United States

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Military & Security

The U.S. State Department approved an initial sale of eight MQ-9B Predator drones to Qatar for $2 billion, AP reported on March 27.

U.S., Qatar: U.S. Starts Approval Process for MQ-9B Drone Sale to Qatar

Israel

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

The United States continued airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels for the 10th consecutive day, targeting dozens of sites belonging to the group, NBC reported on March 24. 

U.S., Yemen: Widespread U.S. Airstrikes Continue, Targeting Houthi Leadership

Ukraine

Russia

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian and U.S. technical teams will hold their next round of talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, early in the week of March 24 to discuss the details of Russia-Ukraine deconfliction agreements in the air and the Black Sea, as well as technical details of an eventual interim ceasefire, Bloomberg reported on March 19, citing U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. 

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Delegations To Meet in Jeddah for Technical Talks

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Oman

Kazakhstan

Energy

The eight OPEC+ countries participating in 2.2 million barrels per days of voluntary oil productions cuts -- Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- agreed to continue with their previously announced plans to begin unwinding their voluntary product cuts between April 1, 2025, and September 2026, OPEC said in a statement on March 3.

Global: Eight OPEC+ Members Agree To Phase Out Voluntary Production Cuts Starting in April

In an early morning statement, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry reiterated its long-standing demand for a Palestinian state established on the pre-1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital before the kingdom would consider normalizing relations with Israel, The Times of Israel reported on Feb. 5.

Israel, Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Rebuffs Whispers of Impending Normalization

Turkey

Economics

Syria's provisional President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking his first trip abroad and his first meeting with the kingdom's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, AP reported on Feb. 2.

Syria, Saudi Arabia: Al-Sharaa Visits Saudi Arabia as Damascus Deepens Gulf Ties

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Equatorial Guinea

Gabon

Nigeria

Venezuela

Libya

OPEC+ countries agreed to delay the phase-out of 2.2 million barrels of oil per day of production cuts from Jan. 1, 2025, until April 1 and to phase those cuts out over 18 months instead of the originally planned 12 months, Argus Media reported on Dec. 5. 

OPEC+: Members To Delay Boosting Oil Production for Third Time

Palestinian Territories

Nominated U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in an interview with Israeli Army Radio that the United States could back an Israeli annexation of the West Bank, The Times of Israel reported on Nov. 13.

Israel, U.S.: Incoming Trump Administration May Back Israeli Annexation of West Bank

Assessments

Participants attend the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 29, 2024. 

The kingdom is increasingly likely to continue to scale back less viable megaprojects while focusing on successful reforms.

As the Finish Line Approaches, Saudi Arabia Dials Back Its Vision 2030 Ambitions

A rally on Jan. 24 in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen. Should the United States attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Houthi rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

Should the United States also attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Yemeni rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations. 

U.S. Strikes on Houthis Risk Embroiling Iran and the Regional Energy Industry

Canada

South Korea

Europe

India

Canadian flags are seen outside a building in Ottawa. 

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

The Weekly Rundown: Canada's Ruling Liberals Pick a New Leader, India and the EU Hold Trade Talks 

Lebanon

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan welcomes his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani before attending an Arab officials' meeting in Riyadh on Jan. 12, 2025.

Saudi Arabia's re-engagement with Lebanon, Syria and Iraq aims to counterbalance Turkey, Qatar and Iran but faces limits due to sectarian politics and foreign interference, which may make Riyadh more assertive over time.

Saudi Arabia Moves To Counterbalance Turkey and Qatar, Replace Iran in the Levant

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi movement brandish weapons and chant slogans as they take part in a protest staged in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza on Jan. 17, 2025, in Sanaa, Yemen. 

The Houthis' intervention in the Israel-Hamas war has bolstered their military capabilities and domestic influence, which could embolden them to launch renewed offensives in southern Yemen.

What Will Yemen's Houthis Do With Their New-Found Strength?

Egypt

Jordan

Displaced Palestinians return to their homes in the Shijaiyah neighborhood, Gaza City, on Jan. 28, 2025, following the Hamas-Israel ceasefire.

Egypt and Jordan will reject Trump's current proposal to resettle over a million Palestinians from Gaza to their territories due to fears of stoking domestic unrest, but they will likely permit smaller, gradual resettlements via illegal smuggling routes.

Trump Wants Egypt and Jordan To Take in Palestinians From Gaza. Will They Do It?

China

Pakistan

The entrance to the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C.

Ahead of the first review of its newest IMF program, Pakistan seeks creditor assurances and a broader tax base.

Pakistan's Path to Meeting IMF Demands

A smoke plume rises above destroyed buildings in northern Gaza on Jan. 13, 2025.

The truce will improve Israel's ties with Lebanon and Egypt, but eventual violations could reignite regional tensions, as could Israel's intensified counter-insurgency operations in the West Bank.

The Regional Implications of the Gaza Ceasefire

Angola

Cote d'Ivoire

Ghana

Kenya

Argentina

Brazil

Ecuador

Mexico

Tunisia

Taiwan

Belarus

World map on a dark digital background representing global communication and global finances.

Cyber

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

A billboard depicting a Houthi military official who was killed during Yemen's civil war overlooks the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa on Jan. 2, 2025. 

When its increased attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen likely fail to deter the militants, Israel will escalate further, potentially spreading the conflict into the Gulf states and restarting the Yemeni civil war.

Israel's Expanding Campaign in Yemen Risks Reigniting the Civil War

Abu Mohammed al-Golani (C), the head of Syria's leading insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, speaks during a press conference near Syria's northern Bab al Hawa border crossing with Turkey late on March 12, 2024.

Rival Gulf Arab states will pursue divergent goals amid Syria's evolving political transition, raising the likelihood of factionalism and resurging violence in the war-torn country. 

Gulf States' Competing Interests Could Disrupt Syria's Political Transition

Media

Podcasts

What can Trump's nominees for positions in Middle Eastern diplomacy tell us about his approach to the region?

Essential Geopolitics: U.S.-Middle East Relations Under a Second Trump Term

Comprising a majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is surrounded by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.  The kingdom's main geographic challenges are controlling its sparsely populated territory and maintaining shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.    Surrounded by vast deserts, the central Najd plateau is the core of Saudi Arabia and is home to the country's capital, Riyadh. Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, are protected by mountains in the west and flanked by the Red Sea. The security of these cities is a key to the monarchy's legitimacy.    The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I set the stage for the House of Saud to unify the territory that became Saudi Arabia in 1932. Oil and natural gas have been the country's main exports and source of wealth since their discovery in 1938.     A restive Eastern Province holds a majority of the kingdom's reserves and makes the country vulnerable to invasion from the north or the Persian Gulf. Cross border tribal ties also expose the kingdom to unrest in the south on the border with Yemen.    A scarcity of fresh water and a small population density limit Saudi Arabia's defensive capabilities. Since the vast majority of Saudi oil exports pass via the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, the kingdom has historically relied on a foreign power to balance regional rival, Iran and keep the Strait open.    As global oil consumption continues to rise, Saudi Arabia will continue to play a dominant role in the Middle East despite its geographic challenges.

The Syrian Civil War

The Saudi Survival Strategy

A Crude Recovery

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Qatar: U.S. Starts Approval Process for MQ-9B Drone Sale to Qatar

U.S., Yemen: Widespread U.S. Airstrikes Continue, Targeting Houthi Leadership

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Delegations To Meet in Jeddah for Technical Talks

Global: Eight OPEC+ Members Agree To Phase Out Voluntary Production Cuts Starting in April

Israel, Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Rebuffs Whispers of Impending Normalization

Syria, Saudi Arabia: Al-Sharaa Visits Saudi Arabia as Damascus Deepens Gulf Ties

OPEC+: Members To Delay Boosting Oil Production for Third Time

Israel, U.S.: Incoming Trump Administration May Back Israeli Annexation of West Bank

Forecasts

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