United States

Greenland

Europe

Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a Jan. 21 post on Truth Social that he had "formed the framework for a future deal with respect to Greenland" following a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Trump announced that, as part of the understanding, he would not impose tariffs against eight European countries that had been set to take effect on Feb. 1.

U.S., Europe: Trump Announces 'Framework' for Future Greenland Deal

Kazakhstan

Economics

Energy

Tengizchevroil declared force majeure on oil exports and cancelled five cargoes totaling up to 700,000 metric tons through February following a power plant fire that had halted production at Tengiz, the country's largest oil field, Reuters reported on Jan. 21.

Kazakhstan: Force Majeure at Tengiz Field Threatens Social Stability

New Zealand

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that New Zealand will hold its next general election on Nov. 7, with Luxon seeking a second term for his center-right coalition government, AP reported on Jan. 21. 

New Zealand: Election Called for November

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Paraguay

Uruguay

The European Parliament voted on Jan. 21 to request a legal opinion from the EU Court of Justice on whether the EU-Mercosur trade agreement complies with EU treaties, a step that pauses the ratification process within the bloc, Politico reported the same day.

EU, Mercosur: European Parliament Refers EU-Mercosur Trade Deal to EU Court of Justice

Australia

Military & Security

On Jan. 20, Australia passed a fast-tracked package of legislation following the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack, including a national firearms buyback, expanded hate crime and hate speech offenses, new extremist group designation powers and broader visa cancellation authorities, The Australian Financial Review reported the next day.

Australia: Post-Bondi Laws Expand Federal Powers and Fracture the Opposition

Mauritius

United Kingdom

Mauritian Attorney General Gavin Glover rejected comments by U.S. President Donald Trump claiming that the United Kingdom's planned handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was "an act of GREAT STUPIDITY," stressing that Mauritian sovereignty was "already recognised without ambiguity under international law and should no longer be a subject for debate," the BBC reported on Jan. 20.

Mauritius: Government Rebuffs Trump's Criticism of Chagos Islands Deal With U.K.

South Africa

Iran

Military officials did not inform the South African government of Iran's inclusion in the BRICS+ "Will for Peace" naval drills held on Jan. 9-16 before Iranian outlet Tehran Times broke the news in late December 2025, News24 reported on Jan. 21 based on South African government sources.

South Africa: Government Allegedly Left in the Dark Over Iran's Participation in BRICS+ Naval Drills

Ukraine

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would skip the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to focus on the domestic energy crisis unless negotiators finalize pending agreements regarding security guarantees, a prosperity plan and additional air defense supplies, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Jan. 20.

Ukraine, U.S.: Zelensky Says He Will Skip Davos Forum as Peace Talks Stall

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

Below are our latest and most relevant politics analyses.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

Venezuela's Unraveling

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The Kurdish Struggle

Israel's Survival Strategy

Turkey's Resurgence

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Brexit

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The Pulse of Political Islam

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Russia's Internal Struggle

China in Transition

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

India's Own Worst Enemy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a meeting with European national security advisors in Kyiv on Jan. 3, 2026. 

The reshuffle seeks to strengthen Zelensky's negotiating position and mitigate the political fallout from a likely unfavorable peace deal amid weakening Western support and Russia's continued battlefield advances.

Ukraine's Government Reshuffle Signals Preparation for a Tough Peace Deal

Vietnam

A man walks past a billboard for the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam outside the National Convention Center in Hanoi on Jan. 15, 2026. 

The five-yearly event will likely codify a more centralized, security-anchored governing model, while setting ambitious goals for economic growth and administrative reforms, though internal and external pressures will hinder implementation.

Previewing Vietnam's 14th National Party Congress

Germany

Finland

Denmark

France

Sweden

Norway

Netherlands

The HDMS Knud Rasmussen ship of the Danish Navy patrols the waters off of Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 20, 2026. 

Global Trade

Trump's threatened tariffs over his bid to acquire Greenland have turned the U.S.-EU trade dispute into a high-stakes geopolitical confrontation, raising the risk of a sustained trade war that would severely strain transatlantic economic ties and NATO cohesion.

Trump's Greenland Tariff Threat Escalates Transatlantic Tensions

Columns

On Geopolitics

China

U.S. protectionism has dramatically weakened the rules-based, multilateral trade regime established after World War II, driving governments to increasingly view trade through a national security lens rather than purely an economic one.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Conclusion

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Switzerland

A sniper police officer on the Congress hotel during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 2025, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Somalia

Sudan

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 30, 2025. 

Two regional alignments are coalescing along the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa, risking the escalation of proxy conflicts and longstanding rivalries.

The Unfolding Regional Realignments Along the Red Sea and Their Implications

Snapshots

Romania

Moldova

Moldovan President Maia Sandu (R) and Romanian President Nicusor Dan on June 10, 2025, in Chisinau, Moldova. Sandu's backing of a hypothetical union signals that joining Romania could eventually emerge as an alternative strategy to Moldova's current plan to join the European Union as an independent state.

Maia Sandu's backing of a hypothetical union signals that joining Romania could eventually emerge as an alternative strategy to Moldova's current plan to join the European Union as an independent state.

Romanian-Moldovan Unification Remains Unlikely, Despite Moldovan President's Endorsement

Venezuela

Taiwan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil (left) attend a meeting in Beijing on May 12, 2025.

U.S. pressure on the new Venezuelan government will briefly cool China's engagement in Latin America and could renew trade tensions with Washington, though Maduro's removal is unlikely to affect China's calculus regarding Taiwan.

Assessing China's Response to the U.S. Capture of Venezuela's Maduro

U.S.-China Relations

Mozambique

Tanzania

A column of Tanzanian soldiers drives past electoral posters of incumbent Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi in Stone Town on Oct. 30, 2025. 

The Tanzanian government's harsh repression of opposition voices will maintain risks of civil unrest and siphon security forces away from outer regions, creating power vacuums in the south for jihadists to exploit.

Ongoing Repression in Tanzania Shows No Signs of Letting Up

People gather during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2026. 

The severity of Iran's crackdown on protesters makes it highly likely that Trump will authorize some form of action (e.g., sanctions, cyberattacks or military strikes), with Tehran likely to respond proportionally unless the regime's survival is threatened.

The Risks and Implications of a U.S. Attack Against Iran

U.S.-Iran Relations

The flag of Greenland, known locally as "Erfalasorput," flies next to the Church of Our Saviour on March 30, 2025, in Nuuk, Greenland. 

The United States' aim to acquire Greenland risks triggering a NATO crisis if U.S. and European negotiators fail to reach a settlement.

Europe Weighs Responses to U.S. Pressure Over Greenland

Iraq

Lebanon

A stock image shows the silhouettes of soldiers.

Emboldened by its recent capture of Venezuela's Maduro, the White House will likely seek to kill and potentially abduct more Middle Eastern extremists in the coming year, but pursuing high-profile targets like Iranian leaders will carry significant risks.

Potential Targets for U.S. Assassination and Abduction Operations in the Middle East

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Europe: Trump Announces 'Framework' for Future Greenland Deal

Kazakhstan: Force Majeure at Tengiz Field Threatens Social Stability

New Zealand: Election Called for November

EU, Mercosur: European Parliament Refers EU-Mercosur Trade Deal to EU Court of Justice

Australia: Post-Bondi Laws Expand Federal Powers and Fracture the Opposition

Mauritius: Government Rebuffs Trump's Criticism of Chagos Islands Deal With U.K.

South Africa: Government Allegedly Left in the Dark Over Iran's Participation in BRICS+ Naval Drills

Ukraine, U.S.: Zelensky Says He Will Skip Davos Forum as Peace Talks Stall

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