China

North Korea

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

Politics

Science & Technology

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 8, Xinhua News Agency reported the same day. 

China, North Korea: Xi Talks Diplomacy, Development With Kim, Avoids Nukes

United States

Singapore

South Korea

Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Singaporean media following his May 26 visit to North Korea that Pyongyang was not ready to open dialogue with the United States and South Korea, but was focused on self-reliance and developing its military.

North Korea, Singapore: Rare Visit Highlights Pyongyang's Diplomacy

Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit Pyongyang, North Korea, to speak with supreme leader Kim Jong Un as soon as late May or early June, according to senior government officials cited by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

China, North Korea: Xi May Visit Pyongyang to Preempt Trump-Kim Talks

Spain

Russia

A Russian cargo ship that sank off the coast of Spain in December 2024 may have been carrying submarine nuclear reactor components to North Korea, CNN reported on May 12, citing a Spanish investigation and sources familiar with it.

Russia, North Korea: Sunken Russian Ship Raises Concerns Over Possible Nuclear Technology Transfer

North Korea revised its constitution to remove references to Korean reunification and define North Korean territory as bordering China, Russia and the Republic of Korea, AFP reported on May 6.

North Korea: Pyongyang Codifies Abandonment of Reunification

Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Pyongyang, where Wang noted China is willing to work with North Korea to strengthen high-level exchanges and contribute to each other's economic development, Xinhua News Agency reported on April 9.

China, North Korea: Officials Pledge Greater Diplomacy, Economic Ties

China's foreign ministry announced on April 8 that Foreign Minister Wang Yi would visit Pyongyang from April 9-10, his first such visit since 2019. Meanwhile, North Korea's first vice foreign minister Jang Kum Chol on April 7 ridiculed the government in Seoul as "world-startling fools" for thinking inter-Korean relations would improve, stating South Korea would always be the "most hostile enemy state."

North Korea: Beijing Boosts Ties With Pyongyang as Seoul Struggles to Follow Suit

The China State Railway Group announced on March 9 that it would resume direct passenger rail service between Beijing and Pyongyang and international passenger rail service between China's border city of Dandong and Pyongyang, effective March 12.

China, North Korea: Cross-Border Passenger Rail Service Resumes

Assessments

Peru

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Armenia

A banner depicting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on June 3 in Tehran. There will be an elevated risk of sporadic U.S.-Iran clashes over the next week, as no signs of a diplomatic breakthrough in U.S.-Iran negotiations on a memorandum of understanding have emerged.

U.S.-Iran Relations

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

The Weekly Rundown: Armenian Elections, Xi Goes to North Korea

Snapshots

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) gestures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025. 

North Korea's growing relations with Russia and potential reengagement with the U.S. appear to be driving China to pursue a rapprochement after years of diplomatic inaction.

Xi-Kim Summit Signals a Thaw in Long-Frozen Ties Between China and North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Feb. 22, 2026. 

Kim Jong Un's latest directives suggest a willingness to pursue high-level negotiations with the United States and China in pursuit of critical economic concessions.

North Korea's Party Congress Points to Diplomatic Window of Opportunity

Venezuela

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Ukraine

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet takes off from Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport on December 15, 2025 in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. If U.S. strikes escalate and cause significant casualties, it could make retaliatory measures -- including the arbitrary detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela or the harassment of energy sector vessels in the region -- more likely.

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: South Korea's President Visits Beijing, U.S. Operations in Venezuela

Vietnam

Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participate in a ceremony at the Pyongyang Sports Palace on Oct. 9, 2025, during Lam's three-day official visit to North Korea.

To Lam's visit injects fresh diplomatic energy into the long-stalled relationship with North Korea and fits into Pyongyang's gradual reemergence as an active player in regional diplomacy.

Vietnam's Lam Extends Diplomatic Balancing Act With Rare North Korea Visit

Ecuador

Mexico

India

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

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

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

Japan

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.

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

<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>

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

China in Transition

SITUATION REPORTS

China, North Korea: Xi Talks Diplomacy, Development With Kim, Avoids Nukes

North Korea, Singapore: Rare Visit Highlights Pyongyang's Diplomacy

China, North Korea: Xi May Visit Pyongyang to Preempt Trump-Kim Talks

Russia, North Korea: Sunken Russian Ship Raises Concerns Over Possible Nuclear Technology Transfer

North Korea: Pyongyang Codifies Abandonment of Reunification

China, North Korea: Officials Pledge Greater Diplomacy, Economic Ties

North Korea: Beijing Boosts Ties With Pyongyang as Seoul Struggles to Follow Suit

China, North Korea: Cross-Border Passenger Rail Service Resumes

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