China

Tajikistan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Economics

Energy

Power outages struck southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on Aug. 14 after an abrupt change in cross-border power flows activated emergency protections and separated parts of the interconnected Central Asian grid, Reuters reported on Aug. 14. 

Central Asia: Regional Blackout Will Spur Efforts To Modernize Grid, but Cascading Outage Risk Will Persist

Japan

North Korea

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 13 visited Etorofu/Iturup Island, one of the four Northern Territories claimed by Japan in the Kuril Islands, which Russia has occupied since just after World War II, Reuters reported.

Japan, Russia: Putin Visits Disputed Kurils, Highlights Worsening Ties

United States

U.S.-China Relations

President of the U.S.-China Business Council Sean Stein told the South China Morning Post in an interview published on Aug. 13 that he had seen little evidence there would be a "sizable deliverable" pertaining to the U.S.-China Board of Investment at a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Sept. 24.

U.S., China: Board of Investment Stagnating Ahead of Unambitious Summit

Australia

Vietnam

Vietnamese leader To Lam and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to deepen their countries' comprehensive strategic partnership through expanded security and trade cooperation, Reuters reported on Aug. 11.

Vietnam, Australia: Hanoi Combines Domestic Shipbuilding With Deeper Maritime Cooperation Abroad

Indonesia

Taiwan

A Chinese warship and an Indonesian warship will conduct communications and at-sea replenishment drills "east of Taiwan" later in August, according to a readout from China's Ministry of National Defense published on Aug. 11.

China, Indonesia: Beijing, Jakarta Plan Naval Drill East of Taiwan

United Kingdom

Chinese shipping company Sea Legend will launch the first regular container shipping service through the Arctic the week of Aug. 10, connecting China's port of Ningbo through the Northern Sea Route (north of Russia) to the United Kingdom's Felixstowe via weekly liner service during the summer months of low ice, roughly July or August through October, the Financial Times reported on Aug. 10. 

China: World's First Scheduled Arctic Container Service Commences

The U.S. Department of Defense announced a $400 million conditional loan to build the world's first primarily scandium mine in Australia, Nikkei Asia reported on Aug. 10. 

Australia, U.S., China: Washington Finances Scandium Mine as Canberra Tightens Investment Controls

South Korea

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told reporters to discount Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's Aug. 5 proposal for four-party talks between South Korea, North Korea, China and the United States, Reuters reported on Aug. 7.

South Korea: Officials Disagree Over North Korea Policy

Snapshots

Philippines

Crew members on a Chinese navy ship wave as they prepare to dock at Indonesia's Tanjung Perak Port on Aug. 2, 2026. 

China's recent naval drill with Indonesia appears aimed at asserting de facto jurisdiction around Taiwan, raising the risk of at-sea clashes and increased tensions with the U.S., Japan and the Philippines.

China's Latest Drills Near Taiwan Aim To Assert De Facto Jurisdiction

Assessments

Nigeria

Zambia

Iran

Morocco

Oman

Europe

Spain

Migrants wait to receive water on a beach in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Aug. 2, 2026.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

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

The Weekly Rundown: Extreme Weather in China and Europe, More Migrant Crossings Into Spain

Media

Fiji

Solomon Islands

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Podcasts

Who are the main players, and what are the primary frameworks holding it all together?

The Decision Advantage: The Security Architecture of the Pacific Islands

Greenland

Denmark

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

Greenland's large deposits of critical minerals make the island one of the few potential alternatives to Chinese supply chains, but material constraints and diplomatic disputes will obstruct large-scale production.

The West's Quest To Exploit Greenland's Critical Minerals

A Chinese coast guard vessel is anchored in the waters of the South China Sea on March 8, 2026 near Sanya, Hainan province, China.

China's persistent maritime presence east of Taiwan demonstrates a slowly growing capability to threaten or enact a trade quarantine against the island and raises the risk of at-sea incidents. 

Extended Chinese Drills East of Taiwan Demonstrate Trade Quarantine Risk

Ethiopia

South Africa

Brazil

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

India

(From left to right) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend a plenary session at the BRICS summit in Kazan on Oct. 24, 2024.

The bloc's push to develop an independent payment system for trade will not immediately undermine the U.S. dollar's global dominance, though it could reduce the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions.

The Implications of an Independent BRICS Payment System

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Singapore

Thailand

Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro (center) and other leaders leave after a group photo session on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila on July 24, 2026.

The meetings in Manila produced talks but no immediate collective action on critical regional issues like the Iran war's energy shock, intensifying South China Sea tensions and the Myanmar civil war.

ASEAN Meetings Make Little Headway on Pressing Energy and Security Issues

Columns

On Security

This photo illustration shows the ChatGPT logo at an office in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 2023.

The autonomous targeting of Hugging Face by OpenAI's models highlights the urgent need for organizations to prepare for advanced cyberattacks orchestrated entirely by AI agents.

Beyond the Hype of Autonomous AI Breaches

A decorative plate featuring an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen behind a statue of late communist leader Mao Zedong at a souvenir store next to Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on Feb. 27, 2018. 

Social Issues

China will remain a geopolitical enigma to the West as Beijing turns inward to insulate the CCP from the influence of external powers, an exercise that history suggests will threaten national prosperity and regime stability.

The Modern Geopolitics of China

A large container ship is seen docked at a port. 

Though interim measures or narrower agreements are plausible, Vietnam's dependence on Chinese inputs will likely prevent a comprehensive agreement, potentially exposing it to stricter U.S. scrutiny and new tariffs.

Vietnam's Reliance on Chinese Imports Complicates U.S. Trade Talks

People pass a large banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump with a target on his head during funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leade, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 5 in Tehran, Iran.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Iran Conflict Escalates, ASEAN and Major Power Foreign Ministers Meet

New Zealand

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (left) and Fiji Minister for Public Works, Transport and Meteorological Services, Ro Filipe Tuisawau (right) shake hands during the opening of the Vuvale Skills hub in Suva on July 6, 2026.

Australia's new pacts with Fiji and Vanuatu will strengthen barriers to Chinese military access, but persistent regional development needs and China's ability to project power without local basing will still provide space for Beijing to build influence.

Australia's Pacific Pacts Strengthen, but Don't Secure, Its Strategic Position Against China

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Central Asia: Regional Blackout Will Spur Efforts To Modernize Grid, but Cascading Outage Risk Will Persist

Japan, Russia: Putin Visits Disputed Kurils, Highlights Worsening Ties

U.S., China: Board of Investment Stagnating Ahead of Unambitious Summit

Vietnam, Australia: Hanoi Combines Domestic Shipbuilding With Deeper Maritime Cooperation Abroad

China, Indonesia: Beijing, Jakarta Plan Naval Drill East of Taiwan

China: World's First Scheduled Arctic Container Service Commences

Australia, U.S., China: Washington Finances Scandium Mine as Canberra Tightens Investment Controls

South Korea: Officials Disagree Over North Korea Policy

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