United States

Europe

Germany

Poland

Military & Security

Politics

U.S.-Iran Relations

U.S. President Donald Trump pledged an additional 5,000 troops to Poland in a Truth Social post on May 21. 

Poland, U.S.: Trump Pledges To Deploy 5,000 Troops to Poland 

Iran

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Economics

Energy

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were "good signs" a deal could be reached with Iran, though he rejected Tehran tolling ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported May 21. 

U.S., Iran: Rubio Suggests 'Good Signs' for Deal, but Sticking Points Remain

China

Taiwan

U.S.-China Relations

China is delaying approval for a summer visit to Beijing by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby until President Donald Trump makes a decision on a pending $14 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, according to sources cited in a May 20 Financial Times report.

China, U.S., Taiwan: Colby Visit Hinges on Arms Sale, Trump Vows to Talk With Lai

Middle East and North Africa

The latest U.S. negotiation proposal has "narrowed the gaps" between U.S. and Iranian demands, though some gaps remain, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency cited by Bloomberg on May 21.

U.S., Iran: Iranian Media Says Latest U.S. Proposal 'Narrows Gaps'

Cuba

A U.S. federal court in Miami, Florida, on May 20 indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro on one count of conspiracy against U.S. citizens, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft related to a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes that were operated by Cuban exiles, Reuters reported the same day.

U.S., Cuba: U.S. Court Indicts Former Cuban President on Murder Charges

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to expand the Iran war "beyond the region" if U.S. or Israeli attacks against Iran resume, Reuters reported May 20.

Global: Iran Threatens To Expand Conflict 'Beyond the Region' if U.S. or Israeli Strikes Resume

Negotiators from EU member states, the European Commission and the European Parliament are expected to finalize a compromise deal on legislation to implement the July 2025 EU-U.S. trade agreement on May 19, Politico reported on May 18.

EU, U.S.: Interinstitutional Negotiations Near Compromise on Legislation Implementing U.S. Trade Deal

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a May 18 Truth Social post that he had called off a planned May 19 military attack on Iran following requests from Qatari, Saudi and Emirati leaders, who reportedly informed Trump that negotiations on a deal that includes "NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN" were progressing.

U.S., Iran: Trump Calls Off Planned May 19 Attack on Iran as Negotiations Reportedly Progress

Assessments

Greenland

Denmark

U.S. special envoy to Greenland, Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (center right), and Greenlandic mason and Trump supporter Jorgen Boassen (center left) are pictured in Nuuk, Greenland, on May 20, 2026, on the sidelines of the Future Greenland business fair. 

Ongoing talks with Greenland and Denmark will likely yield a deal that meets most U.S. objectives without requiring formal annexation, though a broader transatlantic crisis remains possible if negotiations collapse.

Can the U.S. Reach a Compromise on Greenland That Averts a Transatlantic Crisis?

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: May 21, 2026

Media

Podcasts

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Could a single AI model render decades of corporate cybersecurity obsolete overnight?

The Decision Advantage: Will Mythos Change the Cybersecurity Landscape for Better or for Worse? 

Egypt

Jordan

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

United Kingdom

Right-wing activists gather with Israeli flags outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Israel's quest for middle-power status will be defined by its ability to unify its Jerusalem core, which has remained divided throughout the modern state's history.

The Modern Geopolitics of Israel

Mexico

Japan

South Korea

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 3, 2025, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Middle East, Putin Heads to Beijing

Snapshots

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026.

Despite a mutual desire to stabilize relations, Xi and Trump's meetings produced few tangible results, sustaining the risk of future tariff escalations, export restrictions and other coercive measures.

Xi-Trump Talks Fail To Move the Needle on Major Issues

U.S. Naval Update Map: May 14, 2026

Commercial vessels are seen offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026.

While recent revelations about the airstrikes indicate a shift in both countries' risk calculations, the UAE's hawkish, Israel-aligned posture poses a greater threat of Iranian retaliation than Saudi Arabia's more restrained approach. 

The UAE and Saudi Arabia Enter the War Against Iran, but With Separate Strategies

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

The May 14-15 meetings will likely yield a limited extension of the current U.S.-China economic detente while leaving core strategic disputes over technology controls, Taiwan and Iran largely unresolved.

Trump-Xi Summit Likely To Preserve Trade Truce, Test Strategic Fault Lines

Kenya

France

Boats on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions between the United States and Iran will remain elevated, especially around the strait, following the May 7 U.S.-Iran exchange of attacks and Iranian attacks against the United Arab Emirates.

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, France Convenes an Africa Summit

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Trucks haul away ore from a pit in the Chinese-owned Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023.

Greater access to Congo's mining sector will likely help the U.S. further secure its cobalt and copper supplies, but ongoing security concerns in the Central African country and China's dominance over global mineral processing will limit the extent of these gains.

Trump Goes Hunting For Congo's Minerals

People wave Iranian pre-1979 Islamic Revolution and American flags while members of the Iranian community celebrate in front of the Federal Building on March 1, in Los Angeles. 

The recent exchange of fire around the Strait of Hormuz reflects calculated efforts by Washington and Tehran to re-establish deterrence and project strength, complicating already fragile negotiations.


Iran and U.S. Exchange Fire, Further Straining Ceasefire

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

Poland, U.S.: Trump Pledges To Deploy 5,000 Troops to Poland

U.S., Iran: Rubio Suggests 'Good Signs' for Deal, but Sticking Points Remain

China, U.S., Taiwan: Colby Visit Hinges on Arms Sale, Trump Vows to Talk With Lai

U.S., Iran: Iranian Media Says Latest U.S. Proposal 'Narrows Gaps'

U.S., Cuba: U.S. Court Indicts Former Cuban President on Murder Charges

Global: Iran Threatens To Expand Conflict 'Beyond the Region' if U.S. or Israeli Strikes Resume

EU, U.S.: Interinstitutional Negotiations Near Compromise on Legislation Implementing U.S. Trade Deal

U.S., Iran: Trump Calls Off Planned May 19 Attack on Iran as Negotiations Reportedly Progress

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