United States

Iran

Military & Security

The U.S. Department of Defense is planning to deploy a brigade combat team from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 24.

U.S.: Pentagon To Deploy Brigade Combat Team From 82nd Airborne Division to Middle East

U.S.-Iran Relations

Benin

Benin's ruling party presidential candidate Romuald Wadagni pledged to create new municipal police forces in northern border towns to counter growing jihadist attacks as part of his platform ahead of the April 12 election, Reuters reported on March 23. 

Benin: Presidential Candidate Vows To Create New Police Forces To Fight Jihadists

Mozambique

South Africa

Zimbabwe

Economics

South African farmers may not press ahead with their winter planting season if crop prices do not rise enough to offset their expected increase in fuel and fertilizer costs linked to the Iran war, Bloomberg reported on March 24. 

South Africa: Farmers Eye Production Cuts Amid Price Hikes for Fuel, Fertilizer

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Politics

The Afghan Taliban released Dennis Coyle, a U.S. academic the group had detained since January 2025 for unspecified reasons, The New York Times reported on March 24. 

Afghanistan, U.S.: Afghan Taliban Releases Detained U.S. National Amid U.S. Pressure

Ukraine

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine and the United States still needed to finalize an agreement on security guarantees, despite earlier claims that it was ready, Reuters reported on March 24.

Ukraine, U.S.: Security Guarantee Talks Stall as Iran War Diverts U.S. Focus

Israel

Lebanon

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, marking the first clear indication of Israel's intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a 10th of Lebanon, Reuters reported on March 24. 

Israel, Lebanon: Israel Announces Intent To Expand Occupation of Southern Lebanon 

Australia

Europe

The European Union and Australia agreed on the final test of a long-delayed free trade agreement, eliminating tariffs on most goods and expanding Australian agricultural access to European markets and European industrial and manufactured goods access to Australia, alongside provisions to facilitate critical minerals trade, AP reported on March 24.

Australia, EU: Strategic Alignment Deepens With Trade Pact and Defense Deal

Several unnamed Israeli officials have indicated that a potential agreement between the United States and Iran is unlikely, although Pakistan offered to host negotiations as early as late in the week of March 23 to de-escalate the conflict, Reuters reported on March 24. 

U.S., Iran: Israeli Officials Say U.S.-Iran Deal Remains Unlikely, but Pakistan Offers To Host Talks

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

Columns

Syria

Photos of prominent Hezbollah leaders are seen at the site of a reported Israeli airstrike which killed 6 members of the same family, on March 19, 2026 in Baalbek, Lebanon.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The trajectory of the war will be increasingly defined by a clash of strategic objectives that makes a quick resolution of the conflict unlikely.


The Impact the Israel-Hezbollah War Will Have on Lebanon

Assessments

Denmark

France

Italy

The European Parliament building in 2019 in Strasbourg, France. Parliament is set to hold a plenary vote March 26 on implementing the 2025 EU‑U.S. trade framework agreement.

Energy

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

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote on the EU‑U.S. Trade Framework, the Iran Conflict Continues

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting in Moscow on the global oil and gas market situation on March 9, 2026.

The current surge in demand for Russian oil will likely be short-lived, but weaker sanctions enforcement and higher energy prices could nonetheless buoy Moscow's capacity to fund its war in Ukraine.

In Twist of Fate, Russia Gets a Boost From Iran-Related Oil Shocks

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

People walk along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026.

Global Trade

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will compel Gulf Cooperation Council states to invest in alternative trade routes and more resilient physical infrastructure.

Gulf Arab States, Shaken by Iran War, Plan Economic Pivot

Greenland

Danish Defense Minister and top candidate of Denmark's Venstre party, Troels Lund Poulsen (left), and Danish Prime Minister and top candidate of the Social Democrat Party, Mette Frederiksen (right), attend a debate in Copenhagen on March 15, 2026.

Environment, Science & Technology

The upcoming parliamentary elections could result in three distinct coalitions that would offer varying continuity in domestic economic policy and Copenhagen's approach to U.S. pressure over Greenland.

Denmark's General Elections: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Japan

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a news conference at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Feb. 18.

The Japanese prime minister may offer economic and security concessions during her upcoming summit with the U.S. president to avoid direct entanglement in the Iran conflict while preserving the relationship with Washington.

Iran War Heightens Stakes of Key Takaichi-Trump Summit

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

A U.S.-led naval mission to protect ships from Iranian attacks would likely begin only after the war's intensity decreases, and even then, it would take weeks to organize and yield only a limited return of maritime traffic through the strait.

The Obstacles Facing the U.S. Plan for Strait of Hormuz Naval Escorts

Rwanda

Rwandan soldiers patrol in Mocimboa da Praia, northern Mozambique, on Aug. 12, 2021. 

Rwanda is unlikely to withdraw all its troops from Cabo Delgado in the short term, but a partial drawdown is possible if the EU doesn't approve fresh funding, which would degrade Mozambique's capacity to counter jihadist militants in the gas-rich region.

Will Rwanda Withdraw Troops From Northern Mozambique?

Smoke plumes rise above a village in southern Lebanon following Israeli airstrikes on March 16, 2026.

Even if it engages in direct talks with Lebanon, Israel is unlikely to de-escalate its military operations in the country without major concessions on border security and Hezbollah's disarmament.

Hezbollah-Israel War Set To Intensify, Despite Lebanon's Diplomatic Push

The Geopolitics of Demographics

Social Issues

Demographics may not be destiny, but it does play a major role in questions of national power.

The Geopolitics of Demographics: An Introduction

China

A large plume of smoke rises March 7 over Tehran after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital during the night.

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S.: Pentagon To Deploy Brigade Combat Team From 82nd Airborne Division to Middle East

Benin: Presidential Candidate Vows To Create New Police Forces To Fight Jihadists

South Africa: Farmers Eye Production Cuts Amid Price Hikes for Fuel, Fertilizer

Afghanistan, U.S.: Afghan Taliban Releases Detained U.S. National Amid U.S. Pressure

Ukraine, U.S.: Security Guarantee Talks Stall as Iran War Diverts U.S. Focus

Israel, Lebanon: Israel Announces Intent To Expand Occupation of Southern Lebanon

Australia, EU: Strategic Alignment Deepens With Trade Pact and Defense Deal

U.S., Iran: Israeli Officials Say U.S.-Iran Deal Remains Unlikely, but Pakistan Offers To Host Talks

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

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