<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

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Greece

Holy See

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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

Snapshots

Russia

Moldova

Moldovan President Maya Sandu delivers a speech in Chisinau on Sept. 20, 2024, during a rally to launch her reelection campaign.

Politics

Arguably the biggest threat to Moldova's pro-European trajectory comes not from the two impending Oct. 20 votes themselves, but how the results impact the country's 2025 parliamentary election.

Previewing Moldova's Presidential Race and Referendum on EU Membership

Assessments

Mozambique

Brazil

United States

Iran

Israel

Tunisia

Ukraine

A man in Maputo walks past a wall covered with electoral posters in support of Daniel Chapo, the ruling party candidate in Mozambique’s presidential election, on Oct. 4, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

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: Biden Visits Germany as Mozambique, Tunisia and Brazil Hold Elections

Rwanda

China

Frelimo electoral posters are plastered on a wall in Maputo, Mozambique, on Aug. 24, 2024, the first day of the presidential campaign season ahead of the general election on Oct. 9, 2024.

Economics

Energy

Mozambique's upcoming general election will likely bring another five years of Frelimo rule, though an independent candidate is drawing LNG contracts to the forefront of the campaign season.

Mozambique's General Election Brings LNG Contracts Centerstage

Global Elections

Mexico

Japan

Supporters of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) wave flags during an election rally in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 27, 2024. 

The Weekly Rundown: Austrian Elections and a U.S. Port Workers Strike

Authorities search a building in Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, on Sept. 29, 2023, after the killing of a police officer.

With the prospect of EU membership frozen, Belgrade and Pristina will be incentivized to ramp up their diplomatic feud and inflammatory rhetoric, raising the risk of violence between Kosovo's Serb and Albanian populations.

For Serbia and Kosovo, Stalled EU Membership Bids Will Disincentivize Reconciliation

A pedestrian walks past a billboard with an election poster for Harald Vilimsky, the top candidate of Austria's right-wing Freedom Party in the June European Parliament elections, on May 13, 2024. 

Austria's far-right Freedom Party is projected to win the country's upcoming general election, likely leading to a coalition government that could make waves in the European Union.

What a Far-Right Electoral Win Would Mean for Austria

Media

Forecast Webcast

Environment, Science & Technology

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2024 Fourth-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast.

2024 Fourth-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast Webcast

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Sri Lanka

The site of an Israeli strike on Sept. 19 in the southern Lebanese border village of Mahmoudiyeh. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah will continue to intensify in the next week.

Social Issues

The Weekly Rundown: Escalating Israel-Hezbollah Conflict, the Sri Lankan Presidential Election

Former Italian Prime Minister and economist Mario Draghi discusses his plan to strengthen Europe's competitiveness during a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on Sept. 17, 2024. 

The former Italian PM and ECB chief unveiled his long-awaited plan to improve the EU's competitiveness and strategic autonomy. But political, financial and structural challenges will limit Brussels' ability to meet Draghi's ambitious targets.

Can the EU Deliver on Draghi's Dream of a More Competitive Europe?

A digital illustration shows a binary code overlaying the Iranian flag.

Cyber

In the second part of this series, we explore Iran's attempts to steal information, silence critics, and disrupt Western critical infrastructure and organizations via damaging cyberattacks and espionage campaigns.

Iran's Escalating Cyber Strategy Against the West, Part 2

U.S.-Iran Relations

The United Kingdom's Labour government introduced in Parliament its Employment Rights Bill, framed as the largest labor reform proposal in a generation, Reuters reported on Oct. 10.

U.K.: New Government Lays Out Massive Shakeup to Employment Laws

Later on Oct. 10, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier will present his 2025 budget proposal, which will contain significant tax hikes and spending cuts to reduce the deficit to 5% of gross domestic product in 2025 and aim to comply with the European Union’s 3% of GDP fiscal deficit rules by 2029 (a delay from 2027, as previously planned), Politico reported on Oct. 10. 

France: Government To Present Budget That Increases Taxes, Cuts Spending

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government survived a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, France 24 reported on Oct. 8. 

France: Government Survives Left-Wing No-Confidence Motion

Vietnam

Vietnam and France upgraded bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, or CSP, Nikkei Asia reported on Oct. 8.

Vietnam, France: Hanoi Elevates Ties With Another Former Adversary

Morocco

The European Court of Justice, or ECJ, issued a final ruling invalidating the 2019 EU-Morocco trade deals on agriculture and fisheries, saying the European Commission had violated the self-determination rights of the indigenous Sahrawi people in Western Sahara by not including them in negotiations, Reuters reported on Oct. 4.

Morocco, Western Sahara, EU: European Court of Justice Invalidates 2019 EU-Morocco Trade Deals

EU member states did not oppose a proposal by the European Commission to increase tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, Euronews reported on Oct. 4.

EU, China: EU To Move Forward With Tariffs on EVs Made in China

Indonesia

Malaysia

The European Commission revealed on Oct. 2 that it would propose a delay of 12 months for its deforestation regulation -- due to come into force on Dec. 30 -- which requires companies importing goods like beef, soy and palm oil to map supply chains down to the raw material level to reduce deforestation, Nikkei Asia reported on Oct. 3.

EU, Malaysia, Indonesia: Deforestation Law Delay Offers Reprieve to Palm Oil

Mauritius

The United Kingdom and Mauritius reached an agreement whereby London would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, or British Indian Ocean Territories, to Mauritius but retain control for 99 years over military facilities on Diego Garcia island, the U.K. government announced Oct. 3. 

Mauritius, U.K.: U.K. to Cede Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Retain Military Base 

Europe

SITUATION REPORTS

U.K.: New Government Lays Out Massive Shakeup to Employment Laws

France: Government To Present Budget That Increases Taxes, Cuts Spending

France: Government Survives Left-Wing No-Confidence Motion

Vietnam, France: Hanoi Elevates Ties With Another Former Adversary

Morocco, Western Sahara, EU: European Court of Justice Invalidates 2019 EU-Morocco Trade Deals

EU, China: EU To Move Forward With Tariffs on EVs Made in China

EU, Malaysia, Indonesia: Deforestation Law Delay Offers Reprieve to Palm Oil

Mauritius, U.K.: U.K. to Cede Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Retain Military Base

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