Guyana

Venezuela

Energy

Military & Security

Politics

Venezuela's ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela retained its broad majority in the National Assembly in an election on May 25, winning nearly 83% of votes, and expanded its control to 23 out of the country's 24 governorships, El Pais reported on May 26. 

Venezuela: Government Consolidates Control Following Regional and Legislative Elections

United States

Economics

The Venezuelan government released a U.S. Air Force veteran, Joseph St. Clair, AP reported on May 20.

Venezuela, U.S.: Release of U.S. Veteran Unlikely To Avert Eventual Oil License Suspension

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed a strategic partnership deal and discussed energy and oil at a meeting in Moscow, Reuters reported on May 7. 

Venezuela, Russia: Strategic Partnership Unlikely To Yield Significant Developments

Argentina

Brazil

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media that five Venezuelan opposition members have been successfully rescued from Argentina's embassy in Caracas after 412 days, Reuters reported May 6. 

U.S., Venezuela: Rescue of Opposition Members from Argentinian Embassy in Caracas Underscores U.S. Opposition to Venezuela

Equatorial Guinea

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

OPEC+ announced on May 3 that it will raise its collective oil production cap by 411,000 barrels per day in June, an increase from the original production increase of roughly 138,000 barrels per day to which the bloc previously agreed.

Global: OPEC's Production Increase Provides Some Tariff Respite

Trinidad and Tobago

United Kingdom

The United States revoked two licenses for British oil companies Shell and BP to operate offshore natural gas projects with Trinidad's state-owned Natural Gas Co. in Venezuela, LatinNews reported on April 10.

U.S.: Washington Revokes Oil Licenses for Joint Trinidad and Tobago-U.K. Projects in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed an economic emergency decree for an initial 60-day period, with the possibility of renewal, giving him extended discretion to change economic policy in response to new U.S. tariffs and the cancellation of U.S. licences allowing foreign firms to operate in Venezuela, El Pais reported April 9.

Venezuela: Maduro Signs Emergency Economic Decree Amid Growing U.S. Pressure

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela will face consequences should it attack Guyana or ExxonMobil's energy facilities, Reuters reported on March 27. 

U.S., Guyana, Venezuela: Washington's Support for Guyana To Further Sour Relations With Caracas

Assessments

The Peace Monument sculpture is seen in front of the PDVSA headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 2, 2022. 

The return of stricter U.S. sanctions will harm Venezuela's oil and gas industry, undermine its economy and fuel migration, but is unlikely to weaken President Maduro's hold on power in the short to medium term.

What Trump's Policy Shifts Mean for Venezuela

Sub-Saharan Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ethiopia

Tanzania

Americas

Colombia

Cuba

Haiti

Nicaragua

Israel

Jordan

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Syria

Yemen

Cambodia

China

Indonesia

Europe

North Macedonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia

Albania

Kosovo

Ukraine

South Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

India

The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Social Issues

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Ghana

South Korea

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro waits for the arrival of other heads of state of members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America regional trading bloc during the XXIV ALBA-TCP Summit in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 14, 2024. 

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

The Weekly Rundown: Inaugurations in Ghana and Venezuela, Yoon's Potential Arrest in South Korea

Chile

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Mexico

U.S. border patrol officials drive near the wall along the Mexican border in Sasabe, Arizona, on Dec. 8, 2023. 

The fallout from Trump's pledged tariffs and mass deportations could worsen living conditions in countries like Mexico, though countries with like-minded leaders, like Argentina, may fare better.

What Trump's Focus on Immigration, Trade and Ideology Means for Latin America

Nicolas Maduro on Aug. 7, 2024, in Caracas, Venezuela. The presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, respectively, are considering a call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Aug. 12 in a bid to promote negotiations with the opposition to cool the risk of further violent unrest.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Awaiting Iranian Retaliation, Bangladesh's New Government

Australia

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Joe Biden speaks during a Women's History Month reception in the White House on March 18, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: Escalation in the Middle East, Kamala Harris' VP Pick

Snapshots

Venezuelan President and presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro reacts following the presidential election results in Caracas on July 29, 2024.

The Venezuelan president's highly disputed electoral victory will fuel political volatility, U.S. sanctions and risks of unrest and emigration in the coming months.

What Maduro Clinging To Power Means for Venezuela

Kenya

Uganda

Japan

Philippines

A motorcyclist looks at his phone in front of a National Electoral Council poster promoting the upcoming presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 23, 2024.

Global Elections

The Weekly Rundown: An Election in Venezuela, Economic Reforms in the U.K.

South Africa

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference at the 75th NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 2024. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Biden's exit from the U.S. presidential race will free him to pursue more aggressive action against Russia over Ukraine and increase pressure on Israel to end its war with Hamas. 

What To Expect from Biden's Foreign Policy Farewell Tour

A member of Venezuela’s national guard walks past the information center of the country’s National Electoral Council (CNE) in Caracas on July 16, 2024, ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

Maduro will likely win another term in an election widely seen as a sham, increasing the risk of economically damaging U.S. sanctions that could drive more Venezuelans to leave the country.

Previewing Venezuela's Presidential Election

Egypt

New Zealand

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 14, 2024, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

The Weekly Rundown: Dueling U.S. and Chinese Diplomacy, a European Council Summit

Maria Corina Machado, the leading opposition candidate in Venezuela's 2024 presidential race, speaks to supporters during a rally in Caracas on Jan. 23, 2024. 

The move to bar Machado from the 2024 presidential race could see the U.S. reimpose harsh sanctions on Caracas, but this is unlikely to keep Maduro from quelching threats to his power.

In Venezuela, an Opposition Candidate's Disqualification Dims Hopes for Free and Fair Elections

<p>Located in South America, Venezuela is bordered by Colombia, the Caribbean Sea, Guyana and Brazil. Colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century, Venezuela became an independent country in 1830. The northern portion of Venezuela is dominated by the eastern spur of the northern Andes. The mountains are cooler than the surrounding subtropical plains and host the majority of Venezuela&#39;s population. The country&#39;s core includes Lake Valencia and Caracas. Since the late 19th century, oil has been the driving force behind Venezuela&#39;s political and economic affairs. The first discoveries were made in the Maracaibo basin, and later discoveries revealed heavy, sour crude deposits in the Orinoco basin. The tropical Orinoco basin is largely unpopulated, with little significant infrastructure. Just to the south are the Guiana Highlands, which buffer Venezuela from the jungles of the Amazon River basin. As a Caribbean country, Venezuela lies within the direct sphere of influence of the United States. The United States is not only the largest military power in the region, but also the largest consumer market and a key destination for Venezuelan crude oil exports. As a result, Venezuela&#39;s primary geographic challenge is managing its relations with the United States. Venezuela has throughout history used its relationship with the United States to attract the foreign investment and technological development that resulted in the country&#39;s well-developed oil sector. But relations between the two countries don&#39;t always match the economic reality. Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez built domestic and foreign policies around rejecting U.S. influence.</p>

Venezuela's Unraveling

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

A Crude Recovery

SITUATION REPORTS

Venezuela: Government Consolidates Control Following Regional and Legislative Elections

Venezuela, U.S.: Release of U.S. Veteran Unlikely To Avert Eventual Oil License Suspension

Venezuela, Russia: Strategic Partnership Unlikely To Yield Significant Developments

U.S., Venezuela: Rescue of Opposition Members from Argentinian Embassy in Caracas Underscores U.S. Opposition to Venezuela

Global: OPEC's Production Increase Provides Some Tariff Respite

U.S.: Washington Revokes Oil Licenses for Joint Trinidad and Tobago-U.K. Projects in Venezuela

Venezuela: Maduro Signs Emergency Economic Decree Amid Growing U.S. Pressure

U.S., Guyana, Venezuela: Washington's Support for Guyana To Further Sour Relations With Caracas

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