United States

Ukraine

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The U.S. State Department approved a possible $108.1 million Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine for HAWK Missile System Sustainment and related equipment, Reuters reported May 21.

Ukraine, U.S.: Trump Administration Approves HAWK Air Defense Support Package

Lebanon

The United States' Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on May 21 sanctioned nine Hezbollah-aligned individuals in Lebanon (including sitting Hezbollah members of parliament), Lebanese military and security officials, and Iran's designated ambassador to Lebanon, accusing them of helping Hezbollah preserve influence inside Lebanese state institutions and obstructing efforts to disarm the group, Reuters reported the same day.

U.S., Lebanon: Trump Administration Sanctions Lebanese Officials Over Hezbollah Influence

China

Taiwan

Politics

U.S. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao ​told a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing that a pending $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan would be paused to ensure sufficient air defense munitions for the Iran war, Reuters reported May 22.

U.S., Taiwan: Trump Administration Delays Arms Sale, Likely for China Trade Benefits

Europe

Germany

Poland

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged an additional 5,000 troops to Poland in a Truth Social post on May 21. 

Poland, U.S.: Trump Pledges To Deploy 5,000 Troops to Poland 

U.S.-Iran Relations

Iran

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Economics

Energy

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were "good signs" a deal could be reached with Iran, though he rejected Tehran tolling ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported May 21. 

U.S., Iran: Rubio Suggests 'Good Signs' for Deal, but Sticking Points Remain

Russia

In a May 21 post on Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian Security Service's Alpha special forces unit struck a Russian Federal Security Service's (FSB) facility and destroyed a Pantsir-S1 air defense system on occupied Ukrainian territory, killing and wounding about 100 Russian personnel.

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Reports Strike on Russian FSB Headquarters in Occupied Territory

Palestinian Territories

Israel's May 16 assassination of Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad has triggered a power struggle within the Palestinian militant group, according to sources cited in a May 21 report in The National.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Report Details Hamas Infighting in Wake of Military Chief's Assassination

Mali

The Malian army, alongside Russia's Africa Corps, reportedly used cluster munitions for the first time during military operations against jihadist and separatist groups in the country's north, RFI reported May 20.

Mali: Army Reportedly Uses Cluster Bombs for First Time

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

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

Cuba

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche (center) speaks during a news conference announcing the indictment of former Cuban president Raul Castro, at the Freedom Tower in Miami, Florida, on May 20, 2026.

Recent U.S. escalations against Cuba are creating a pretext for kinetic action, most likely a targeted operation to capture key officials, though an airstrike campaign and/or a ground deployment also remain possible.

Assessing the Potential for U.S. Military Action in Cuba

Greenland

Denmark

U.S. special envoy to Greenland, Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (center right), and Greenlandic mason and Trump supporter Jorgen Boassen (center left) are pictured in Nuuk, Greenland, on May 20, 2026, on the sidelines of the Future Greenland business fair. 

Ongoing talks with Greenland and Denmark will likely yield a deal that meets most U.S. objectives without requiring formal annexation, though a broader transatlantic crisis remains possible if negotiations collapse.

Can the U.S. Reach a Compromise on Greenland That Averts a Transatlantic Crisis?

United Kingdom

Slovenia

Spain

Ireland

Hungary

The EU and Israeli flags in March 2024 in central Berlin's Rotes Rathaus. Although the European Union has sanctioned extremist Israeli settlers, deep-seated internal divisions and a reliance on Israeli defense systems will likely prevent the bloc from imposing comprehensive trade restrictions.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Although the European Union has sanctioned extremist Israeli settlers, deep-seated internal divisions and a reliance on Israeli defense systems will likely prevent the bloc from imposing comprehensive trade restrictions.

Targeted EU Sanctions on Israeli Settlers Unlikely To Broaden Into Wider Restrictions 

Egypt

Jordan

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Right-wing activists gather with Israeli flags outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Israel's quest for middle-power status will be defined by its ability to unify its Jerusalem core, which has remained divided throughout the modern state's history.

The Modern Geopolitics of Israel

EU and Ukrainian flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters on Feb. 23, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium.

While a European mediator may unblock frozen peace talks, a durable peace settlement remains unlikely until both Russia and Ukraine conclude that continued war is more costly than compromise.

The Limited Promise of EU Mediation in Ukraine Peace Talks

Mexico

Japan

South Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 3, 2025, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

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 Middle East, Putin Heads to Beijing

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan

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

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

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

France

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.

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

U.S.-China 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

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

Ukraine, U.S.: Trump Administration Approves HAWK Air Defense Support Package

U.S., Lebanon: Trump Administration Sanctions Lebanese Officials Over Hezbollah Influence

U.S., Taiwan: Trump Administration Delays Arms Sale, Likely for China Trade Benefits

Poland, U.S.: Trump Pledges To Deploy 5,000 Troops to Poland

U.S., Iran: Rubio Suggests 'Good Signs' for Deal, but Sticking Points Remain

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Reports Strike on Russian FSB Headquarters in Occupied Territory

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Report Details Hamas Infighting in Wake of Military Chief's Assassination

Mali: Army Reportedly Uses Cluster Bombs for First Time

Forecasts

ANALYSES

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