<p>To the west of Eurasia lays Europe, a region predisposed to division. It is surrounded on nearly all sides by islands and peninsulas that make it difficult for Europe to cohere. The northern half of the continent, moreover, sits on a plain whose short, meandering rivers tend to empower countries without forcing them to work with others. The southern half is situated on more mountainous terrain that has historically impeded the creation of strong, unified economies. As a result, Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.</p>

Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.

Europe

Belize

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Beyond Quantitative Easing

The Ukraine Conflict

The Politics of Pipelines

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Brexit

The Fate of the Eurozone

Banking

Crossing Borders

Globalization

European Disintegration

Echoes of the Cold War

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Assessments

United States

U.S. President Donald Trump -- flanked by Vice President JD Vance (left) and Peter Mandelson, the U.K. ambassador to the United States (right) -- holds a phone call with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office of the White House on May 8, 2025. 

Economics

Global Trade

Politics

The agreement's narrow scope and quota system suggest the White House remains intent on restricting imports, meaning tariff relief for most other countries reaching deals will also be limited.

Trump Reaches First Post-Tariff Trade Deal With the U.K.

Supporters of the PiS party demonstrate April 12 in Warsaw, Poland. Poland will hold a presidential election May 18 and runoff June 1 if no candidate obtains more than 50% in the first round.

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

The outcome of Poland's election will determine whether Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist government will coexist with a cooperative president or continue to face institutional constraints from an ideologically opposed president.

Poland's Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Snapshots

Presidential candidate George Simion is shown on a screen addressing his supporters at the campaign headquarters of their candidate after polls closed on May 4, 2025 in Bucharest, Romania.

Far-right candidate George Simion's first-round win in Romania's presidential race highlights rising anti-establishment sentiment and uncertainty over the country's political and Western trajectory ahead of a tense May 18 runoff.

Romania Faces Turmoil After Far-Right Win in Presidential First Round

Columns

On Geopolitics

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Niger

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Senegal

Togo

Algeria

Morocco

A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

Canada

Iran

Ukraine

India

Pakistan

Indian soldiers stand guard atop their vehicle in Srinagar, India, on April 23, 2025, following a deadly militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Escalating Pakistan-India Tensions, Canadian Elections and Pope Francis' Funeral

U.S.-Iran Relations

China

A digital illustration of the Chinese and EU flags.

Transatlantic trade tensions have created a window for tactical EU-China engagement, but structural constraints and unresolved disputes limit prospects for meaningful realignment.

Budding EU-China Rapprochement Amid U.S. Tariffs Will Have Its Limits

U.S.-China Relations

Russia

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (2 L) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) attend a meeting with European and Ukrainian officials on April 17 at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

Ukraine will be forced to choose between compromising on its supposed red lines to de-escalate its war with Russia, or risk losing U.S. support and its battlefield position. 

Growing U.S. Pressure for a Peace Deal Puts Ukraine in a Difficult Position

Workers at a quarry Feb. 26, 2025 in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine.

Cyber

The Weekly Rundown: Von der Leyen Meets Starmer, a U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal

Ecuador

Cambodia

Malaysia

Vietnam

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, on March 11, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: Xi Tours Southeast Asia, Iran-U.S. Nuclear Talks Begin

Energy

France and Poland signed a wide-ranging bilateral defense, economic and energy cooperation treaty on May 9 in Nancy, France, Reuters reported the same day.

France, Poland: Governments Pledge Defense Cooperation, Nuclear-Sharing Discussions

The European Union is preparing a sweeping retaliatory package targeting up to 95 billion euros ($108 billion) worth of U.S. exports should trade negotiations with the Trump administration break down, Bloomberg reported on May 8. 

EU, U.S.: Brussels Prepares New Retaliatory Package on U.S. Products Should Talks Fail

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will meet in Switzerland on May 10-11 for trade talks, Bloomberg reported on May 6.

China, U.S.: Trade Talks To Commence in Switzerland

Newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to revive Franco-German cooperation to bolster Europe's security, economic resilience and global competitiveness in a joint article published by Le Figaro on May 7, just hours ahead of a bilateral meeting in Paris.

Germany, France: Merz and Macron Pledge To Revive Franco-German Engine

Friedrich Merz has been elected Germany's chancellor after a second round of voting in the Bundestag after surprisingly falling short in a first vote, Reuters reported May 6. 

Germany: Merz Elected New Chancellor After Second Round of Voting

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency, officially designated the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, as an extremist group following a comprehensive three-year investigation, citing its ethnic-based definition of national identity as a threat to democratic values, Reuters reported on May 2. 

Germany: Domestic Intelligence Agency Labels Far-Right AFD Party as Extremist Organization

British right-wing opposition party Reform UK won its fifth parliamentary seat in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election -- narrowly defeating the Labour Party of Prime Minister Keir Starmer by six votes, the BBC reported on May 2.

U.K.: Right-Wing Party's Electoral Gains Pressure Labour and Conservatives

Americas

French officials say the country remains opposed to an EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, stressing that recent U.S. tariff hikes have "not changed" their position on a deal they still deem unacceptable due to insufficient protections for domestic agricultural sectors, Politico reported April 30, citing unnamed government sources.

Europe, South America: France Reiterates Opposition To EU-Mercosur Trade Deal

Europe

SITUATION REPORTS

France, Poland: Governments Pledge Defense Cooperation, Nuclear-Sharing Discussions

EU, U.S.: Brussels Prepares New Retaliatory Package on U.S. Products Should Talks Fail

China, U.S.: Trade Talks To Commence in Switzerland

Germany, France: Merz and Macron Pledge To Revive Franco-German Engine

Germany: Merz Elected New Chancellor After Second Round of Voting

Germany: Domestic Intelligence Agency Labels Far-Right AFD Party as Extremist Organization

U.K.: Right-Wing Party's Electoral Gains Pressure Labour and Conservatives

Europe, South America: France Reiterates Opposition To EU-Mercosur Trade Deal

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