<p>To the west of Eurasia lays Europe, a region predisposed to division. It is surrounded on nearly all sides by islands and peninsulas that make it difficult for Europe to cohere. The northern half of the continent, moreover, sits on a plain whose short, meandering rivers tend to empower countries without forcing them to work with others. The southern half is situated on more mountainous terrain that has historically impeded the creation of strong, unified economies. As a result, Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.</p>

Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.

Europe

Belize

Andorra

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Holy See

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

North Macedonia

San Marino

Sweden

United Kingdom

Bulgaria

Portugal

Serbia

Croatia

Poland

Romania

Cyprus

Norway

Austria

Slovakia

Albania

Slovenia

Netherlands

Switzerland

Spain

Montenegro

Monaco

Italy

Ireland

Iceland

Hungary

Kosovo

Beyond Quantitative Easing

The Ukraine Conflict

The Politics of Pipelines

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Brexit

The Fate of the Eurozone

Banking

Crossing Borders

Globalization

European Disintegration

Echoes of the Cold War

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Assessments

United States

Iran

Kuwait

Oman

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

India

A medicine distributor stores Mounjaro (tirzepatide) self-injecting GLP-1 prefilled pens and vials in a fridge at his office in Thane, India, on March 20, 2026. 

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

India's pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors are set to grow significantly over the next several years amid manufacturing incentives, regulatory reforms and trade deals.

The Growth Outlook for India's Pharmaceutical Sector Remains Strong, Despite Global Uncertainties

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

South Asia

The Geopolitics of Demographics

Military & Security

Social Issues

While far from deterministic, demographics plays a key role in influencing a country's domestic and international politics, as well as its economic and financial development.

The Geopolitics of Demographics: Politics and Economics

Snapshots

Opposition supporters celebrate the defeat of a referendum on justice reform March 23 in Rome. The defeat exposes limits to the Italian government's dominance, and may embolden the fragmented opposition and strain coalition unity.

The defeat of a highly politicized judicial reform referendum exposes limits to the Italian government's dominance, and may embolden the fragmented opposition and strain coalition unity.

What a Failed Italian Referendum Means for the Meloni Government

Israel

Ukraine

Russia

The European Parliament building in 2019 in Strasbourg, France. Parliament is set to hold a plenary vote March 26 on implementing the 2025 EU‑U.S. trade framework agreement.

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote on the EU‑U.S. Trade Framework, the Iran Conflict Continues

U.S.-Iran Relations

Greenland

Danish Defense Minister and top candidate of Denmark's Venstre party, Troels Lund Poulsen (left), and Danish Prime Minister and top candidate of the Social Democrat Party, Mette Frederiksen (right), attend a debate in Copenhagen on March 15, 2026.

The upcoming parliamentary elections could result in three distinct coalitions that would offer varying continuity in domestic economic policy and Copenhagen's approach to U.S. pressure over Greenland.

Denmark's General Elections: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. 

A U.S.-led naval mission to protect ships from Iranian attacks would likely begin only after the war's intensity decreases, and even then, it would take weeks to organize and yield only a limited return of maritime traffic through the strait.

The Obstacles Facing the U.S. Plan for Strait of Hormuz Naval Escorts

Demographics may not be destiny, but it does play a major role in questions of national power.

The Geopolitics of Demographics: An Introduction

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil talks to the media before the start of an Eurogroup ministers meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on March 9, 2026. 

While the EU is making some progress on a capital markets union, a fully unified market remains unlikely anytime soon due to fragmented national laws and disagreements over centralized regulatory control.

A European Capital Markets Union: Incremental Progress and Enduring Obstacles

Chile

Colombia

Lebanon

China

Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran on March 2, 2026, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top military leaders, prompting a new wave of Iranian retaliatory missile attacks across the region. 

The Weekly Rundown: War in the Middle East, U.S.-China Trade Talks

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) on Feb. 25 at the quay of the North Port in Malmo, Sweden. A prolonged conflict in the Middle East would increase Europe's exposure to security risks, including potential attacks on European-linked assets, renewed migration pressures and an elevated terrorism threat, particularly if European capitals assume a more active military or diplomatic role against the Iranian regime.

A protracted regional war threatens to expose the Continent to risks ranging from cyberattacks against critical infrastructure to a renewed influx of asylum seekers.

Prolonged Conflict in Iran Would Elevate Security, Migration Threats Against Europe

Ghana

Ghana signed a new defense agreement with the European Union aimed at strengthening security cooperation and preventing the spread of Islamist militancy from the Sahel into its northern regions, BBC reported on March 24.

Ghana: Accra Signs Defense Pact With EU To Counter Militants in the North

Denmark's general election produced an inconclusive outcome, with neither left- nor right-leaning blocs coming close to securing a parliamentary majority, Reuters reported on March 24.

Denmark: Inconclusive Election Results Leave Centrist Moderates as Kingmakers

Australia

The European Union and Australia agreed on the final test of a long-delayed free trade agreement, eliminating tariffs on most goods and expanding Australian agricultural access to European markets and European industrial and manufactured goods access to Australia, alongside provisions to facilitate critical minerals trade, AP reported on March 24.

Australia, EU: Strategic Alignment Deepens With Trade Pact and Defense Deal

France's far-right National Rally expanded its local footprint in the second round of municipal elections on March 22, increasing its number of mayoralties across the country, though it failed to secure control of several targeted major cities, losing in Marseille, Toulon, and Nimes, Le Monde reported March 23.

France: Municipal Elections Show National Rally Gains, But Setbacks in Major Cities

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union secured just over 30% of the vote in the Rhineland-Palatinate state election, projecting a win that ends the co-ruling Social Democrats' 35-year governance of the state, Reuters reported on March 23. 

Germany: Merz's CDU Win in Rhineland-Palatinate Heightens Pressure on SPD and Federal Coalition

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to consider "every available" measure to cushion the United Kingdom from the impact of the Middle East conflict ahead of an emergency Cabinet meeting he convened for March 23 to address the economic consequences of the escalating war in Iran and energy market disruptions stemming from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported the same day.

U.K.: Starmer Calls Emergency Meeting Amid Economic and Energy Disruptions Linked to Iran Conflict

Benin

Burkina Faso

Cote d'Ivoire

Mali

Niger

The chiefs of staff of the French, Ivorian and Beninese militaries discussed jihadist activity in northern Benin and Cote d'Ivoire and strengthening trilateral counterterrorism cooperation on March 19, Radio France Internationale reported on March 20.

West Africa: France, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire To Deepen Counterterrorism Coordination

At a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Hungary refused to lift its veto on a 90 billion euro ($104 billion) EU loan package intended to support Ukraine's government finances and war effort, despite strong pressure from other leaders, Euronews reported on March 19.

Hungary, EU: Hungary Vetoes EU Loan Package for Ukraine

Europe

SITUATION REPORTS

Ghana: Accra Signs Defense Pact With EU To Counter Militants in the North

Denmark: Inconclusive Election Results Leave Centrist Moderates as Kingmakers

Australia, EU: Strategic Alignment Deepens With Trade Pact and Defense Deal

France: Municipal Elections Show National Rally Gains, But Setbacks in Major Cities

Germany: Merz's CDU Win in Rhineland-Palatinate Heightens Pressure on SPD and Federal Coalition

U.K.: Starmer Calls Emergency Meeting Amid Economic and Energy Disruptions Linked to Iran Conflict

West Africa: France, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire To Deepen Counterterrorism Coordination

Hungary, EU: Hungary Vetoes EU Loan Package for Ukraine

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