China

Indonesia

Japan

Military & Security

Politics

Japan and Indonesia agreed to strengthen security cooperation, including joint development of maritime defense capabilities, The Asahi Shimbun reported on Jan. 13. 

Japan, Indonesia: Maritime Defense, Food Security Deals Signed

United Kingdom

Economics

U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng signed a series of bilateral agreements at the 2025 U.K.-China Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing on Jan. 11, as revealed in a press release by the U.K. government the same day. 

U.K., China: Chancellor Reeves Unveils Economic Agreements with China During Beijing Visit

United States

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security on Jan. 13 announced a new interim final rule that will create a new export control regime for artificial intelligence technology, and it will go into effect in 120 days.

U.S.: New Broad AI Technology Export Rule Aims To Limit China’s Access 

Australia

Papua New Guinea

Energy

Tribal violence and a viral video depicting grim alleged acts of mutilation and cannibalism in Papua New Guinea have drawn global attention as the country prepares to celebrate its 50th independence anniversary with international leaders in 2025, BenarNews reported on Jan. 10.

Papua New Guinea: Tribal Violence Underscores Unstable Security and Investment Environment

Nigeria

Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar announced that Nigeria would expand defense cooperation with China regarding domestic weapons production and military training, The Punch reported on Jan. 10.

Nigeria: Government To Strengthen Defense Cooperation With China, Seek Expanded Yuan Currency Swap

Syria

At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Jan. 8, China's U.N. ambassador Fu Cong urged the new Syrian government to "fulfill its counterterrorism obligations" and prevent terrorists in Syria from threatening other countries, the South China Morning Post reported on Jan. 9. 

China, Syria: Chinese Envoy Raises Concerns About Uyghurs in Syria

Pakistan

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced that the United Arab Emirates agreed to extend a $2 billion payment deadline that was due in January, Reuters reported on Jan. 7.

Pakistan: UAE To Extend $2B Payment Deadline for Pakistan

Sub-Saharan Africa

Namibia

Outgoing Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba expressed his interest in securing fresh Chinese investments to support the development of civilian nuclear power in the country during a joint press conference with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Bloomberg reported Jan. 6. 

China, Africa: Namibia Eyes Chinese Investment in Nuclear Power as China's Wang Yi Kicks Off Africa Tour

Assessments

Mozambique

Mexico

South Korea

Security personnel walk on a road with buses blocking an entrance gate to protect impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from a possible second arrest in Seoul on Jan. 6. If Yoon is not arrested, the opposition could again seek to impeach the country's acting president due to his insufficient support for the arrest efforts, worsening foreign perceptions of political instability in South Korea.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Mozambique's President Takes Office, the U.K. Chancellor Visits China

Angola

Cote d'Ivoire

Ghana

Kenya

Argentina

Brazil

Canada

Ecuador

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Taiwan

Ukraine

Belarus

Russia

World map on a dark digital background representing global communication and global finances.

Cyber

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

Media

Podcasts

U.S.-China Relations

What is Salt Typhoon, and what happened in the recent hack against U.S. telecommunications companies? 

Essential Geopolitics: Unpacking China's Salt Typhoon Operation

Nauru

Solomon Islands

The flags of Australia, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Papua New Guinea clockwise starting from the upper left. Canberra will have to fulfill its commitments to keep Beijing's influence at bay as island countries play the two off each other.

Canberra will have to fulfill its commitments to keep Beijing's influence at bay as island countries play the two off each other. 

Australian Efforts to Counter China in the Pacific Will Require Follow-Through

India

The Geopolitics of Water

Water utilities are uniquely vulnerable to cyberattacks due to frequent financial and security limitations, exposing water-stressed countries to threats from hacktivists and foreign adversaries.

 The Geopolitics of Water: Cyberattacks' Impact on Water Stress in the U.S. and Beyond

Columns

On Geopolitics

Statements made by Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk, offer insight into how his next administration will approach the regulation (or lack thereof) of AI, online content, data and monopolistic business practices.

Previewing Trump's Tech Policies

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.

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

3D illustration of two folders and a rubber stamp with the word "declassified" printed on a document.

The outgoing U.S. Biden administration's liberal use of "intelligence diplomacy" as a tool of foreign policy raises questions about how the incoming Trump administration will take up the torch.

Declassified: The Future of U.S. 'Intelligence Diplomacy'

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election event in the early hours of Nov. 6, 2024.

Global Elections

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

Trump will place more tariffs on U.S. trade partners and reduce support for Ukraine, but he will largely maintain Biden's approach to the U.S. tech rivalry with China and the Middle East conflict.

Trump's Win Will Ripple Across the World

Azerbaijan

A sign for COP29 on Nov. 3, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. Negotiators at this year's U.N. Climate Change Conference will ultimately reach a new global climate finance deal, but progress on the global energy transition will not accelerate.

Negotiators at this year's U.N. Climate Change Conference will ultimately reach a new global climate finance deal, but progress on the global energy transition will not accelerate significantly.

What to Watch for at This Year's 'Finance COP' in Azerbaijan

Vietnam

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Gang, meet at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on Sept. 9, 2024. 

Trump is more likely to impose tariffs to minimize the trade deficit, while Harris is more likely to call for supply chain decoupling from China -- either of which could strain U.S.-Vietnam ties.

What a Trump vs. Harris Presidency Would Mean for Vietnam

Indian soldiers walk along a road near the Zojila mountain pass that connects to Ladakh, bordering China, on Feb. 28, 2021. 

While their recent efforts to ease bilateral tensions will probably reduce the risk of border clashes, deep-seated mistrust between the two strategic rivals will very likely limit the scope of any reconciliation. 

After a Tense Few Years, India and China Try To Turn Down the Heat

<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

Japan, Indonesia: Maritime Defense, Food Security Deals Signed

U.K., China: Chancellor Reeves Unveils Economic Agreements with China During Beijing Visit

U.S.: New Broad AI Technology Export Rule Aims To Limit China’s Access

Papua New Guinea: Tribal Violence Underscores Unstable Security and Investment Environment

Nigeria: Government To Strengthen Defense Cooperation With China, Seek Expanded Yuan Currency Swap

China, Syria: Chinese Envoy Raises Concerns About Uyghurs in Syria

Pakistan: UAE To Extend $2B Payment Deadline for Pakistan

China, Africa: Namibia Eyes Chinese Investment in Nuclear Power as China's Wang Yi Kicks Off Africa Tour

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