South Korea

Politics

Lee Yang-soo, the head of a task force launched by South Korea's ruling People Power Party on Dec. 9 to plan President Yoon Suk Yeol's early departure, said the task force had proposed that Yoon resign in February or March, the South China Morning Post reported on Dec. 10. 

South Korea: Ruling Party Proposes February-March Timeline for President Yoon’s Resignation

Israel

Lebanon

Syria

Military & Security

Syria's former rebel leader Mohammed al-Bashir was appointed provisional prime minister until March 1, 2025, marking the first formal appointment of the post-al Assad government after the regime fell to rebel forces on Dec. 8, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 10.

Syria, Israel: Syria's New Leaders Appoint Caretaker Prime Minister Amid Israeli Airstrikes

Russia

Syria's new rebel leaders reportedly agreed to temporarily guarantee the safety of Russian military facilities and diplomatic institutions in Syria, Reuters reported on Dec. 8.

Russia, Syria: Interim Agreement To Protect Russian Bases in Syria for Now

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso's newly appointed prime minister announced a 24-member government two days after junta leader Ibrahim Traore dismissed the government of then-Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela, Radio France Internationale reported on Dec. 8.

Burkina Faso: New Government Formed After Dissolution of Previous Administration

Bangladesh

India

Bangladesh's Foreign Secretary Mohammad Jashim Uddin and India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to discuss strained bilateral relations, AP reported on Dec. 9.

India, Bangladesh: Governments Discuss Recent Tensions

Ghana

Economics

Ghanaian Vice President and presidential candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party Mahamadu Bawumia conceded defeat to John Mahama, the presidential candidate for the opposition National Democratic Congress, or NDC, in the country's Dec. 7 general election, Reuters reported on Dec. 8.

Ghana: Opposition National Democratic Congress To Win Presidential Race, Secure Parliamentary Majority

Syrian President Bashar al Assad formally abdicated power, while Syrian rebels declared that an interim authority would be supervised by former Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali and led by rebel leader Mohammed al-Bashir, Russian state media and Al Jazeera reported on Dec. 8. 

Syria: Al Assad Abdicates, Rebels Establish Interim Authority

United States

China

Environment, Science & Technology

A federal appeals court sided with the U.S. Justice Department and ruled to uphold a law that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States if China-based owner ByteDance does not sell the app by Jan. 19, 2025, Politico reported on Dec. 6. 

U.S.: Federal Court Rules To Uphold TikTok Ban

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

Europe

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

Ukraine

Russian troops gather around their military vehicles in northeast Syria on Nov. 1, 2019. 

The collapse of Assad's government in Syria is a blow to the Kremlin's influence in the Middle East and its credibility as a security partner, which will further drive Russia to secure a resounding victory in Ukraine.

What Assad's Fall Means for Russia

Snapshots

South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol declares martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea. 

Legal, social and political pressures will likely still force Yoon out of office in the coming months, bringing a liberal president to power who would pursue pro-labor policies and reorient South Korea's foreign relations.

South Korea's President Yoon Not Impeached, but His End Is Nigh

Iran

Iraq

Turkey

Yemen

An anti-regime fighter tears off a poster depicting Syrian President Bashar al Assad (left) and his brother Maher at the airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Dec. 2, 2024. 

With its proxy network weakened, developing nuclear weapons will become a more attractive option for Iran as it tries to rebuild deterrence against the U.S. and Israel.

Assad's Fall in Syria Deals Another Blow to Iran's Axis of Resistance

U.S.-Iran Relations

Chart of stock market investment trading on blue background.

Economic coercion is becoming more prevalent in international politics, with certain countries leveraging their economic power to pursue political goals. 

Economic Power in International Politics

France

Protesters call for the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 6, 2024.

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

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Vote in South Korea, Syria's Government Wavers

Romania

Demonstrators hold EU and Romanian national flags during a pro-European rally in support of democracy at University Square in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 5, 2024, a few days before key elections. 

The ruling may bolster support for anti-establishment parties, undermine public trust in Romania's institutions and establish a dangerous precedent in other parts of Europe.

Romania's Election Annulment Raises the Stakes Domestically and Abroad

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

A child tapes a stick holding a Hamas flag during a demonstration in support of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Jan. 12, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Hamas' impending expulsion from Qatar will force the group to either relocate its Politburo or disperse its senior leaders across multiple countries, either of which would carry challenges.

With Its Welcome Worn Out in Qatar, Hamas Seeks a New Home Base

People gather in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on Dec. 4, 2024, after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law. 

The president's brief gambit will likely stall his agenda and eventually lead to his departure, giving rise to an opposition more skeptical of U.S. and Japanese defense ties.

South Korea's Yoon Quickly Scraps Martial Law Order, but the Political Damage Has Been Done

A voter casts their ballot in a voting booth in Ghana in June 2020.

An opposition victory would likely see the new government prioritize boosting the manufacturing sector and easing fiscal consolidation, while a ruling party victory would raise the risk of post-election violence.

Previewing Ghana's General Elections

Global Elections

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier delivers a speech at the National Assembly, the French Parliament's lower house, in Paris on Dec. 2, 2024.

France faces heightened political instability as no-confidence votes threaten the government following Prime Minister Barnier's use of Article 49.3 to pass the 2025 budget without parliamentary approval.

Barnier's Budget Gambit Triggers Political Showdown in French Parliament

Angola

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tanzania

Zambia

Marshall Islands

Palau

Taiwan

Tuvalu

Sri Lanka

U.S. President Joe Biden and President Joao Lourenco of Angola on Nov. 30, 2023, at the White House. Biden on Dec. 2-4 will visit Angola, where he will focus on the Lobito Corridor project that aims to refurbish and expand railways connecting critical mineral-rich regions in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Angolan port of Lobito.

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Angola, von der Leyen's Second Term

U.S.-China Relations

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

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

South Korea: Ruling Party Proposes February-March Timeline for President Yoon’s Resignation

Syria, Israel: Syria's New Leaders Appoint Caretaker Prime Minister Amid Israeli Airstrikes

Russia, Syria: Interim Agreement To Protect Russian Bases in Syria for Now

Burkina Faso: New Government Formed After Dissolution of Previous Administration

India, Bangladesh: Governments Discuss Recent Tensions

Ghana: Opposition National Democratic Congress To Win Presidential Race, Secure Parliamentary Majority

Syria: Al Assad Abdicates, Rebels Establish Interim Authority

U.S.: Federal Court Rules To Uphold TikTok Ban

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

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