United States

Saudi Arabia

Cyber

Economics

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

Politics

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., pledged to invest $1 trillion in the United States and reportedly finalized a defense deal, while the United States plans to approve the sales of advanced artificial intelligence chips, The Guardian reported on Nov. 18.

U.S., Saudi Arabia: Saudi Crown Prince Meets With President Trump

Beginning in the early hours of Nov. 18, global online users began reporting outages linked to popular web-based services like chatbot tools ChatGPT and Claude, e-commerce giants Amazon and Shopify, and social media platform X, in addition to numerous media outlets, entertainment websites and gaming platforms, The New York Times reported the same day. 

Cyberspace: Cloudflare Outage Temporarily Disrupts Access to Popular Web-Based Services

South Africa

Chief of the South African navy Vice Adm. Monde Lobese slammed the South African government's curbs on defense spending, questioning whether the decision had been "directly or indirectly" influenced by drug cartels and other criminal groups benefiting from weaker maritime security, Independent Online reported on Nov. 17.

South Africa: Navy Chief Slams Government Over Defense Budget Cuts, Questions Potential Criminal Capture

Japan

South Korea

The South Korean navy informed Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force that it would not participate in a joint search and rescue drill slated for late November, which would have been their first instantiation of that joint drill since it was halted in 2018, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Nov. 17. 

South Korea, Japan: Cancelled Joint Drills Show Tensions Slowly Rising

China

Indonesia

Japan and Indonesia's defense and foreign ministers held a two-plus-two meeting and established a new high-level framework to accelerate defense cooperation and equipment transfer discussions, Nikkei Asia reported on Nov. 18. 

Japan, Indonesia: Tokyo, Jakarta Deepen Security Ties

Indonesian lawmakers passed a major revision of the Criminal Procedure Code, significantly expanding law enforcement powers and consolidating investigative authority under the national police, Bloomberg reported Nov. 18.

Indonesia: Major Overhaul of Criminal Procedure Code Passed

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The U.N. Security Council adopted a U.S.-backed resolution supporting the establishment of a "Board of Peace" helmed by U.S. President Donald Trump to transitionally govern the Gaza Strip through 2027, backing an international stabilization force to improve border security and demilitarize the Gaza Strip, and including a provision for a potential path toward a Palestinian state, Reuters reported on Nov. 17.

U.S., Israel, Palestinian Territories: UNSC Adopts Resolution Backing Trump's Gaza Plan

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group signed a framework agreement for a peace deal on Nov. 15 in Qatar, Reuters reported the same day. 

Congo: Clashes Between Army and M23 Continue Despite Framework Agreement for Peace Deal 

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

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

Media

Podcasts

What is the outlook for Indonesia-Israel normalization, and what would that process look like?

Essential Geopolitics: Indonesia's Interest in Israel-Gaza

Assessments

Canada

The clock tower outside of Canada's parliament building is seen in Ottawa, Ontario.

Global Trade

Canada's push to revive its economy and diversify its trade and security ties beyond the U.S. will likely see slow progress and could prompt U.S. retaliation, while the associated deficit spending will risk long-term fiscal strain.

The High Stakes of Canada's Attempt To Pivot Away From the U.S.

Kazakhstan

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev address participants of the 21st Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum via a video link during their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on Nov. 12, 2025. 

The deals signed during Kazakh President Tokayev's recent trip to Moscow will provide Astana with short-term stability but will limit its strategic autonomy and ability to further engage with the West, while heightening its exposure to Russian coercion.

What Russia's Courtship of Kazakhstan Says About the Shifting Balance of Power in Eurasia

Sudan

Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers are seen on the now-disabled Shambat Bridge in Khartoum. 

While the likelihood of a humanitarian truce between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF is rising, meaningful progress beyond a tentative permanent ceasefire currently appears unlikely.

Sudan Slips Toward De Facto Partition

Excavation crews work amid rubble in Hamad City, west of Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Oct. 26, 2025. 

The extended timeline for reconstruction ensures dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza will likely persist for years, fueling future radicalization and significant population displacement.

Gaza Reconstruction Likely To Take Years and Fuel Palestinian Emigration

Chile

Venezuela

Cambodia

Thailand

India

Pakistan

People watch the USS Gravely, a Navy warship, departing the Port of Spain on Oct. 30, 2025. The U.S. warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Saudi Meeting, Military Escalation in the Caribbean

Pakistan's armed forces march in the country's National Day parade in Islamabad on March 23, 2024. 

Pakistan's new constitutional amendment threatens to sow political division over growing military powers, a weakening judiciary and reduced civilian oversight.

Pakistan's New Constitutional Amendment Reforms the Military and Judiciary

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (C) after chairing a National Security Council on Nov. 11 in Bangkok. An armed clash on the Thai-Cambodian border raises the risk of escalations that unwind the two countries' recent peace accord, though a return to full-scale war is less likely due to U.S. economic and security leverage.

While the most likely scenario is recurring but contained flare-ups through early 2026, a more escalatory scenario remains plausible.

More Clashes, but Not Full-blown Conflict, Likely on the Cambodian-Thai Frontier

Why are Venezuela's relationships with Russia, Iran and China so important to the United States?

Essential Geopolitics: The Primary Drivers and Constraints of U.S.-Venezuela Tensions

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Yemen's Houthi fighters man machine guns mounted on trucks as they participate in a weaponized protest staged against the United States and Israel on Nov. 6, 2025 in Sanaa, Yemen. 

Israel is expected to soon launch another offensive against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, which will risk reigniting the civil war and exposing Gulf countries and Red Sea shipping to retaliatory attacks.

What a Renewed Israel-Houthi Conflict Would Mean for Yemen and Gulf Security

Ukraine

A screen is seen during the International military anti drone exercise Baltic Trust 25 (BATT25) at the Selonia (Selija) military training ground near Viesite on Aug. 27, 2025.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The European Union is pushing to develop continent-wide anti-drone capabilities, but financial, political and legal fragmentation will significantly slow progress and leave the bloc's defense vulnerable.

Despite Political Enthusiasm, EU Drone Defenses Face Obstacles to Implementation

Firefighters douse a car at the suicide blast site in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Nov. 11, 2025. 

While unlikely to trigger immediate retaliation, recent explosions in both New Delhi and Islamabad will sustain the risk of renewed cross-border strikes should either country determine the other was culpable.

Back-to-Back Blasts in India and Pakistan Raise Fears of Another Escalation

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Saudi Arabia: Saudi Crown Prince Meets With President Trump

Cyberspace: Cloudflare Outage Temporarily Disrupts Access to Popular Web-Based Services

South Africa: Navy Chief Slams Government Over Defense Budget Cuts, Questions Potential Criminal Capture

South Korea, Japan: Cancelled Joint Drills Show Tensions Slowly Rising

Japan, Indonesia: Tokyo, Jakarta Deepen Security Ties

Indonesia: Major Overhaul of Criminal Procedure Code Passed

U.S., Israel, Palestinian Territories: UNSC Adopts Resolution Backing Trump's Gaza Plan

Congo: Clashes Between Army and M23 Continue Despite Framework Agreement for Peace Deal

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