United States

Qatar

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

The United States and Qatar committed to a $1.2 trillion "economic exchange," Qatar Airways' $200 billion purchase of 160 Boeing jets, and defense deals, including the Qatari acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles, Reuters reported on May 14.

U.S., Qatar: Governments Sign Economic Commitments, Defense Deals

Haiti

The U.S. government is considering deploying Latin American peacekeeping troops to Haiti to help combat extreme gang violence if Russia and China veto the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers, the Financial Times reported on May 13.

Haiti, U.S.: Washington Considers Organization of American States Deployment to Haiti 

Mali

Mali's junta leader, Gen. Assimi Goita, officially dissolved all political parties and politically affiliated organizations across the country via a presidential decree, Radio France Internationale reported on May 13.

Mali: Junta Officially Dissolves Political Parties

Cambodia

China

China and Cambodia initiated the 2025 iteration of their annual Golden Dragon military drills, the largest ever between the two countries and the largest ever in Cambodian history, which will run through May 28, AFP reported May 14.

China, Cambodia: Beijing, Phnom Penh Kick Off Largest Ever Joint Drills

Europe

NATO allies are advancing plans for a collective pledge to raise defense spending targets to 5% of GDP by 2032, Bloomberg reported on May 14. 

NATO: Members Working Toward New 5% of GDP Defense Spending Target

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Poland

Ukraine

Russia

EU ambassadors approved a new package of sanctions on Russia, the 17th since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with measures including visa bans and asset freezes on senior Russian officials, export bans on dual-use chemicals and restrictions targeting dozens of companies accused of sanctions evasion, Politico reported May 14. 

EU, Russia: EU Ambassadors Approve 17th Package of Sanctions Against Russia

Australia

Indonesia

Newly reelected Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will make a state visit on May 14-15 to Indonesia, the Jakarta Globe reported on May 13.

Australia, Indonesia: Albanese's First Post-Election Trip To Focus on Supply Chains, Trade and Defense Ties

Niger

Turkey

A mutiny broke out at a Nigerien military garrison based in Termit, a remote desert area in northeastern Niger, after hundreds of angry soldiers denounced chronic malnutrition, lack of adequate equipment, and delays in the payment of salaries and bonuses, citing the deterioration of their living conditions, Radio France Internationale reported on May 13.

Niger: Soldiers Mutiny in Northeastern Termit Camp, U.S Ambassador Presents Credentials to Junta Leader

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

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

Snapshots

Philippines

Supporters of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attend a campaign rally in Mandaluyong, the Philippines, on May 9, 2025, ahead of the midterm elections. 

President Marcos' diminished Senate majority could slow defense deals in the short term and tilt foreign policy back toward neutrality or a China-friendly stance in the long term.

Midterm Elections Deal a Blow to the Philippines' U.S.-Friendly President

Assessments

A Syrian Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing a picture of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, as people gather in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria to listen to a message from the jailed leader on Feb. 27, 2025. 

While the disbandment will reduce the near-term risk of Kurdish militant attacks, the peace process could still collapse, which would rob the government of the political support it needs to secure Erdogan's 2028 reelection bid.

What the PKK's Disbandment Means for Turkish Politics and Security

India

Pakistan

The Bombay Stock Exchange building May 7 in Mumbai, India. If military hostilities were to resume and lead to a prolonged conflict, Pakistan would be far less well-positioned than India to sustain it from an economic and financial perspective.

If military hostilities were to resume and lead to a prolonged conflict, Pakistan would be far less well-positioned than India to sustain it from an economic and financial perspective.

The Economic Case for an India-Pakistan Ceasefire

Indian soldiers pay respect during a wreath-laying ceremony for a soldier who was killed during a cross-border firing between India and Pakistan, in Jammu on May 12, 2025. 

While the near-term threat of severe escalation has waned, ongoing tensions over thorny issues like Kashmir and water-sharing will sustain the risk of cross-border flare-ups.

Amid India and Pakistan's Tenuous Ceasefire, Future Flare-Ups Remain Possible

This combination of pictures shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) during a press conference in Berlin on June 11, 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow on March 18, 2025.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

While direct talks mark a notable development in the peace process, Moscow will not make meaningful concessions unless it faces bolder action from the West (particularly the U.S.), like asset seizures and increased military aid to Ukraine.

Russia Agrees To Hold Talks With Ukraine Amid U.S. Pressure, but Peace Will Remain Elusive

A Chinese frigate participates in a naval parade in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong province, on April 23, 2019. 

A shift from coastguard to naval confrontations raises the likelihood of sharp, short direct conflict that would significantly worsen already high maritime tensions.

Chinese-Philippine Naval Confrontations Raise the Stakes in South China Sea Tensions

Columns

On Geopolitics

Iran

Iraq

Syria

Yemen

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B aircraft over the North Sea having taken off from RAF Fairford on July 1, 2016 in Gloucestershire, England. The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

Washington Bumps up Against the Limits of Airpower in the Middle East

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.

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

Soldiers and onlookers inspect the debris of a mosque damaged by Indian strikes in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on May 7, 2025. 

While a full-scale conflict remains unlikely, escalating tensions will increase security risks in both countries, including travel and business disruptions, nationalist protests, potential militant attacks, and increased cyber threat activity.

India's Retaliation for Kashmir Attack Will Provoke a Pakistani Response

The allure of implementing a sphere of influence model is more likely to disappoint those who may argue that it would create more stability and security.

The Temptations of a Sphere-of-Influence Model of International Relations

After winning the general election, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese waves as he arrives onstage at the Labor Party election night event in Sydney on May 3, 2025. 

Energy

The Labor Party's sweeping victory in Australia will strengthen Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's ability to increase public spending and bolster ties with foreign partners.

Albanese Returns Stronger Than Ever Following Australia's General Election

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Israeli soldiers conduct a raid in the West Bank on March 19, 2025. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Israel's newly approved plan to expand its offensive against Hamas will invite more Houthi attacks on its territory, worsen Gaza's humanitarian crisis, and fuel backlash both at home and abroad. 

To Break Hamas, Israel Prepares to Reoccupy Gaza

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Qatar: Governments Sign Economic Commitments, Defense Deals

Haiti, U.S.: Washington Considers Organization of American States Deployment to Haiti

Mali: Junta Officially Dissolves Political Parties

China, Cambodia: Beijing, Phnom Penh Kick Off Largest Ever Joint Drills

NATO: Members Working Toward New 5% of GDP Defense Spending Target

EU, Russia: EU Ambassadors Approve 17th Package of Sanctions Against Russia

Australia, Indonesia: Albanese's First Post-Election Trip To Focus on Supply Chains, Trade and Defense Ties

Niger: Soldiers Mutiny in Northeastern Termit Camp, U.S Ambassador Presents Credentials to Junta Leader

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