China

Pakistan

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with various Chinese officials this week during a six-day visit to China, resulting in the two countries signing $7 billion in memoranda of understanding as well as $1.5 billion in joint ventures across a range of sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, health and steel, AP reported Sept. 5.

Pakistan, China: Countries Sign $8.5 Billion in Investment Deals, Renew Commitment to Starting CPEC's Next Phase

Ecuador

United States

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Ecuador on Sept. 4 and met with President Daniel Noboa and Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Maria Gabriela Sommerfeld Rosero, during which Rubio announced that the United States would provide $20 million in new security commitments to the country, including $13 million for general security funding and $6 million for drones, Reuters reported the same day.

U.S., Ecuador: Rubio Pledges Security Funds to Quito, Says U.S. Is Designating Major Gangs as Terrorists

Ukraine

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Speaking at the Vladivostok Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that ''any troops'' deployed to Ukraine would be considered ''legitimate targets for destruction,'' Reuters reported Sept. 5. 

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Declares Foreign Troops in Ukraine 'Legitimate Targets,' Dismisses Current Peace Efforts

Venezuela

Two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Caribbean, which the Pentagon described as a highly provocative act, Reuters reported Sept. 5.

Americas: Venezuelan Jets Fly Over U.S. Warships as Tensions in Caribbean Escalate

Mali

Al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, announced on Sept. 3 that it had begun blockades on Mali's southwestern cities of Kayes and Nioro du Sahel, Radio France Internationale reported Sept. 4.

Mali: JNIM Imposes Blockade on Southwestern Cities, Announces Plan to Halt Fuel Shipments

Syria

Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa announced the launch of the Syrian Development Fund to promote the reconstruction of the country, Anadolu Agency reported on Sept. 4. 

Syria: Government Reconstruction Fund Reaches $30 Million in Minutes

Mexico

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and members of her cabinet in Mexico City on Sept. 3, during which they vowed to continue collaboration on cross-border security issues, including drug trafficking, AP reported the same day.

U.S., Mexico: Rubio Meets With Sheinbaum, Pledges Continued Security Collaboration

Nigeria

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed plans to establish state police forces in the country amid worsening insecurity, saying that decentralizing policing would strengthen local responses to violent crime, Sahara Reporters reported on Sept. 3.

Nigeria: Rising Violence Sparks Push for State Police

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

Below are our latest and most relevant military analyses. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

Cyber

The Ukraine Conflict

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

The Battle for Mosul

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

The Jihadist Wars

Echoes of the Cold War

Instability in Central Asia

South Asian Militancy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

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Environment, Science & Technology

The jihadist group Islamic State seized swaths of territory in Iraq and neighboring Syria in the first half of 2014, including the city of Mosul in June 2014. The U.S.-led coalition was established to combat the Islamic State in September 2014. Around the same time, the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, an umbrella organization of dozens of militias, many pro-Iranian, was also established to combat the Islamic State. At its peak in late 2014, the Islamic State held around 40% of Iraqi territory. However, by March 2018, the U.S.-led coalition announced that it had recaptured 98% of Islamic State-held territory in Iraq. 


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Global Elections

The U.S. Navy warship USS Sampson docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on Aug. 30, 2025. 

While further kinetic operations against Venezuelan drug trafficking groups are probable, the Trump administration's pressure campaign against Caracas is unlikely to escalate into a U.S. invasion or seriously threaten the Maduro regime.

Assessing U.S. Military Activity in the Caribbean and What It Means for Venezuela

Media

Lithuania

Germany

Finland

Latvia

Denmark

Estonia

Sweden

Poland

Podcasts

Why is the Baltic such a critical and complex region?

Essential Geopolitics: Remilitarization in the Baltic

The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

Geopolitical, security and environmental risks threaten to disrupt trade through crucial waterways, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Suez Canal, the Danish and Turkish straits, and the Panama Canal.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 2

North Korea

India

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

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 SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

Djibouti

Somalia

The flag of Somaliland is seen during a political rally in Hargeisa on Nov. 8, 2024.

The United States is growing more likely to recognize Somaliland's statehood to secure basing rights in the territory, which would likely roil U.S.-Somalia relations and risk plunging Somalia into crisis.

Assessing the Prospect of the U.S. Recognizing Somaliland's Independence

Diverse security risks threaten maritime chokepoints around the world, presenting unique challenges to international trade.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 1

Snapshots

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting on May 14, 2015, in Xian, China. 

While Trump-era tariff pressures offer a new economic incentive for cooperation, Beijing and New Delhi are unlikely to fully normalize ties due to enduring strategic and security concerns.

Despite Modest Improvement, India-China Relations Face Enduring Challenges

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks after the Presidential Cabinet meeting on May 12, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey.

The process remains fragile amid the risk of stalled progress on the PKK's disarmament, the lingering threat of Kurdish militant attacks, and the potential for empty government promises.

Threats to the Turkish-Kurdish Peace Process

Norway

The building housing Norway's parliament is seen on May 17, 2025, in Oslo.

The Sept. 8 vote could result in another left-wing coalition focused on welfare and climate, a right-wing coalition focused on tax cuts and oil production, or perhaps even an unprecedented grand coalition between the country's two largest parties.

Norway's Legislative Elections: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Myanmar

A photo taken on Jan. 11, 2022, shows soldiers from the Taaung National Liberation Army (TNLA), a Palaung ethnic armed group, gathering in Myanmar's northern Shan state.

The junta's recent announcements portend intensified violence ahead of what will be highly controlled elections, which will further fragment the war-torn nation but may also help ease its international isolation.

Myanmar's Elections and the Military's Quest for Legitimacy

France

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks during a press conference in Paris on Aug. 25, 2025. 

In the likely case that the Prime Minister Bayrou loses the Sept. 8 vote, Macron will either have to appoint another weak government or call early legislative elections, prolonging political instability and heightening financial risks.

New Political Crisis Grips France as Bayrou Gambles on Confidence Vote

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

Pakistan, China: Countries Sign $8.5 Billion in Investment Deals, Renew Commitment to Starting CPEC's Next Phase

U.S., Ecuador: Rubio Pledges Security Funds to Quito, Says U.S. Is Designating Major Gangs as Terrorists

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Declares Foreign Troops in Ukraine 'Legitimate Targets,' Dismisses Current Peace Efforts

Americas: Venezuelan Jets Fly Over U.S. Warships as Tensions in Caribbean Escalate

Mali: JNIM Imposes Blockade on Southwestern Cities, Announces Plan to Halt Fuel Shipments

Syria: Government Reconstruction Fund Reaches $30 Million in Minutes

U.S., Mexico: Rubio Meets With Sheinbaum, Pledges Continued Security Collaboration

Nigeria: Rising Violence Sparks Push for State Police

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