China

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Politics

Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, where both pledged to deepen Party, parliamentary and local exchanges; expand cooperation in culture, education, health, tourism and communications; and coordinate more closely in multilateral forums, Bao Chinh Phu reported on Oct. 9.

Vietnam, North Korea: Lam, Kim Hold Talks in Pyongyang

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sept. 28 and with Premier Li Qiang on Sept. 29 in Beijing, the South China Morning Post reported on Sept. 29.

North Korea, China: Foreign Ministers Meet Ahead of Western Engagements

Vietnam's top leader, Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, will visit North Korea in October and meet with leader Kim Jong Un, according to two Vietnamese officials quoted by Reuters on Sept. 25.

Vietnam, North Korea: Vietnamese Leader To Visit Pyongyang for First Time Since 2007

United States

Military & Security

A letter from North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un to Chinese President Xi Jinping was published by the state Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 23.

North Korea, China: Kim Pledges Closer Ties with China in Letter to Xi

South Korea

North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un said on Sept. 21 at a parliamentary speech that "If the U.S. drops its hollow obsession with denuclearization and wants to pursue peaceful coexistence with North Korea based on the recognition of reality, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the U.S.," North Korean state media KCNA reported on Sept. 22.

North Korea, U.S.: Kim Open to Trump Talks, on One Condition

North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first bilateral talks in six years on Sept. 4 in Beijing, Xinhua reported the same day, but the Chinese state news outlet did not disclose details of their discussion.

China, North Korea: Xi and Kim Hold First Talks in Six Years

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood beside Chinese President Xi Jinping at China's Sept. 3 military parade, which was also attended by dozens of other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters has reported.

North Korea, China: Kim Attends China's Military Parade Alongside Xi

Russia

South Korea's central bank estimated on Aug. 29 that North Korea's economy grew by 3.7% in 2024, marking North Korea's fastest growth rate since 2016, Reuters reported on Aug. 29. 

North Korea: Economy Grows by 3.7%, Fastest in Eight Years, Aided by Russia

Snapshots

Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participate in a ceremony at the Pyongyang Sports Palace on Oct. 9, 2025, during Lam's three-day official visit to North Korea.

To Lam's visit injects fresh diplomatic energy into the long-stalled relationship with North Korea and fits into Pyongyang's gradual reemergence as an active player in regional diplomacy.

Vietnam's Lam Extends Diplomatic Balancing Act With Rare North Korea Visit

Assessments

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

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

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

Iran

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Palestinian Territories

Syria

Turkey

As 2025 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five events as measured by geopolitical impact.

Environment, Science & Technology

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Science & Technology

2024: A Geopolitical Review

Columns

On Geopolitics

On April 16, 2024, 155mm caliber shells are shown after manufacturing, ready for shipment at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Trump's return to the White House and North Korean support for Russia have shifted the conflict's dynamics, likely portending a further weakened position for Kyiv.

Bracing for a Protracted War in Ukraine: The Narrowing Path to a Ukrainian Victory

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of North Korea's artillery firing, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan. 6, 2024.

With both sides threatening overwhelming retaliation and having greater capabilities to make good on those threats, provocations along the North-South border now carry a greater risk of erupting into military clashes.

The Rising Risk of Military Clashes on the Korean Peninsula

Portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are displayed in Pyongyang, North Korea, for Putin's visit to the country on June 20, 2024. 

Russia's deepening ties with North Korea are meant to draw U.S. attention and resources away from Ukraine by increasing the threat of conflict in another region.

The Significance of Russia and North Korea's New Defense Pact

Japan

Taiwan

While President Biden would be expected to continue to build and strengthen alliances with America's key allies in the northern Asian region, the reelection of President Trump could spur those same allies to look beyond the U.S. for their physical and economic security.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections, Northern Asia and Geopolitical Risk: What to Expect

Natsumi Sakai (C) of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan poses with others after receiving news that she won the by-election for the Tokyo No. 15 district seat for the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, on April 28, 2024.

Recent by-elections reveal that a slush fund scandal is continuing to take its toll on Japan's ruling party, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to remain in power, for now.

By-Election Losses Shake Japan's Ruling Party, but Kishida Stays the Course

Australia

Fiji

Indonesia

New Zealand

Philippines

Singapore

United Kingdom

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

U.S.-China Relations

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a spaceport in Russia's Far East, on Sept. 13, 2023. 

Kim Jong Un appears to be setting a new direction for his country's regional and international policies, clearly aware of the vast uncertainties facing the global geopolitical situation.

North Korea's Foreign Affairs Hit an Inflection Point

Media

Podcasts

Cyber

How will North Korea's cyber strategy continue to evolve?

Essential Geopolitics: An Update on North Korean Cyber Activity

A North Korean flag is seen fixed on a lamp post in the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok on April 25, 2019. 

Access to North Korean weapons could help Moscow sustain its Ukraine invasion, while access to Russian imports and funding could help Pyongyang reduce its reliance on China.

What Russia and North Korea Stand to Gain From an Arms Deal

<p>The Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, lies on a peninsula extending outward from northeast Asia. The country borders China and Russia to the north, the Republic of Korea to the south, and Japan across the sea to the east. North Korea&#39;s primary geographic challenge is securing its northern and southern borders from the threat of its much larger regional neighbors. The Kaema Plateau and Hamgyong Mountains comprise much of the northern border region, providing a strong but not unbreachable geographic barrier. The Taebaeck Mountains run along the east coast, limiting the potential for invasion from the sea. Since the time of earlier North Korean kingdoms including Koguryo, The Dandong-Sinuiju gap across the Yalu River in the northwest and the wide Imjin-Han river valley in the south leave the country vulnerable, particularly with the lack of geographic barriers along the north-south axis. North Korea&#39;s mountains do provide ample hydropower, and the country also has numerous natural mineral resources and coal, but its terrain and climate limit agricultural activity. Given its larger neighbors, North Korea has two core imperatives. It must secure its southern and northern borders via political accommodation, defensive lines or outward expansion, and it must engender a strong sense of national unity and exploit differences among its neighbors to balance external political pressure. From the launching of the Korean War to the heavily fortified DMZ, from the exploitation of relations between China and Russia to the development of a nuclear deterrent, North Korea&#39;s actions in many ways are shaped by similar constraints and pressures as felt by its predecessor kingdoms due to its location and geography.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Vietnam, North Korea: Lam, Kim Hold Talks in Pyongyang

North Korea, China: Foreign Ministers Meet Ahead of Western Engagements

Vietnam, North Korea: Vietnamese Leader To Visit Pyongyang for First Time Since 2007

North Korea, China: Kim Pledges Closer Ties with China in Letter to Xi

North Korea, U.S.: Kim Open to Trump Talks, on One Condition

China, North Korea: Xi and Kim Hold First Talks in Six Years

North Korea, China: Kim Attends China's Military Parade Alongside Xi

North Korea: Economy Grows by 3.7%, Fastest in Eight Years, Aided by Russia

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