<p>The Middle East and North Africa is the world&#39;s crossroads. It encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between. The story of the region, as is so often the case of places stuck between foreign players, is the story of trade, exchange and conflict. The traditional powers of the region are Turkey and Iran &mdash; Saudi Arabia and Egypt are the current Arab powers &mdash; and their competition for influence over the region&#39;s weaker states makes the Middle East and North Africa an arena of violence and instability.</p>

The Middle East and North Africa encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between.

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Western Sahara

Yemen

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The Kurdish Struggle

Iran's Arc of Influence

Israel's Survival Strategy

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Egypt's Uphill Battle

The Battle for Mosul

Snapshots

China

Myanmar

Afghanistan

India

Nepal

Pakistan

A freight train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, on Aug. 26, 2025.

Economics

Global Trade

Politics

New Delhi's decisions to permit specific imports and fast-track minority investments highlight its strategy of addressing critical manufacturing shortages, though relations are unlikely to extend beyond low-level confidence-building measures.

India Cautiously Opens up to Chinese Investment

Assessments

Djibouti

United States

Taiwan

Vietnam

Damage at the Azadi Sport Complex in the Iranian capital of Tehran on April 3.

Military & Security

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

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Taiwan's KMT Restarts China Talks

U.S.-Iran Relations

Iraqi women light candles in memory of the victims of the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and Lebanon during a rally in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on April 2, 2026.

Energy

Violent spillover from the Iran war will further complicate Iraq's government formation process, while disrupted oil exports will heavily strain Baghdad's finances and raise the risk of unrest.

Iraq Is Caught in the Crossfire of Another Destabilizing War

Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Balendra Shah is sworn in as Nepal's new prime minister in Kathmandu on March 27, 2026.

Prolonged global supply chain disruptions and threats to foreign remittances linked to the war will constrain the new administration's ability to deliver on its economic promises.


New Nepalese Government's Agenda Threatened by Iran War Fallout

Columns

On Geopolitics

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

Environment, Science & Technology

As competition for natural resources and critical raw materials intensifies, companies -- not just countries -- must be more mindful of risks in their physical supply chains.

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources: An Introduction

Houthi loyalists chant slogans on March 27, 2026, in Sanaa, Yemen, as they participate in a protest staged to show support for Iran in its ongoing war against the United States and Israel.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis will likely progressively expand their target set beyond Israel if the war intensifies, raising the risk of more economically disruptive attacks on regional shipping and energy infrastructure.

The Implications of the Houthis Joining the Iran War

Cyber

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

The second quarter will test global resilience as lingering conflicts and energy shocks converge to heighten economic uncertainty and geopolitical volatility.

2026 Second-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

Cuba

Russia

People on March 15 in Tehran, Iran, clean up rubble from a missile attack. The Iran war will almost certainly continue through the next week amid Israeli threats to escalate and expand strikes due to Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the U.S. deployment of additional military assets to the region.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, a European Parliament Delegation Visits China

Media

Podcasts

How will the trajectory of China-U.S. trade conversations change in light of conflict in the Middle East?

The Decision Advantage: The Impact of the Iran War on the Asia-Pacific Region

Cars drive past a gas station in Ponte Leccia on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on March 26, 2026. 

To address Iran-related energy disruptions, the European Union will likely opt for a patchwork of national relief measures, rather than a more comprehensive market intervention.

How the EU Is Responding to Its Latest Energy Crisis

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune scheduled upcoming parliamentary elections for July 2, Bloomberg reported on April 6. 

Algeria: President Sets Parliamentary Elections for July 2

Ukraine

Over the weekend of April 3-5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, where the leaders agreed to expand security cooperation, including in defense, infrastructure and food security, Reuters reported on April 5. 

Ukraine, Turkey, Syria: Ukraine Takes Its War Expertise to Post-Assad Syria

Iran reportedly rejected Pakistan's two-phase ceasefire framework, which would have begun with an immediate 45-day ceasefire, reopened the Strait of Hormuz and provided a two to three week timeframe to finalize a broader agreement to permanently end the war, Reuters reported on April 6.

U.S., Iran: Iran Reportedly Rejects Two-Phase Ceasefire Plan After Trump's Threats

Indonesia

Thousands of people protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta following the deaths of three Indonesian soldiers serving in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, with demonstrators condemning Israel, the Jakarta Globe reported on April 6.

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

On April 6, OPEC+ agreed to increase oil production quotas for the month of May by 206,000 barrels per day, effectively agreeing to increase production once oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz return to normal levels.

Global: OPEC+ Agrees to Symbolic Production Hike as It Warns About Damage to Assets

Israeli natural gas exports to Egypt reached normal pre-Iran war levels of about 1.1 billion cubic feet per day on April 4, Bloomberg reported on April 6. 

Egypt, Israel: Israeli Gas Flows to Egypt Reach Prewar Levels, Easing Egypt's Gas Crunch

Two liquefied natural gas carriers, the Al Daayen and Rasheeda, aborted an attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported on April 6.

Qatar: Two LNG Carriers Abort Attempted Transit Through Strait of Hormuz

Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization notified customers on April 5 that all its loading terminals were operational, Bloomberg reported the next day.

Iraq, Iran: Iraq Reaches Out to Oil Buyers Following Exemption From Iran's Strait of Hormuz Restrictions

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Algeria: President Sets Parliamentary Elections for July 2

Ukraine, Turkey, Syria: Ukraine Takes Its War Expertise to Post-Assad Syria

U.S., Iran: Iran Reportedly Rejects Two-Phase Ceasefire Plan After Trump's Threats

Indonesia: Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon Spark Anti-Israel Protests Outside U.S. Embassy

Global: OPEC+ Agrees to Symbolic Production Hike as It Warns About Damage to Assets

Egypt, Israel: Israeli Gas Flows to Egypt Reach Prewar Levels, Easing Egypt's Gas Crunch

Qatar: Two LNG Carriers Abort Attempted Transit Through Strait of Hormuz

Iraq, Iran: Iraq Reaches Out to Oil Buyers Following Exemption From Iran's Strait of Hormuz Restrictions

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support