China

North Korea

Military & Security

Politics

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood beside Chinese President Xi Jinping at China's Sept. 3 military parade, which was also attended by dozens of other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters has reported.

North Korea, China: Kim Attends China's Military Parade Alongside Xi

United States

Russia

Economics

South Korea's central bank estimated on Aug. 29 that North Korea's economy grew by 3.7% in 2024, marking North Korea's fastest growth rate since 2016, Reuters reported on Aug. 29. 

North Korea: Economy Grows by 3.7%, Fastest in Eight Years, Aided by Russia

South Korea

During a joint press conference with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized greater U.S. natural gas sales to South Korea and long-term shipbuilding cooperation in reference to their trade deal, CNBC reported on Aug. 25. 

South Korea, U.S.: Trump-Lee Summit Focused on Cooperation, North Korea

During a speech to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called for "proactive, gradual steps to restore the Comprehensive Military Agreement" with North Korea, which both sides signed in 2018 but abandoned in 2024, The Korea Herald reported on Aug. 15.

South Korea, North Korea: Lee To Revive 2018 Border Agreement

A spokesperson for South Korea's unification ministry said on Aug. 8 that, ahead of a U.S.-South Korea summit, the ministry is coordinating with Washington to support "peace on the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of inter-Korean ties."

South Korea, U.S.: Governments Consider Joint Pursuit of Peace With North Korea

North Korean supreme leader Kim Jung Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong -- who is also deputy head of propaganda and manages ties with the United States and South Korea -- stated in state media on July 29 that she could not deny that relations between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump were "not bad," Politico reported on July 29.

North Korea, U.S.: Pyongyang Notes Trump-Kim Ties 'Not Bad', but Denuclearization a Non-Starter

North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, stated that new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung was no different from his predecessor, citing as evidence continued U.S.-South Korea joint drills, and noted that Pyongyang had no interest in Seoul's plans for greater inter-Korean dialogue, Bloomberg reported on July 28.

Korean Peninsula: North Korea Rejects South Korea’s Dialogue Efforts

Ukraine

Environment, Science & Technology

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Science & Technology

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and received a public pledge of "unconditional support" for Russia's actions in Ukraine, Yonhap reported on July 13.

North Korea, Russia: Lavrov Secures Pyongyang's Open-Ended Support for Ukraine War

Assessments

Ecuador

Mexico

India

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

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

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

Iran

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

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

Australia

Fiji

Indonesia

New Zealand

Philippines

Singapore

Vietnam

United Kingdom

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

Cyber

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

Venezuela

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?

<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

North Korea, China: Kim Attends China's Military Parade Alongside Xi

North Korea: Economy Grows by 3.7%, Fastest in Eight Years, Aided by Russia

South Korea, U.S.: Trump-Lee Summit Focused on Cooperation, North Korea

South Korea, North Korea: Lee To Revive 2018 Border Agreement

South Korea, U.S.: Governments Consider Joint Pursuit of Peace With North Korea

North Korea, U.S.: Pyongyang Notes Trump-Kim Ties 'Not Bad', but Denuclearization a Non-Starter

Korean Peninsula: North Korea Rejects South Korea’s Dialogue Efforts

North Korea, Russia: Lavrov Secures Pyongyang's Open-Ended Support for Ukraine War

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