported on July 15.

Indonesia, U.S.: Trump Announces Trade Deal With Indonesia

South Korea

South Korea's defense minister nominee Ahn Gyu-back said President Lee Myung's administration aimed to complete the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, from the United States to South Korea's military before the end of Lee's term in 2030, Nikkei Asia reported on July 15.

South Korea, U.S.: Seoul Broaches Transfer of Wartime Operational Control

Columns

On Geopolitics

Israel

Syria

Turkey

U.S. Army soldiers prepare to go out on patrol from a remote combat outpost in northeastern Syria on May 25, 2021. 

The U.S. is shifting its Syria strategy from isolation to limited engagement to stabilize the country and protect American interests there, but Turkey and Israel's competing influence campaigns could complicate Washington's approach.

In Post-Assad Syria, the U.S. Struggles to Find a New Strategy

Snapshots

Containers are unloaded from a ship at a terminal of Tanjung Priok Port, the main seaport in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Jan. 24, 2025. 

Global Trade

In exchange for a lower U.S. tariff rate, Indonesia accepted significant concessions, including purchasing commitments and regulatory changes, that risk limiting its long-term autonomy and industrial policy goals.

To Avoid Steeper Tariffs, Indonesia Reaches High-Stakes Trade Deal With the U.S.

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: July 17, 2025

Asia-Pacific

Diplomats attend the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. 

U.S.-China Relations

Chinese, Russian and U.S. participation in the summit shows that the Southeast Asian bloc will remain a key venue for diplomatic hedging and potential great power friction in the years ahead.

ASEAN Meeting Provides an Arena for Multipolar Competition

Australia

Germany

United Kingdom

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 24 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. In an interview July 10, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he would "have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," perhaps representing a shift in his administration's policy.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Speaks on Ukraine, Sweeping EU Budget Reform

A Ukrainian soldier works on an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger anti-aircraft missile system on Nov. 28, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Despite Trump's impatience with Russia's failure to de-escalate in Ukraine, the White House is highly unlikely to dramatically ramp up pressure in a way that significantly alters the Kremlin's calculus.

What Trump's Growing Frustration With Russia Means for U.S. Policy

U.S. Naval Update Map: July 10, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak during a rally at a steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on May 30, 2025. 

For the rest of his term, Trump will continue to use tariffs to secure foreign policy concessions on both trade and non-trade matters, even if he starts shifting away from broad, global tariff threats to ones focused on specific countries or goods. 

A Look at Trump's Evolving Tariff Strategy

Japan

Leaders of eight political parties pose before a debate at the Japan National Press Club on July 2, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. From left to right are Sanseito Secretary General Sohei Kamiya, Japanese Communist Party Chairperson Tomoko Tamura, Komeito Chief Representative Tetsuo Saito, Constitutional Democratic Party President Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Shigeru Ishiba, Governor of Osaka and Japan Innovation Party Co-Representative Hirofumi Yoshimura, Democratic Party for the People Representative Yuichiro Tamaki and Reiwa Shinsengumi President Taro Yamamoto.

Japan's upper house elections will determine whether the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will stay in power and -- if so -- how easily it will be able to pursue its key policy goals.

Japan's Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

President Donald Trump bangs a gavel after signing a bill into law extending his 2017 tax cuts on July 4 in Washington.

The measure will prevent a sharp increase in income taxes that would shock the economy, but add to the already high U.S. government debt burden.

The Consequences of Extending Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts

Iran

Iraq

Lebanon

Yemen

An Iranian flag is draped from a building damaged during a recent attack by Israel is seen in the Gisha neighborhood of Tehran, Iran, on June 25, 2025. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The brief war with Israel has significantly weakened Iran's regional influence and military capabilities, forcing it and the members of its Axis of Resistance to recalibrate their strategies and focus on recovery.

The Impact of the 12-Day War on Iran and Its Allies, Part 1

France

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: Netanyahu's U.S. Visit, a Franco-British Summit

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

U.S.: FCC Proposes Ban of Chinese Equipment in Undersea Cables

Thailand, U.S.: Following Other Deals, Bangkok Races To Beat Tariff Clock

Russia, Ukraine: Russia 'Continues To Analyze' Trump's Sanctions Threat

Mexico: Government to Expand Internet Access, Cut Costs with New Telecom Law

U.S., Brazil: Section 301 Investigation Will Keep Trade Rift Alive in Medium Term

Indonesia, U.S.: Jakarta Confirms Trade Deal with Washington

Indonesia, U.S.: Trump Announces Trade Deal With Indonesia

South Korea, U.S.: Seoul Broaches Transfer of Wartime Operational Control

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