United States

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The United States agreed to give Ukraine targeting data to help guide long-range missile strikes against Russian energy sites, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 1.

Ukraine: U.S. Expands Intelligence Support for Strikes Inside Russia

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Science & Technology

During the government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, the United States' premier cybersecurity agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will retain only 889 employees or roughly a third (35%) of its 2,540 employees, while the remainder will be furloughed, The Washington Post reported the same day.

U.S.: Government Shutdown Imperils Country's Cybersecurity Preparedness

China

Economics

U.S.-China Relations

U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue held a closed-door meeting with U.S. lawmakers in which he offered no potential method or timeline to revive Chinese agriculture purchases, including of U.S. soybeans, Bloomberg reported Sept. 30.

China, U.S.: Trade Tensions To Deepen in Winter Over Agriculture Purchases

Taiwan

Taiwanese Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun on Oct. 1 rejected a recent request by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for Taiwan to move to the United States at least 50% of its production capacity for the semiconductor chips it sells to the United States, saying that the issue ''was not discussed in this round of negotiation, and we will not agree to such a condition,'' Bloomberg reported.

Taiwan, U.S.: Taipei Rejects Washington's Pitch To Onshore More Chip Capacity 

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom issued a new order to Apple to create a backdoor allowing officials to access its encrypted cloud storage, with the order limited to British users' accounts, The Financial Times reported on Oct 1.

U.K.: London Orders Apple To Allow Access to British Users' Cloud Storage

After Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a compromise on a continuing resolution on Sept. 30, the federal government shut down on Oct. 1, the Financial Times reported the same day.

U.S.: Federal Government Shuts Down

The U.S. Department of Energy took a 5% stake in Lithium Americas and a 5% stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mining joint venture with General Motors, Lithium Americas announced on Oct. 1. 

U.S.: Government Takes Stake in Lithium Americas

Australia

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defense Minister Richard Marles clarified that a U.S. review of Pillar I of the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact was ongoing despite media reports that the review had already cleared, The West Australian reported Sept. 30.

U.S., Australia: Pentagon AUKUS Review Likely Nearing Conclusion

Assessments

Bahrain

Iran

Israel

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. and Qatari military personnel at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, on May 15, 2025.

The U.S. president's pledge to defend Qatar may deter future Israeli attacks, but it is unlikely to deter Iranian aggression or allay Gulf states' greater concerns about Washington's commitment to their security.

Trump's Security Guarantees for Qatar Unlikely To Offer Enough Reassurance

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Europe

The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

Persistent conflict and armed group control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will sustain significant legal, financial and reputational pressures on companies sourcing critical minerals from the region for the foreseeable future.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Due Diligence and Congo's Critical Minerals

Columns

On Geopolitics

Palestinian Territories

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29, 2025. 

The once-unshakable consensus on Israel within U.S. politics is fracturing under the weight of generational change, a growing values gap and a misalignment of geopolitical imperatives.

'A Little Sparta': Why the U.S.-Israeli Relationship Is Destined To Change 

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: Oct. 2, 2025

The U.N. Security Council holds a meeting on Iran at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, on Sept. 19, 2025. 

Energy

U.S.-Iran Relations

The increased isolation will make Iran more reliant on China and Russia, while the added economic strain could fuel domestic protests and empower Iranian hard-liners calling for more aggressive action against the West.

U.N. Sanctions Snapback: What's Next for Iran?

Denmark

Moldova

Representatives are pictured ahead of a working session during the informal EU foreign ministers' meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Aug. 30, 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: EU Leaders Meet in Denmark, Moldova Elects a New Parliament

Syria

Turkey

Israeli military vehicles drive along a border fence, near the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on July 17, 2025. 

Syria and Israel will likely ink a security pact to ease border tensions before the end of the year, but the deal's likely narrow scope and other unresolved disputes will keep it fragile.

The Implications of a Syria-Israel De-Escalation Agreement

France

Dignitaries attend a U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestinian statehood, during the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2025, in New York City. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Western countries' growing recognition of Palestinian statehood is largely symbolic and will likely galvanize Israel's push for West Bank annexation, risking further Israeli diplomatic isolation abroad and sporadic violence at home.

The West's Growing Support for Palestinian Statehood Will Have Limited Concrete Impacts

U.S. Naval Update Map: Sept. 25, 2025

On Security

An aerial view of the IAD71 Amazon Web Services data center is seen on July 17, 2024, in Ashburn, Virginia. 

Social Issues

AI's displacement of workers, the environmental impact of data centers and fears of pervasive surveillance are creating a potent mix of grievances likely to fuel violent extremism against targets associated with the technology.

The Coming Violent Backlash Against AI

An H1B visa (for specialty workers) stamp is seen in a passport.

The sudden implementation of a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas will disproportionately harm smaller companies and universities and weigh on the U.S. economy.

The H-1B Fee Will Undermine U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness

Guyana

Japan

The President of the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly and former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a General Assembly meeting to vote on a two-state solution to the Palestinian question on Sept. 12 at the United Nations in New York. Countries including Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom will likely formally recognize Palestinian statehood over the next several days at the assembly.

The Weekly Rundown: Western Countries Recognize Palestine, the EU Discusses a 'Drone Wall'

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

Ukraine: U.S. Expands Intelligence Support for Strikes Inside Russia

U.S.: Government Shutdown Imperils Country's Cybersecurity Preparedness

China, U.S.: Trade Tensions To Deepen in Winter Over Agriculture Purchases

Taiwan, U.S.: Taipei Rejects Washington's Pitch To Onshore More Chip Capacity

U.K.: London Orders Apple To Allow Access to British Users' Cloud Storage

U.S.: Federal Government Shuts Down

U.S.: Government Takes Stake in Lithium Americas

U.S., Australia: Pentagon AUKUS Review Likely Nearing Conclusion

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