United States

Ukraine

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Shalanda Young, the director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson that the United States would be unable to continue providing weapons and equipment to Ukraine if Congress does not approve additional funding by the end of 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 4.

Ukraine, U.S.: White House Warns Money for Ukraine Will Run Out by End of 2023

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas resumed fighting after each side accused the other of violating the cease-fire, The Times of Israel reported on Dec. 1.

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Collapses, Fighting Resumes

Canada

India

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration allegedly foiled a $100,000 murder-for-hire plot directed by an unnamed Indian government official around June targeting a Sikh separatist leader in New York, according to a Nov. 29 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S., Canada, India: DOJ Details Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot Against Sikh Separatist in U.S.

An Indian foreign ministry official said the country has resumed electronic visa services for Canadian nationals after suspending them amid the India-Canada diplomatic spat, AP reported on Nov. 22.

India, Canada, U.S.: As India-Canada Tensions Ease, Reports Emerge of India's Covert Overseas Activity

Iran

Iraq

U.S. forces struck Iran-linked militia targets in Iraq on Nov. 20 and 21, killing at least nine militants, in response to two ballistic missile attacks that targeted U.S. forces at al-Asad air base in western Iraq, AP reported on Nov. 21. 

Iraq: U.S. Strikes in Iraq Kill Iran-Backed Militants

Australia

China

Japan

Philippines

Taiwan

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that his country and the United States began joint maritime and air patrols on Nov. 21, Channel News Asia reported the same day.

Philippines, U.S.: Washington and Manila Start Joint Naval and Air Patrols in the South China Sea 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and the commander of Ukraine's armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny, AP reported on Nov. 20.

Ukraine, U.S.: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Makes Unannounced Visit to Kyiv

Qatar

The United States, Qatar, Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are reportedly close to a possible deal under which Hamas would release Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the two sides would implement a five-day cease-fire, The Times of Israel reported on Nov. 20.

Israel, Gaza: Amid Cease-Fire Rumors, Israel Greenlights Operations in Southern Gaza

Assessments

Lebanon

A picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 4, 2023, shows smoke lingering over the Palestinian territory following Israeli bombardment amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Israel's forthcoming military operations in southern Gaza signal that the war is reaching its final stages, though problems in the Gaza Strip are far from over.

The Israel-Hamas War's Final Phase?

Columns

On Geopolitics

Then-U.S. President Richard Nixon (left) congratulates Henry Kissinger after he was sworn in as Secretary of State in the East Room of the White House on Sept. 22, 1973.

The former Secretary of State will be remembered for his unabashed and oftentimes ruthless pursuit of U.S. interests during the Cold War, even when they seemed contrary to stated American ideals. 

The Legacy of Henry Kissinger: Interests vs. Ideals

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: Nov. 30, 2023

Snapshots

People wave flags and cheer as a helicopter with Israeli hostages released earlier by Hamas lands at a medical center on Nov. 26, 2023, in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Fighting in Gaza will likely resume once Hamas runs out of hostages to exchange, which could see Israel-U.S. ties fray if the former doesn't heed the latter's calls to minimize civilian casualties.

How Much Longer Will Israel and Hamas Keep Extending Their Truce?

United Arab Emirates

Europe

Russia

COP28 President-Designate and the UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Sultan al-Jaber (front row, fourth from left) -- poses for a group photo along with U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on May 3, 2023, in Berlin, Germany.

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

This year's U.N. conference will highlight disparities between the developed and developing world on climate ambitions, as well as individual countries' differing priorities.

What To Watch For at the COP28 Climate Summit

Hong Kong SAR, China

Chinese and Hong Kong flags are strung between buildings to mark the 26th anniversary of the city's handover from Britain to China on June 27, 2023, in Hong Kong.

Social Issues

U.S.-China Relations

The territory will continue down the path of political and economic integration into China, complicating business operations in the region.

Hong Kong District Elections Herald Political and Economic Changes to Come

U.S. Naval Update Map: Nov. 23, 2023

United Kingdom

Portugal

Spain

People visit the 1627 Pilgrim Village at "Plimoth Plantation," where role-players portray pilgrims seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On Thanksgiving, the United States celebrates the Plymouth Colony. However, few know that New England's colonization was a response to major geopolitical pressures -- particularly England's struggle against the Spanish both on the Continent and in the New World.

Thanksgiving and Puritan Geopolitics in the Americas

Indonesia

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, 2023.

The U.S. and Indonesia are bolstering critical mineral trade and defense cooperation, but this will run up against U.S. concerns about the Indonesian nickel sector's ESG standards, as well as Jakarta's desire to maintain ties with China.

The Promise of, and Limits to, Upgraded U.S.-Indonesia Ties

U.S. President Joe Biden walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15, 2023.

The two presidents reached modest deals during their Nov. 15 meeting, but conflicting strategic visions will impede not only the implementation of these agreements but also long-term efforts to ease U.S.-China competition.

Pageantry vs. Progress: Reviewing the Biden-Xi Meeting 

U.S. Naval Update Map: Nov. 16, 2023

Media

Podcasts

Cyber

How will this executive order impact functioning in AI-reliant companies?

Essential Geopolitics: Biden's AI Executive Order

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.: White House Warns Money for Ukraine Will Run Out by End of 2023

Israel, Gaza: Cease-Fire Collapses, Fighting Resumes

U.S., Canada, India: DOJ Details Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot Against Sikh Separatist in U.S.

India, Canada, U.S.: As India-Canada Tensions Ease, Reports Emerge of India's Covert Overseas Activity

Iraq: U.S. Strikes in Iraq Kill Iran-Backed Militants

Philippines, U.S.: Washington and Manila Start Joint Naval and Air Patrols in the South China Sea

Ukraine, U.S.: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Makes Unannounced Visit to Kyiv

Israel, Gaza: Amid Cease-Fire Rumors, Israel Greenlights Operations in Southern Gaza

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