United States

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Politics

A Jan. 22 State Department readout of new Secretary of State Marco Rubio's phone conversation with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul noted they discussed "U.S.-ROK cooperation to address common challenges in the Indo-Pacific region" but did not mention the "North Korean nuclear issue." 

South Korea, U.S.: Statements Shift U.S. Stance Toward North Korea Nuclear Issue

Cuba

Venezuela

Iran

China

Russia

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The U.S. Department of Justice finalized rules to ban companies from selling sensitive bulk personal data of American citizens to foreign adversarial countries in an effort to combat a range of malicious activities, according to a press release published on Dec. 27. 

U.S.: Government Finalizes Rules Banning Bulk Data Sale to Adversaries

Military & Security

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

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

According to Ukrainian officials and a new U.S. assessment, 50,000 Russian and North Korean forces will begin a renewed assault on Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region in the coming days, The New York Times reported on Nov. 10.

Russia, Ukraine, North Korea: Russia To Step Up Attacks on Kursk in Coming Days

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said about 8,000 of the around 10,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia had already arrived in Russia's Kursk region, Reuters reported on Oct. 31.

North Korea, Russia, Ukraine: 8,000 North Koreans Already in Kursk, Yet To Enter Combat

A joint statement from the annual U.S.-South Korea Security Consultative Meeting did not mention as a goal the complete denuclearization of North Korea, the first such omission since 2015, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 31.

South Korea, U.S.: Defense Meeting Drops North Korea Denuclearization Goal 

North Korea launched a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, from a road launcher at a sharply lofted angle, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 31.

North Korea: ICBM Launched Into East Sea Ahead of U.S. Election

Japan

South Korea's Defense Intelligence Agency discovered evidence that North Korea had deployed a transporter erector launcher to an area from which Pyongyang could attempt a long-range, low-trajectory launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile to test atmospheric reentry capabilities, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 30.

South Korea: North Korea Could Test Nuke, ICBM in 2024

Assessments

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Syria

Turkey

As 2025 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five events as measured by geopolitical impact.

Global Elections

2024: A Geopolitical Review

Columns

On Geopolitics

On April 16, 2024, 155mm caliber shells are shown after manufacturing, ready for shipment at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Trump's return to the White House and North Korean support for Russia have shifted the conflict's dynamics, likely portending a further weakened position for Kyiv.

Bracing for a Protracted War in Ukraine: The Narrowing Path to a Ukrainian Victory

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of North Korea's artillery firing, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan. 6, 2024.

With both sides threatening overwhelming retaliation and having greater capabilities to make good on those threats, provocations along the North-South border now carry a greater risk of erupting into military clashes.

The Rising Risk of Military Clashes on the Korean Peninsula

Snapshots

Portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are displayed in Pyongyang, North Korea, for Putin's visit to the country on June 20, 2024. 

Russia's deepening ties with North Korea are meant to draw U.S. attention and resources away from Ukraine by increasing the threat of conflict in another region.

The Significance of Russia and North Korea's New Defense Pact

Taiwan

While President Biden would be expected to continue to build and strengthen alliances with America's key allies in the northern Asian region, the reelection of President Trump could spur those same allies to look beyond the U.S. for their physical and economic security.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections, Northern Asia and Geopolitical Risk: What to Expect

Natsumi Sakai (C) of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan poses with others after receiving news that she won the by-election for the Tokyo No. 15 district seat for the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, on April 28, 2024.

Economics

Recent by-elections reveal that a slush fund scandal is continuing to take its toll on Japan's ruling party, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to remain in power, for now.

By-Election Losses Shake Japan's Ruling Party, but Kishida Stays the Course

Australia

Fiji

Indonesia

New Zealand

Philippines

Singapore

Vietnam

United Kingdom

India

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

U.S.-China Relations

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a spaceport in Russia's Far East, on Sept. 13, 2023. 

Kim Jong Un appears to be setting a new direction for his country's regional and international policies, clearly aware of the vast uncertainties facing the global geopolitical situation.

North Korea's Foreign Affairs Hit an Inflection Point

Media

Podcasts

How will North Korea's cyber strategy continue to evolve?

Essential Geopolitics: An Update on North Korean Cyber Activity

A North Korean flag is seen fixed on a lamp post in the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok on April 25, 2019. 

Access to North Korean weapons could help Moscow sustain its Ukraine invasion, while access to Russian imports and funding could help Pyongyang reduce its reliance on China.

What Russia and North Korea Stand to Gain From an Arms Deal

On Security

Ecuador

Mexico

Belgium

Netherlands

Seized marijuana bricks are incinerated in Guadalajara, Mexico.

While narco-states exist on a spectrum of severity, they can all have dramatic geopolitical, operational and tactical impacts that raise a wide variety of risks.

What Is a Narco-State, and Why Does It Matter?

A photo provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry on Nov. 9, 2022, shows the retrieved debris of a ballistic missile that North Korea recently fired across the two countries’ de facto maritime border. 

Its response to recent U.S.-South Korean military drills shows Pyongyang is growing more confident in its ability to manage escalation and reshape its own security environment.

The Implications of North Korea’s Shifting Deterrence Strategy

<p>The Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, lies on a peninsula extending outward from northeast Asia. The country borders China and Russia to the north, the Republic of Korea to the south, and Japan across the sea to the east. North Korea&#39;s primary geographic challenge is securing its northern and southern borders from the threat of its much larger regional neighbors. The Kaema Plateau and Hamgyong Mountains comprise much of the northern border region, providing a strong but not unbreachable geographic barrier. The Taebaeck Mountains run along the east coast, limiting the potential for invasion from the sea. Since the time of earlier North Korean kingdoms including Koguryo, The Dandong-Sinuiju gap across the Yalu River in the northwest and the wide Imjin-Han river valley in the south leave the country vulnerable, particularly with the lack of geographic barriers along the north-south axis. North Korea&#39;s mountains do provide ample hydropower, and the country also has numerous natural mineral resources and coal, but its terrain and climate limit agricultural activity. Given its larger neighbors, North Korea has two core imperatives. It must secure its southern and northern borders via political accommodation, defensive lines or outward expansion, and it must engender a strong sense of national unity and exploit differences among its neighbors to balance external political pressure. From the launching of the Korean War to the heavily fortified DMZ, from the exploitation of relations between China and Russia to the development of a nuclear deterrent, North Korea&#39;s actions in many ways are shaped by similar constraints and pressures as felt by its predecessor kingdoms due to its location and geography.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

South Korea, U.S.: Statements Shift U.S. Stance Toward North Korea Nuclear Issue

U.S.: Government Finalizes Rules Banning Bulk Data Sale to Adversaries

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

Russia, Ukraine, North Korea: Russia To Step Up Attacks on Kursk in Coming Days

North Korea, Russia, Ukraine: 8,000 North Koreans Already in Kursk, Yet To Enter Combat

South Korea, U.S.: Defense Meeting Drops North Korea Denuclearization Goal

North Korea: ICBM Launched Into East Sea Ahead of U.S. Election

South Korea: North Korea Could Test Nuke, ICBM in 2024

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