United States

Iran

Russia

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that includes cooperation on trade, defense, culture and science, though specific details were not publicized, AP reported on Jan. 17.

Russia, Iran: Russia and Iran Sign Comprehensive Treaty in Moscow

China

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a free speech argument filed by Chinese-based TikTok owner ByteDance, upholding a law that will require the Chinese company to divest itself from the social media platform or face a nationwide ban by Jan. 19, NBC News reported on Jan. 17. 

U.S.: Supreme Court Upholds Law Paving Way for TikTok Ban

Taiwan

Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party legislators suggested amending the annual budget to introduce cuts of up to 44% on 38 defense projects, including the country's domestic submarine development program, drones and mine-laying vessels, Focus Taiwan reported on Jan. 16.

Taiwan: Budget Cuts Highlight Potential Wrinkle in U.S. Defense Cooperation

U.S. President Joe Biden signed on Jan. 16 an executive order issuing a litany of cybersecurity directives, including bolstering federal cybersecurity measures and improving AI-powered defenses.

U.S.: Biden Issues Sweeping Cybersecurity Executive Order

Israel

Palestinian Territories

During a confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio, said the incoming administration would reverse Biden-era sanctions on violent Israeli individual settlers and entities, The Times of Israel reported Jan. 16.

U.S., Israel: Trump Nominee Pledges To Lift Sanctions on Violent Israeli Settlers 

Sudan

United Arab Emirates

The United States will impose financial sanctions on the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Reuters reported on Jan. 16, citing three different sources with knowledge on the matter.

Sudan: U.S. To Sanction SAF Leader Following Reported Chemical Weapons Use 

Ukraine

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's advisers are developing two sanctions strategies to facilitate an agreement resolving the Russia-Ukraine war, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 16. 

U.S., Russia: Trump's Advisors Prepare Sanctions Strategy for Negotiations With Russia 

Canada

The Canadian government drafted an initial list of $105 billion (CA$150 billion) worth of U.S. imports that it would target with tariffs if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump places tariffs on Canadian goods, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 15, citing an official familiar with the matter. 

Canada: Ottawa Drafts $100B List for Retaliatory Tariffs Against U.S.

Assessments

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

This map shows the approximate locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups.

U.S. Naval Update Map: Jan. 16, 2025

Columns

On Geopolitics

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Indonesia

Japan

Malaysia

Philippines

South Korea

Vietnam

India

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

Syria

Europe

Nation-states' growing use of hacktivist personas to obfuscate responsibility will increasingly enable them to attack targets they would otherwise avoid and spread propaganda.

Hacktivism Offers Plausible Deniability for State-Backed Cyber Actors

Trump's fiscal, deregulation and trade policies may initially boost U.S. economic growth, but potentially to the detriment of the rest of the world.

What To Expect From Trump's Economic Policies

Angola

Cote d'Ivoire

Ghana

Kenya

Nigeria

Argentina

Brazil

Ecuador

Mexico

Algeria

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Tunisia

Turkey

Yemen

Belarus

Pakistan

World map on a dark digital background representing global communication and global finances.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

U.S. Naval Update Map: Jan. 9, 2025

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, Guinea's President Alpha Conde, US President Donald Trump, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina, Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn pose on May 27, 2017 in Taormina, Sicily.

The Trump administration's more zero-sum approach to countering Chinese influence in Africa may find some success but risks alienating several African states, potentially enabling China to strengthen its foothold.

What to Expect From Trump 2.0's Approach to Africa

The Port of Houston Authority is seen during a strike among members of the International Longshoreman's Association on Oct. 1, 2024, in Houston, Texas. 

A dispute over port automation, along with the impending transition from Biden to Trump, will hinder progress in newly resumed talks between U.S. longshoremen and their employers, creating the risk of a highly disruptive strike.

The U.S. Braces for Another, Likely More Disruptive, Port Strike

Media

Podcasts

What is Salt Typhoon, and what happened in the recent hack against U.S. telecommunications companies? 

Essential Geopolitics: Unpacking China's Salt Typhoon Operation

U.S. Naval Update Map: Jan. 3, 2025

North Korea

As 2025 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five events as measured by geopolitical impact.

Global Elections

2024: A Geopolitical Review

U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 27, 2024

The United States encompasses territory spanning from the Arctic Circle and Central Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic.    The Greater Mississippi Basin is the United States' core and serves as the underpinning of its role as a global superpower.    The basin hosts an extensive network of navigable rivers that overlay the world's largest contiguous piece of arable land. This naturally interconnected river system facilitated integration among settlers and allowed for cheap transport of goods, providing the United States with the ability to feed itself efficiently and rapidly build up industry and capital to expand west. The Midwestern core gave early America strategic depth, while an expanding U.S. coastline, naturally indented with deep harbors, provided its opening to the world.    After reaching the Pacific coast in the mid-19th century, the United States found itself insulated by two oceans. On the continent itself, geography again has worked in the country's favor: lakes to the north and deserts to the south insulate the United States' population centers, with both Canada and Mexico facing too many natural constraints of their own to seriously rival it.    This unparalleled level of wealth and protection gives the United States options that few to no countries can claim. For one, the United States has used its wealth and security to build up the world's largest navy. Control of the world's major sea-lanes gives the United States the power to facilitate or deny trade to allies or rivals of the day. The onus therefore is on the United States to carefully manage its engagements abroad and build up strategic allies to protect its overseas interests and preserve its strength at home. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, Iran: Russia and Iran Sign Comprehensive Treaty in Moscow

U.S.: Supreme Court Upholds Law Paving Way for TikTok Ban

Taiwan: Budget Cuts Highlight Potential Wrinkle in U.S. Defense Cooperation

U.S.: Biden Issues Sweeping Cybersecurity Executive Order

U.S., Israel: Trump Nominee Pledges To Lift Sanctions on Violent Israeli Settlers

Sudan: U.S. To Sanction SAF Leader Following Reported Chemical Weapons Use

U.S., Russia: Trump's Advisors Prepare Sanctions Strategy for Negotiations With Russia

Canada: Ottawa Drafts $100B List for Retaliatory Tariffs Against U.S.

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