Turkey

Kazakhstan

Russia

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a declaration on eternal friendship and expanded strategic partnership during Erdogan's state visit to Kazakhstan, Qazinform reported on May 14. 

Kazakhstan, Turkey: Drone Deal Gives Ankara Larger Defense Role in Central Asia

Eritrea

Ethiopia

United States

The U.S. Directorate of Defense Trade Controls announced the lifting of blanket restrictions on the export of military equipment to Ethiopian security forces under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, Addis Standard reported on May 14.

Ethiopia: Trump Administration Lifts Arms Export Ban

Cuba

Energy

The Cuban government announced on May 13 that the country had run out of fuel reserves, El Pais reported the same day.

Cuba, U.S.: Protests Increase in Havana as Cuba Runs Out of Fuel

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russia carried out one of its heaviest aerial attacks against Ukraine since the war began in 2022, targeting Kyiv and multiple other regions with large waves of drones and missiles, Interfax-Ukraine reported on May 14.

Russia, Ukraine: Record Russian Air Assault Shows No End to War Is in Sight

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is reportedly discussing a nonaggression pact between Middle Eastern countries and Iran to de-escalate regional tensions after the end of the Iran war, the Financial Times reported on May 14.

Saudi Arabia, Iran: Saudi Arabia Discussing Nonaggression Pact With Iran, Vance Suggests 'Progress'

Philippines

Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa "escaped" the Philippine Senate before dawn after taking shelter there under Senate protective custody while facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, Reuters reported on May 14. 

Philippines: 'Escape' of Senator Wanted by the ICC Deepens Political Crisis

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset, the first step toward ensuring that the government meets its Oct. 27 deadline to hold elections, The Times of Israel reported on May 13.

Israel: Elections Set for October as Knesset Moves To Dissolve

Mexico

CNN broke a story on May 12 reporting that CIA operations officers facilitated an assassination of a high-ranking Sinaloa cartel leader, Francisco Beltran "El Payin," in Mexico on March 28, citing unnamed sources familiar with the campaign.

U.S., Mexico: CIA Reportedly Facilitating Counter-Cartel Operations in Mexico

The world is connected, but even the broadest topics deserve an individual look. Below are our latest and most relevant military analyses. 

Below are our latest and most relevant military analyses. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

Cyber

The Ukraine Conflict

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

The Battle for Mosul

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

The Jihadist Wars

Echoes of the Cold War

Instability in Central Asia

South Asian Militancy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Afghanistan

India

Pakistan

Afghan protesters burn a Pakistani flag during a demonstration in Helmand Province in 2016.

Gains from the Afghan Taliban's growing regional ties will be hindered by enduring disputes, logistical constraints, infrastructure security risks, and Pakistan's possible absence from future multilateral engagements.

How the Afghan-Pakistani Conflict Is Redrawing Regional Relations

United Arab Emirates

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

While recent revelations about the airstrikes indicate a shift in both countries' risk calculations, the UAE's hawkish, Israel-aligned posture poses a greater threat of Iranian retaliation than Saudi Arabia's more restrained approach. 

The UAE and Saudi Arabia Enter the War Against Iran, but With Separate Strategies

A digital illustration of the Turkish flag.

Continued high inflation, political uncertainty and bureaucratic hurdles will likely limit the overall effectiveness of the reforms, which come ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

Turkey Pursues Tax Reforms Amid Economic Fallout From the Iran War

Qatar

Part of the gas processing facilities of Europe's first helium production pilot plant in Saint-Parize-le-Chatel, France, on Sept. 11, 2024.

Qatar's halt of helium production due to the Iran war risks causing shortages that disrupt key manufacturing industries, particularly in Asia.

How the Iran War is Choking the World's Helium Flow

Kenya

Lebanon

China

France

United Kingdom

Boats on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions between the United States and Iran will remain elevated, especially around the strait, following the May 7 U.S.-Iran exchange of attacks and Iranian attacks against the United Arab Emirates.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, France Convenes an Africa Summit

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Trucks haul away ore from a pit in the Chinese-owned Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023.

Greater access to Congo's mining sector will likely help the U.S. further secure its cobalt and copper supplies, but ongoing security concerns in the Central African country and China's dominance over global mineral processing will limit the extent of these gains.

Trump Goes Hunting For Congo's Minerals

Snapshots

Russian officers patrol central Moscow on May 5, 2026, in front of the Kremlin, a few days ahead of the Victory Day military parade, to be held at Red Square on May 9. 

While Ukraine is unlikely to attack Moscow during the May 9 parade, its expanding long-range strike capabilities will steadily increase the war's political, economic and psychological toll on Russia ahead of the September elections.

Ukrainian Strikes Put Russia on Edge Ahead of Victory Day Parade

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs on May 6, 2026.

Israel's May 6 airstrike, which killed a top Hezbollah commander, will weaken the already tenuous April ceasefire and diminish prospects for U.S.-backed mediation, raising the risk of a return to a wider war.

Beirut Attack Further Dims Prospects for Lebanon-Israel Peace Talks

An Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 16.

A military response from the United States aiming to compel Iranian concessions without committing to ground operations could trigger a prolonged cycle of retaliatory attacks between U.S. allies and Iran.


Iran, U.S. Ceasefire at Elevated Risk of Collapse After Iran Attacks UAE

While a Ukraine loan scheme will offer opportunities for British companies, it will not reintegrate the United Kingdom into EU defense structures.

A Small Step for EU-British Defense Cooperation

Media

Rwanda

Podcasts

Why is the United States involved in the mediation process? 

The Decision Advantage: Key Drivers of the Congo-Rwanda Conflict

Australia

Japan

An oil products tanker at Muscat Anchorage on March 21, 2026 at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.K. Elections, Iran War Resumption Risk

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

Kazakhstan, Turkey: Drone Deal Gives Ankara Larger Defense Role in Central Asia

Ethiopia: Trump Administration Lifts Arms Export Ban

Cuba, U.S.: Protests Increase in Havana as Cuba Runs Out of Fuel

Russia, Ukraine: Record Russian Air Assault Shows No End to War Is in Sight

Saudi Arabia, Iran: Saudi Arabia Discussing Nonaggression Pact With Iran, Vance Suggests 'Progress'

Philippines: 'Escape' of Senator Wanted by the ICC Deepens Political Crisis

Israel: Elections Set for October as Knesset Moves To Dissolve

U.S., Mexico: CIA Reportedly Facilitating Counter-Cartel Operations in Mexico

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