Europe

Kazakhstan

Russia

Economics

Politics

European Council President Antonio Costa met with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Astana to reinforce political commitment to the Trans-Caspian transport route and critical mineral supply chains, the European Council's press service reported on Dec. 4.

EU, Kazakhstan: EU Bets on New Trade Route Through Kazakhstan To Secure Critical Resources

Honduras

United States

Military & Security

Presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla alleged fraud in Honduras' Nov. 30 general election, claiming that "an algorithm changed the data" to benefit candidate Nasry Asfura, Reuters reported on Dec. 4. 

Honduras: Presidential Candidate Alleges Manipulation of Election Results Amid High Political Tensions

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed the "Washington Accords," in which both sides reiterated their commitment to implementing their U.S.-brokered June peace deal, the U.S. State Department said in a press release on Dec. 4.

Congo, Rwanda: Tshisekedi Signs Peace Deal With Kagame, Strategic Partnership With U.S.

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Ethiopia's Amhara regional government and Fano militia commander Captain Masresha Setie signed a peace agreement in the presence of officials from the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, Addis Standard reported on Dec. 4.

Ethiopia: Amhara Regional Government Signs Peace Deal With Fano Faction

Tunisia

The Tunisian General Labor Union, or UGTT, called for a nationwide general strike on Jan. 21, citing the need for social dialogue, the right to collective bargaining and opposition to the public and private sector wage increases in the draft 2026 finance bill, all against the backdrop of President Kais Saied's ongoing crackdown on dissent, Reuters reported Dec. 5.

Tunisia: Powerful Labor Union Calls for General Strike Amid Rising Tensions With Government

Mali

Mahmoud Dicko, a prominent Malian religious and political figure who played a key role in the 2020 coup, has joined the country's exiled opposition coalition, the Coalition of Forces for the Republic (CFR), Jeune Afrique reported Dec. 5.

Mali: Imam Influential in the 2020 Coup Joins New Opposition Coalition, Calls for Dialogue with Jihadists

South Korea

Judges from across South Korea assembled at the Supreme Court and voiced concerns about the constitutionality and controversiality of two bills that President Lee Jae Myung's Democratic Party passed through the National Assembly on Dec. 3, Yonhap News Agency reported on Dec. 5. 

South Korea: Lee's Judicial Reforms Risk Overreach, Renewed Unrest

India

During his Dec. 4-5 visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, and both agreed to expand and diversify trade, Reuters reported on Dec. 5.

India, Russia: Putin and Modi Agree To Deepen India-Russia Trade

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

Tanzania

Hong Kong SAR, China

Ukraine

Protesters help an injured demonstrator near burning barricades amid clashes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Oct. 29, 2025. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Russia-Ukraine 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: Unrest in Tanzania, an EU Summit in Ukraine

U.S.-China Relations

Columns

On Geopolitics

China

Taiwan

Taiwanese President William Lai (center), flanked by other top officials in his government, discusses plans to propose a $40 billion supplemental defense budget during a news conference in Taipei on Nov. 26, 2025.

The 2025 Taiwan National Defense Report reflects Taipei's growing intent and tactical capabilities for deterrence by denial against a Chinese invasion, but it also highlights persistent challenges that contribute to a continually rising risk of conflict through 2028.

Taiwan Report Highlights Evolving Security Orientation

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 2, 2025.

Energy

Fundamental disagreements between Ukraine and Russia over territorial concessions and security guarantees suggest that peace negotiations are unlikely to lead to a comprehensive breakthrough.

Despite U.S. Diplomatic Push, Ukraine Peace Still a Long Way Off

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their bilateral meeting during the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: Putin-Modi Meeting, Honduras General Election

A Ukrainian serviceman from the 24th mechanized brigade prepares a Magura night drone to flight toward the front line in the area of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region late on April 29, 2025.

Ukraine's success in using cheap drones against Russia reveals how smaller states can leverage accessible technologies to impose disproportionate and sustained costs on a materially superior adversary.

Drones Are Redefining Asymmetric Warfare

United Kingdom

Portugal

Spain

People visit the 1627 Pilgrim Village at "Plimoth Plantation," where role-players portray pilgrims seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On Thanksgiving, the United States celebrates the Plymouth Colony. However, few know that New England's colonization was a response to major geopolitical pressures -- particularly England's struggle against the Spanish both on the Continent and in the New World.

Thanksgiving and Puritan Geopolitics in the Americas

While efforts by China and others to de-dollarize their international trade will fragment the international trade financing regime to some extent, they will do little to undermine the dollar's dominance.

The Geopolitics of Trade: De-dollarization and International Trade

Employees work at a garment factory in Tiruppur, in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, on Sept. 23, 2025.

While the reforms will eventually create a more competitive, transparent and predictable labor market, the potential for uneven state-level adoption and protests will create challenges for companies in the near term. 

India's Labor Code Reforms: Opportunities and Implementation Challenges

Snapshots

Iran

Iraq

Iraqi riot police walk past a screen displaying a portrait of incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani during celebrations by his supporters following the announcement of preliminary election results in Baghdad on Nov. 12, 2025. 

The Nov. 11 elections produced another fragmented legislature where Iranian-backed parties still have significant influence, portending contentious government formation talks that could impede policymaking and trigger armed clashes.

Iraq Braces for Another Turbulent Government Formation Process

Israel

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Workers clean the rubble from the site of a Nov. 23 Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in the southern Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut. Israel will likely opportunistically escalate airstrikes against Hezbollah and Hamas to further weaken the militant groups and push them toward disarmament without ending shaky ceasefires.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Miscalculation or an opportunity for Israel to significantly set back Hezbollah would, however, increase the likelihood of a return to major fighting. 

Despite More Intense Israeli Strikes, Hezbollah and Hamas Ceasefires Will Likely Hold

Angola

South Africa

Japan

Banners bearing portraits of leaders of the G20 on Nov. 20 in Johannesburg. The South African government has focused the G20 summit's agenda on issues key to African countries.

The Weekly Rundown: A High-Stakes British Budget, South Africa Hosts the G20

View of a Honduran national flag at La Laguna neighborhood, in the north of Tegucigalpa, on Nov. 11, 2025. 

Honduras' next government will face legislative gridlock, political instability and unrest, regardless of the victor.

The Challenges Facing Honduras' Upcoming General Election

Global Elections

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

EU, Kazakhstan: EU Bets on New Trade Route Through Kazakhstan To Secure Critical Resources

Honduras: Presidential Candidate Alleges Manipulation of Election Results Amid High Political Tensions

Congo, Rwanda: Tshisekedi Signs Peace Deal With Kagame, Strategic Partnership With U.S.

Ethiopia: Amhara Regional Government Signs Peace Deal With Fano Faction

Tunisia: Powerful Labor Union Calls for General Strike Amid Rising Tensions With Government

Mali: Imam Influential in the 2020 Coup Joins New Opposition Coalition, Calls for Dialogue with Jihadists

South Korea: Lee's Judicial Reforms Risk Overreach, Renewed Unrest

India, Russia: Putin and Modi Agree To Deepen India-Russia Trade

Forecasts

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