United States

Venezuela

Military & Security

Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media a video of a kinetic strike that killed three people on a boat in the southern Caribbean Sea, claiming the strike targeted "extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists," El Pais reported on Sept. 15.

U.S., Venezuela: Additional U.S. Strikes in Caribbean To Escalate Tensions With Venezuela

China

Economics

The U.S. and Chinese trade teams claimed to have reached a "framework consensus" at the end of their second day of talks in Madrid on how to address the United States' impending Sept. 17 deadline for TikTok's Chinese owners to divest, Reuters reported on Sept. 15.

U.S., China: Madrid Talks Likely To Produce TikTok Delay, Little Else

U.S.-China Relations

South Korea

South Korea's presidential office released a statement on Sept. 16 noting it was in no rush to conclude a U.S. trade deal "just because of time pressure" if it meant sacrificing Korean companies' interests.

South Korea, U.S.: Lack of Deal Strains Ties as Japan's Lower Tariffs Kick In

South Sudan

Sudan

Uganda

A faction within South Sudan's opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In-Opposition party (SPLM-IO), which supports suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, called for armed mobilization to pursue "regime change," AFP reported on Sept.15.

South Sudan: Opposition Demands Regime Change After Treason Charges Filed Against First Vice President

Mali

Energy

Militants of al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, destroyed at least 40 fuel delivery trucks that were being escorted by the Malian military in southwestern Mali, Reuters reported on Sept. 15, based on conversations with a truckers’ union official.

Mali: JNIM Destroys Over 40 Fuel Delivery Trucks as It Ramps Up Fuel Blockade Strategy

Tanzania

Tanzania's electoral commission disqualified the presidential candidate of the opposition ACT-Wazalendo party, Luhaga Mpina, for a second time just two days after reinstating his candidacy, The Chanzo reported on Sept. 15. 

Tanzania: Electoral Commission Bars ACT-Wazalendo Candidate for Second Time

Europe

Slovakia

Hungary

Russia

The European Union delayed the presentation of its 19th package of sanctions against Russia from Sept. 17 to an unspecified date, Politico reported Sept. 16, citing EU diplomats.

EU, Russia: Brussels Delays 19th Sanctions Package Against Moscow

For the first time, the European Commission unilaterally added new items to the European Union's export control list the week of Sept. 8, bypassing the usual Wassenaar Arrangement process, under which Russia could block additions, the Financial Times reported on Sept. 15.

EU: Brussels Exercises New Export Control Powers Under Economic Security Strategy

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

Algeria

Anti-riot police officers on April 8 in front of the Algerian Embassy in Bamako, Mali. While a full-scale military conflict remains very unlikely, Mali's legal challenge against Algeria ensures that diplomatic and security friction will define the relationship for the foreseeable future.

While a full-scale military conflict remains very unlikely, Mali's legal challenge against Algeria ensures that diplomatic and security friction will define the relationship for the foreseeable future.

Mali's ICJ Case Against Algeria Will Deepen Diplomatic Standoff in the Sahel

Columns

On Geopolitics

Egypt

Iraq

Jordan

Lebanon

Morocco

Syria

Turkey

A mosque in March 2025 in Herat, Afghanistan. Whether Islamism revives as in the Levant, evolves pragmatically through parties with Islamic values as in Turkey, or changes beyond all recognition remains up in the air.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Whether Islamism revives as in the Levant, evolves pragmatically through parties with Islamic values as in Turkey, or changes beyond all recognition remains up in the air.

The Future of Islamism in the Middle East

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sept. 7 in Brasilia, Brazil. Lula's failure to acknowledge changes in Brazilian society and power dynamics are leaving him struggling to resonate with voters.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's failure to acknowledge changes in Brazilian society and power dynamics is making it difficult for him to resonate with voters.

Lula's Old Playbook Meets a New Political Reality

From left to right, Small Business Administration administrator Kelly Loeffler, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin listen as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting on Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

As federal agencies tasked with countering foreign threats are defunded and social media giants relax their rules, the U.S. information space is becoming significantly more vulnerable to state-sponsored manipulation.

U.S. Digital Defenses Weaken, Opening the Door for Nation-State Operations

Chile

Israel

Qatar

United Kingdom

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani addresses a press conference following Israeli strikes in Doha on Sept. 9, 2025. 

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

The Weekly Rundown: Qatar Hosts an Arab-Islamic Summit, EU Announces New Sanctions on Russia

Iran

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

A picture taken from a distance shows the damaged building (L) in the Qatari compound housing members of Hamas' political bureau on Sept. 10, 2025. Israel targeted the building the previous day in a strike in Qatar's capital, Doha. 

Israel's Sept. 9 airstrikes in Qatar will likely harden the stances of Iranian-backed groups, keep normalization with Saudi Arabia off the table and drive more assertive postures from other regional states.

The Regional Implications of Israel's Strikes in Qatar

On Security

Police tape hangs in front of Utah Valley University following the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk during an event at the campus Sept. 12, 2025 in Orem, Utah. The period between now and whenever the current wave of political violence ebbs is likely to be volatile, punctuated by further attacks, domestic political instability and the erosion of U.S. global influence.

Political Instability & Social Unrest

War, Insurgency & Terrorism

The period between now and whenever the current wave of political violence ebbs is likely to be volatile, punctuated by further attacks, domestic political instability and the erosion of U.S. global influence.

Charlie Kirk's Assassination: The Latest Chapter in America's Long History of Political Violence

Kazakhstan

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev waits to greet foreign leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 4, 2024.

Despite President Tokayev's reform proposals, Kazakhstan's succession process will remain vulnerable to destabilizing forces, including elite rivalries and foreign influence.

How Kazakhstan's Proposed Reforms Will Impact the Question of Succession

A vehicle in a U.S. military convoy drives in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The U.S. drawdown from Iraq will weaken Washington's direct influence while creating more space for Turkey to expand economically and Iran to gradually reassert itself through political and militia networks. 

Iraq's Shifting Power Dynamics After U.S. Withdrawal

Burkina Faso

Chad

Niger

Nigeria

Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) drive in pick-ups during training at the Sector 3 MNJTF military base headquarters in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. 

Armed groups will continue to expand across Nigeria as the government struggles with domestic constraints and limits on regional security cooperation.

In Nigeria, Security Forces Struggle To Address Growing Militancy

Snapshots

Nepal

Demonstrators carrying Nepal's national flag stage a protest outside the parliament building in Kathmandu on Sept. 8, 2025, against social media prohibitions and government corruption. 

Despite the prime minister's resignation and the lifting of a controversial social media ban, risks of violent unrest will likely persist as long-standing political instability deepens.

Nepal's Political Instability Deepens as Violent Protests Prompt Prime Minister's Resignation

Palestinian Territories

Smoke billows after explosions in Qatar's capital of Doha on Sept. 9. The attack will reduce the odds of a ceasefire in Gaza as Qatar walks back from its role as mediator and reassesses its regional diplomatic and security strategy.

The attack will reduce the odds of a ceasefire in Gaza as Qatar walks back from its role as mediator and reassesses its regional diplomatic and security strategy.

Israel's Attack on Hamas' Political Leadership Scrambles Qatar's Regional Role

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Venezuela: Additional U.S. Strikes in Caribbean To Escalate Tensions With Venezuela

U.S., China: Madrid Talks Likely To Produce TikTok Delay, Little Else

South Korea, U.S.: Lack of Deal Strains Ties as Japan's Lower Tariffs Kick In

South Sudan: Opposition Demands Regime Change After Treason Charges Filed Against First Vice President

Mali: JNIM Destroys Over 40 Fuel Delivery Trucks as It Ramps Up Fuel Blockade Strategy

Tanzania: Electoral Commission Bars ACT-Wazalendo Candidate for Second Time

EU, Russia: Brussels Delays 19th Sanctions Package Against Moscow

EU: Brussels Exercises New Export Control Powers Under Economic Security Strategy

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