United States

Israel

Yemen

Military & Security

Speaking to reporters, U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces would end their campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who allegedly requested an end to U.S. strikes and pledged to stop attacking civilian ships in the Red Sea, Axios reported on May 6. 

U.S., Yemen: Trump Claims Houthis Have Capitulated, Orders End of Bombing Campaign

India

Economics

Politics

Following three years of intermittent negotiations, the United Kingdom and India finalized a free trade agreement that aims to boost bilateral trade by an additional $34 billion by 2040 through expanded market access and reduced trade barriers, Reuters reported on May 6.

India, U.K.: Governments Finalize Free Trade Agreement

Cyber

TeleMessage, a modified version of the Signal messaging app that then-U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz was pictured using during an April 30 White House meeting, has been hacked, 404 Media reported May 4.

U.S.: Modified Version of Signal Messaging App Used by the White House Was Hacked

In a May 4 Truth Social post, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was authorizing the Commerce Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to begin implementing a 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States.

U.S.: Trump Threatens Tariffs on Movies Produced Outside the U.S., Opening Door to Tariffs on Services

Equatorial Guinea

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Venezuela

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Energy

OPEC+ announced on May 3 that it will raise its collective oil production cap by 411,000 barrels per day in June, an increase from the original production increase of roughly 138,000 barrels per day to which the bloc previously agreed.

Global: OPEC's Production Increase Provides Some Tariff Respite

Haiti

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a press release on May 2 that the State Department officially designated the Haitian gangs Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs, and specially designated global terrorist groups, or SDGTs.

U.S., Haiti: U.S. Designates Major Haitian Gangs as Terrorist Groups

Japan

Japan's trade envoy to the United States, Ryosei Akazawa, met with his counterparts in Washington on May 1, where the U.S. team proposed easing reciprocal tariffs (but maintaining automobile, steel and aluminum tariffs) on Japanese goods in return for Japanese concessions on nontariff barriers for automobiles and agriculture, a plan the Japanese team "strongly opposed," Nikkei reported on May 2.

Japan, U.S.: As Second Trade Talk Founders, Tokyo Hints at Wielding Treasuries

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump Massad Boulos said the United States is pushing the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda to sign a formal peace deal in two months, Reuters reported on May 1.

Congo, Rwanda: Trump Administration Eyes Peace Agreement, Mineral Deals in Two Months

Assessments

Kazakhstan

The OPEC logo is seen outside the bloc's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 4, 2022.

The production boost will further decrease oil prices, which will provide some financial relief for oil-consuming countries affected by U.S. tariffs, while further straining the budgets of poorer oil producers like Iraq. 

The Mixed Economic Impact of OPEC's Production Increase

Ukraine

Drag-line excavator mines rare earth materials on Ukrainian soil on Feb. 25, 2025, in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A new U.S.-Ukraine economic deal offers Washington a long-term stake in Ukraine's critical resources -- and a potential lever in ceasefire diplomacy.

New Strategic Pact Gives U.S. Stake in Ukraine's Economic Future

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: May 1, 2025

A woman walks by anti-U.S. murals on the walls of the former U.S. embassy in downtown Tehran, Iran, on April 11, 2025. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

The U.S. will likely have to allow some Iranian uranium enrichment to ink a nuclear deal, likely resulting in Saudi Arabia seeking similar provisions for its own civilian nuclear program.

With Iran and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Faces a Uranium Enrichment Dilemma

Canada

Europe

Italy

Pakistan

Indian soldiers stand guard atop their vehicle in Srinagar, India, on April 23, 2025, following a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Escalating Pakistan-India Tensions, Canadian Elections and Pope Francis' Funeral

China

A digital illustration of the Chinese and EU flags.

Global Trade

U.S.-China Relations

Transatlantic trade tensions have created a window for tactical EU-China engagement, but structural constraints and unresolved disputes limit prospects for meaningful realignment.

Budding EU-China Rapprochement Amid U.S. Tariffs Will Have Its Limits

Yemeni soldiers stand guard during a protest against the United States on April 18, 2025 in Sanaa, Yemen. 

As intensified U.S. airstrikes fail to halt Houthi attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping, Washington is increasingly likely to seek on-the-ground Yemeni partners to pressure the militant movement.


In Yemen, the U.S.'s Anti-Houthi Campaign Raises the Specter of a Government Ground Offensive

U.S. Naval Update Map: April 24, 2025

Mexico

Trucks travel by the U.S.-Mexico border after crossing the border into the United States at Otay Mesa, California, on April 2, 2025. 

Although U.S. tariffs will hurt Mexico's economy in the short term, they may eventually grant Mexico a competitive advantage over countries that face even higher duties.

The Buffers That Will Help Mexico Navigate Tariff Turbulence

Snapshots

France

United Kingdom

Russia

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (2 L) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) attend a meeting with European and Ukrainian officials on April 17 at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

Ukraine will be forced to choose between compromising on its supposed red lines to de-escalate its war with Russia, or risk losing U.S. support and its battlefield position. 

Growing U.S. Pressure for a Peace Deal Puts Ukraine in a Difficult Position

South Korea

The Geopolitics of Trade

U.S. reciprocal tariffs will have major economic and political impacts on Japan and South Korea, particularly as both East Asian countries prepare for summer elections.

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Impact of U.S. Tariffs on South Korea and Japan

Columns

On Geopolitics

Lebanon

Syria

A Lebanese flag painted on a damaged building in the village of Meiss El-Jabal in southern Lebanon is seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on Jan. 23, 2025, in northern Israel. 

Hezbollah's military losses and the formation of Lebanon's new government have opened the door to a new chapter in Lebanese history, although external pressure will complicate the country's next steps.

Hezbollah's Future in Lebanon

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., Yemen: Trump Claims Houthis Have Capitulated, Orders End of Bombing Campaign

India, U.K.: Governments Finalize Free Trade Agreement

U.S.: Modified Version of Signal Messaging App Used by the White House Was Hacked

U.S.: Trump Threatens Tariffs on Movies Produced Outside the U.S., Opening Door to Tariffs on Services

Global: OPEC's Production Increase Provides Some Tariff Respite

U.S., Haiti: U.S. Designates Major Haitian Gangs as Terrorist Groups

Japan, U.S.: As Second Trade Talk Founders, Tokyo Hints at Wielding Treasuries

Congo, Rwanda: Trump Administration Eyes Peace Agreement, Mineral Deals in Two Months

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