Senegal

France

Military & Security

Politics

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to "strengthen" and "renew" relations between France and Senegal following a bilateral meeting in Paris, Radio France Internationale reported on Aug. 28. 

Senegal: Faye Indicates Plans To Strengthen Relationship With France Following Meeting With Macron

United States

Iran

Israel

Germany

United Kingdom

Economics

U.S.-Iran Relations

The United Kingdom, France and Germany -- collectively known as the E3 --== launched the process to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran that were removed as part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action deal using the snapback sanctions mechanism, Reuters reported Aug. 28. 

Iran: Germany, France, U.K. Launch Snapback Sanction Mechanism on Iran

Poland

Russia

Moldova

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Chisinau, Moldova, pledging to support President Maia Sandu and Moldova's EU path, Reuters reported on Aug. 27.

Moldova: European Leaders Back Sandu in Preelection Visit, Warn Against Kremlin Meddling

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with officials from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, known collectively as the E3, during the week of Aug. 24-30 to discuss nuclear negotiations and sanctions, Reuters reported on Aug. 22. 

Iran: Tehran To Discuss Nuclear, Sanctions Issues With Germany, France, U.K.

New Caledonia's pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front party, or FLNKS, announced that it rejected the July 12 draft Bougival agreement, which would have seen the territory become a new state but remain within France, Le Figaro reported on Aug. 13.

France: New Caledonian Independentists Reject Recent Agreement on Territory’s Institutional Future

Diplomats from Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom met in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 25 and agreed to continue talks at a later, unspecified date, but they did not reach a breakthrough on the nuclear issue or sanctions, Bloomberg reported the same day.

Iran, EU: Meeting on Iran's Nuclear Program Yields No Breakthroughs, No Collapse

Palestinian Territories

Israel-Hamas Conflict

French President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognize Palestine as a state at the U.N. General Assembly in September, France 24 reported on July 24. 

France, Palestinian Territories: France To Recognize Palestinian State as Israel-Hamas Talks Flounder

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will host French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin on July 23 to discuss responses to upcoming U.S. tariffs, continued support for Ukraine and the future of their joint next-generation fighter jet program, Reuters reported the same day.

Germany, France: Merz To Host Macron in Berlin Amid Persistent Bilateral Disagreements

Assessments

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks during a press conference in Paris on Aug. 25, 2025. 

In the likely case that the Prime Minister Bayrou loses the Sept. 8 vote, Macron will either have to appoint another weak government or call early legislative elections, prolonging political instability and heightening financial risks.

New Political Crisis Grips France as Bayrou Gambles on Confidence Vote

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

The Maanshan nuclear power plant is seen next to a beach in Pingtung, in southern Taiwan, on April 29, 2025.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Iran Meets With European Powers, Taiwan Holds a Nuclear Referendum

Snapshots

Europe

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron hold a press conference on July 10, 2025, in London.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The series of agreements will deepen cooperation between Europe's two nuclear powers at a time of strategic flux and institutional fragmentation across the Continent.

New U.K.-France Defense Deals Mark a Step Toward a European Nuclear Deterrent

Brazil

The Weekly Rundown: Netanyahu's U.S. Visit, a Franco-British Summit

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Paris on June 24, 2025. 

The collapse of negotiations over potential changes to President Macron's controversial pensions reform will increase the risk of more no-confidence votes against the government, budgetary deadlock and another early election.

In France, the Collapse of Pension Reform Talks Risks Worsening Political Instability

Sub-Saharan Africa

Canada

Japan

Italy

Rescue teams work at damaged buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes on June 13, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. 

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: G7 Leaders' Summit, More Israeli Attacks on Iran

Ukraine

An image shows a row of flags from the G7 members.

The June 15-17 summit will provide an opportunity for the bloc to discuss trade tensions and the war in Ukraine, but the meeting is more likely to expose transatlantic divisions over Trump's tariffs and reluctance to pressure Russia.

What To Expect From the First G7 Summit Following Trump's Return to the White House

Indonesia

Singapore

Vietnam

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press briefing during his trip to Singapore on May 30, 2025. 

U.S.-China Relations

The deals reached with Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam expand France's role in Southeast Asia amid shifting global trade and defense dynamics, a welcome development for a region increasingly pinned between the U.S. and China.

Macron's Southeast Asia Tour Deepens French Footprint in the Region

Columns

On Geopolitics

Benin

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Djibouti

Gabon

Guinea

Madagascar

Mali

Mauritania

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Togo

Algeria

Morocco

A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (2 L) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) attend a meeting with European and Ukrainian officials on April 17 at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

Ukraine will be forced to choose between compromising on its supposed red lines to de-escalate its war with Russia, or risk losing U.S. support and its battlefield position. 

Growing U.S. Pressure for a Peace Deal Puts Ukraine in a Difficult Position

Spain

NATO military forces during static display after the Steadfast Dart 2025 military exercises at the Smardan Training Area in Smardan, Romania, on Feb. 19, 2025. 

Europe is increasingly focused on achieving greater strategic autonomy in defense, but internal divisions and material constraints will plague this quest, even as the United States' role on the Continent continues to shrink, meaning NATO will likely remain the cornerstone of Europe’s security architecture. 

The Future of Transatlantic Security Cooperation, Part 2: The View From Europe

<p>France is a country in Western Europe bound in the south by the Alps, Pyrenees Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. To the west and north is the Atlantic Ocean, and on its eastern border lies the river Rhine and the low mountains of the Ardennes, Vosges and Jura. Mountains, rivers and seas help protect France at all points but one: the North European Plain. As a result, France&#39;s main geographic challenge is safeguarding its eastern border on the path of this historic invasion route. The lack of internal geographic barriers contributed to France&#39;s social cohesion, which in turn led France to become one of the world&#39;s first modern nation-states. The Beauce region represents France&#39;s core. Its navigable rivers, warm climate, sufficient rainfall and fertile soils have made France one of the world&#39;s leading agricultural powers. At the extreme northern border of the Beauce region, where the rivers Marne and Seine meet, lies Paris &mdash; France&#39;s economic and political center. Paris&#39; strategic location on these rivers gives it administrative control of trading routes from the Beauce region to the rest of France and Europe In modern times, the most existential threats to France have come from its powerful eastern neighbor, Germany. Between 1871 and 1945, France and Germany fought three major wars &mdash; all on the North European Plain. After World War II, France attempted to contain Germany largely through the creation of the European Union. The economic and political crisis plaguing Europe has put France&#39;s containment strategy into question.</p>

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The Fate of the Eurozone

European Disintegration

SITUATION REPORTS

Senegal: Faye Indicates Plans To Strengthen Relationship With France Following Meeting With Macron

Iran: Germany, France, U.K. Launch Snapback Sanction Mechanism on Iran

Moldova: European Leaders Back Sandu in Preelection Visit, Warn Against Kremlin Meddling

Iran: Tehran To Discuss Nuclear, Sanctions Issues With Germany, France, U.K.

France: New Caledonian Independentists Reject Recent Agreement on Territory’s Institutional Future

Iran, EU: Meeting on Iran's Nuclear Program Yields No Breakthroughs, No Collapse

France, Palestinian Territories: France To Recognize Palestinian State as Israel-Hamas Talks Flounder

Germany, France: Merz To Host Macron in Berlin Amid Persistent Bilateral Disagreements

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support