United States

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order late on Dec. 11 that seeks to curb state-level artificial intelligence laws as part of the administration's larger deregulation push for the sector, The Washington Post reported the same day. 

U.S.: Trump Signs Executive Order Aiming To Curb State AI Laws

Bangladesh

Economics

Bangladesh's Election Commission announced that the country will hold parliamentary elections on Feb. 12, Reuters reported on Dec. 11.

Bangladesh: Election Commission Announces Election Date

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya

Nigeria

South Africa

The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved a three-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, Reuters reported on Dec. 11.

U.S., Africa: House of Representatives Committee Approves AGOA Extension

Israel

China

Taiwan

Military & Security

Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu traveled to Israel on an unpublicized foreign trip earlier in December, according to Reuters sources on Dec. 11, though the sources declined to state with whom he met or what they discussed.

Taiwan, Israel: Taipei Likely Seeks Israeli Defense Support, Could Stir Chinese Retaliation 

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned following weeks of nationwide mass protests accusing his government of corruption and criticizing its economic policies, Reuters reported on Dec. 11.

Bulgaria: New Snap Election Likely as Prime Minister Resigns Amid Mass Protests

Cambodia

Thailand

Exchanges involving artillery, drone and rocket fire spread across several sectors, according to multiple sources, with 10 Cambodian and the first Thai civilian deaths confirmed and displacement surpassing several hundred thousand on both sides of the border, Nikkei Asia reported on Dec. 11.

Thailand, Cambodia: Civilian Costs Mount as Fighting Enters Fifth Day

Syria

The U.S. House voted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2025-26 to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, sending it on to the Senate, where its passage looks likely, and on to President Donald Trump, who will sign it, Al Jazeera reported on Dec. 11.

U.S., Syria: Washington To Lift Caesar Sanctions on Syria

Indonesia

Russia

Energy

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Moscow, offering expanded military cooperation, nuclear energy assistance and renewed wheat export volumes after a year of disrupted shipments, Reuters reported on Dec. 10.

Indonesia, Russia: Jakarta Expands Military and Energy Links With Moscow

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.

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

Tunisia

Tunisia's President Kais Saied (top-R) waits to take his oath of office during his swearing-in ceremony before the National Assembly in Tunis on Oct. 21, 2024. 

Despite tensions with union leaders, Tunisia's controversial finance bill will introduce reforms that attract foreign investment and increase production in key sectors.

Strikes Loom as Tunisia's Government Undermines Labor Union

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (center), flanked by his wife (left) and Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh (right), attends the official inauguration ceremony of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, on Sept. 9, 2025.

Worsening tensions over sea access and Eritrea's ties to groups opposed to the Ethiopian government raise the risk of intensifying proxy clashes that could quickly escalate into a larger military confrontation.

Assessing the Risk of an Ethiopia-Eritrea War in 2026

Iran

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Yemen

Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv amid a fresh barrage of Iranian rockets on June 16, 2025.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

If effective, the laser air defense system will significantly reduce the cost of intercepting short-range aerial threats and bolster Israel's multilayered protection against aerial attacks.


The Role of Iron Beam in Israel's Evolving Defense Architecture

Jordanian police close the entrance of a Muslim Brotherhood headquarters on April 23, 2025, in Amman, Jordan.

While the White House has initiated a review process to label the Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization, it is unlikely to result in a comprehensive ban on the group.

U.S. Unlikely To Broadly Designate Muslim Brotherhood as a Terrorist Organization

Philippines

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his third State of the Nation Address before lawmakers at the House of Representatives on July 22, 2024 in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. 

A widespread corruption scandal is threatening to cause political instability in the Philippines, which could lead to policy paralysis and weaken the Philippines' posture against China.

A Corruption Scandal Threatens Political Crisis in the Philippines

Benin

France

A photo taken on Dec. 8, 2025, shows an armored vehicle at the entrance of a blocked road in Cotonou, Benin, near the headquarters of the state broadcaster Benin TV.

The coup attempt will increase political and security risks ahead of Benin's 2026 elections, while the swift, Nigeria-led ECOWAS intervention suggests Abuja is assuming a more assertive regional role with tacit French backing following Paris's troop drawdown.

Benin's Foiled Coup Signals Strengthening Franco-Nigerian Coordination in West Africa

A Thai soldier points out an area on a map near the Cambodian border during a press visit on Aug. 16, 2025, in Sisaket, Thailand. 

Renewed fighting along the border could surpass the July clashes in scale, and while U.S. pressure will likely compel both countries to return to the ceasefire, the risk of future flare-ups will remain high.

Latest Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Will Test U.S. Appetite for Intervention

Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard as Egyptian and Red Cross workers search for the bodies of the last two remaining hostages from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 1, 2025.

The shift toward a low-intensity conflict in the Gaza Strip will likely enable Israel to keep pressuring Hamas to disarm without triggering significant backlash or a resumption of Houthi maritime attacks.

Israel Moves Toward a De Facto Partition of Gaza

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. 

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

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.

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

Honduras

India

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

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S.: Trump Signs Executive Order Aiming To Curb State AI Laws

Bangladesh: Election Commission Announces Election Date

U.S., Africa: House of Representatives Committee Approves AGOA Extension

Taiwan, Israel: Taipei Likely Seeks Israeli Defense Support, Could Stir Chinese Retaliation

Bulgaria: New Snap Election Likely as Prime Minister Resigns Amid Mass Protests

Thailand, Cambodia: Civilian Costs Mount as Fighting Enters Fifth Day

U.S., Syria: Washington To Lift Caesar Sanctions on Syria

Indonesia, Russia: Jakarta Expands Military and Energy Links With Moscow

Forecasts

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