Mexico

United States

China

Economics

Politics

Late on Sept. 11, a Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson addressed Mexico's impending tariffs on Chinese automobiles by saying, "Any unilateral tariff increase by Mexico…will be seen as appeasement and compromise of unilateral bullying" by the United States, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 12. 

China, Mexico: Beijing Likely To Retaliate Against Auto Tariffs

Brazil

Military & Security

Brazil's Federal Supreme Court convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and seven of his close allies of five crimes involving a coup attempt in 2022, g1 reported on Sept. 11. 

Brazil: Bolsonaro's Conviction To Trigger Additional U.S. Punitive Measures and Unrest Risks

Belarus

U.S. envoy John Coale announced in Minsk that Washington lifted sanctions on Belarusian airline Belavia on direct instructions from U.S. President Donald Trump and pledged to work toward reopening the U.S. Embassy, Reuters reported on Sept. 11.

Belarus, U.S.: Trump Lifts Belavia Sanctions as Minsk Frees Prisoners in Bid for Rapprochement

Europe

Ukraine

Russia

India

U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders during a conference call on Sept. 9 that he would be willing to add new tariffs on India and China to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine, but only if the Europeans also applied such tariffs, according to Bloomberg.

U.S., Europe: Trump Proposes U.S.-Europe Tariffs on China, Brussels Will Reject It

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum submitted to Congress a bill proposing the introduction of taxes on 1,400 products imported from countries with which Mexico does not have a free trade agreement, mostly from Asia, El Economista reported on Sept. 9.

Mexico: Import Taxes Targeting Asian Goods To Help Appease Washington

Australia

U.S.-China Relations

Australia will spend $1.1 billion to produce and deploy more than two dozen so-called Ghost Shark autonomous submarines with U.S. defense tech firm Anduril, the Australian Financial Review reported Sept. 10. 

Australia: Canberra Commissioning Drone Submarine Fleet with Anduril

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

U.S. federal officials are investigating a purported Chinese-linked social engineering campaign that impersonated a Republican lawmaker and targeted several trade groups, law firms and government agencies in mid-July, apparently in an effort to garner insights about ongoing U.S.-Chinese trade talks, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 7.

U.S., China: Beijing Threat Actors Impersonated U.S. Lawmaker To Gather Intelligence on Trade Talks

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

An EU delegation is in the United States to coordinate a new sanctions package against Russia, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 8. 

Russia, EU, U.S.: U.S.-EU Sanctions Push Complicated by Energy Rift Ahead of Washington Talks

Assessments

Chile

Israel

Qatar

United Kingdom

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani addresses a press conference following Israeli strikes in Doha on Sept. 9, 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: Qatar Hosts an Arab-Islamic Summit, EU Announces New Sanctions on Russia

Media

Podcasts

Essential Geopolitics: What Gabbard's ODNI Cuts Mean for Corporate Security

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Lebanon

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

A picture taken from a distance shows the damaged building (L) in the Qatari compound housing members of Hamas' political bureau on Sept. 10, 2025. Israel targeted the building the previous day in a strike in Qatar's capital, Doha. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Israel's Sept. 9 airstrikes in Qatar will likely harden the stances of Iranian-backed groups, keep normalization with Saudi Arabia off the table and drive more assertive postures from other regional states.

The Regional Implications of Israel's Strikes in Qatar

Columns

On Security

Police tape hangs in front of Utah Valley University following the fatal shooting of political activist Charlie Kirk during an event at the campus Sept. 12, 2025 in Orem, Utah. The period between now and whenever the current wave of political violence ebbs is likely to be volatile, punctuated by further attacks, domestic political instability and the erosion of U.S. global influence.

Political Instability & Social Unrest

War, Insurgency & Terrorism

The period between now and whenever the current wave of political violence ebbs is likely to be volatile, punctuated by further attacks, domestic political instability and the erosion of U.S. global influence.

Charlie Kirk's Assassination: The Latest Chapter in America's Long History of Political Violence

A vehicle in a U.S. military convoy drives in Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The U.S. drawdown from Iraq will weaken Washington's direct influence while creating more space for Turkey to expand economically and Iran to gradually reassert itself through political and militia networks. 

Iraq's Shifting Power Dynamics After U.S. Withdrawal

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: Sept. 11, 2025

Snapshots

Palestinian Territories

Smoke billows after explosions in Qatar's capital of Doha on Sept. 9. The attack will reduce the odds of a ceasefire in Gaza as Qatar walks back from its role as mediator and reassesses its regional diplomatic and security strategy.

The attack will reduce the odds of a ceasefire in Gaza as Qatar walks back from its role as mediator and reassesses its regional diplomatic and security strategy.

Israel's Attack on Hamas' Political Leadership Scrambles Qatar's Regional Role

Venezuela

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

U.S. Naval Update Map: Sept. 4, 2025

On Geopolitics

A portrait of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan is seen in the background as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2025.

In just seven months in office, the Trump administration has pursued a series of highly unconventional economic policies that, taken together, amount to the deepest government interventionism into the U.S. economy of any president since the Reagan era.

The Visible Hand: Trump's Interventionism Reshapes American Capitalism

A freight train carrying cargo containers rides along a railway track in Ajmer, India, on Aug. 26, 2025. 

Global Trade

While India will remain engaged in U.S. trade talks, a deal that secures relief from Trump's 50% tariff will remain elusive amid New Delhi's reluctance to reduce its agricultural protections and Russian oil purchases. 


U.S. Tariffs Strain India's Exports Amid Stalled Trade Talks

Ecuador

North Korea

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

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

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

China, Mexico: Beijing Likely To Retaliate Against Auto Tariffs

Brazil: Bolsonaro's Conviction To Trigger Additional U.S. Punitive Measures and Unrest Risks

Belarus, U.S.: Trump Lifts Belavia Sanctions as Minsk Frees Prisoners in Bid for Rapprochement

U.S., Europe: Trump Proposes U.S.-Europe Tariffs on China, Brussels Will Reject It

Mexico: Import Taxes Targeting Asian Goods To Help Appease Washington

Australia: Canberra Commissioning Drone Submarine Fleet with Anduril

U.S., China: Beijing Threat Actors Impersonated U.S. Lawmaker To Gather Intelligence on Trade Talks

Russia, EU, U.S.: U.S.-EU Sanctions Push Complicated by Energy Rift Ahead of Washington Talks

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