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An old map labels African countries and regions by their colonial names.

Military & Security

Politics

Shifting national identities have always led nations to adopt new names, and in this evolving multipolar world, modern states are no different.

National Identify and the Geopolitics of Choosing a Name

United States

Europe

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit on Sept. 16, 2022.

Environment, Science & Technology

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

The U.S., the EU, Russia and India are all holding votes next year that will be marked by nationalist populism, portending more policy uncertainty, domestic strife and international conflict.

The Four 2024 Elections That Will Shape the Second Half of the Decade

U.S.-China Relations

Snapshots

Taiwanese Vice President William Lai waves upon landing in Luque, Paraguay, on Aug. 14, 2023, to attend the inauguration of President-elect Santiago Pena.

Economics

China's response to the Taiwanese vice president's recent U.S. visit confirms Beijing's intent to primarily wield military force against the island's pro-Western government.

More Military Drills Weigh on China's Business Climate and Taiwanese Politics

Assessments

Niger

Argentina

Poland

A political demonstration on June 20, 2023, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Argentine Primary Elections, the Possible ECOWAS Intervention in Niger

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Greece

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hold talks Oct. 31, 2022, in Sochi, Russia.

The Weekly Rundown: Armenia's and Azerbaijan's Leaders Meet in Moscow, an APEC Summit in Detroit

Japan

Then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (center left) walks alongside Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen after arriving at the president's office in Taipei on Aug. 3, 2022. 

The U.S., Japan and Europe's growing political support for Taiwan has the potential to accelerate China's military and economic coercive efforts and further decouple global supply chains.

The Evolving Taiwan-China Relationship, Part 4: Diplomatic Relations

A Taiwanese tank on display for tourists is seen silhouetted against the skyline of the Chinese city Xiamen in Kinmen, Taiwan, an island in the Taiwan Strait that is part of Taiwan's territory.

Though an invasion of Taiwan does not appear imminent, the development of the Chinese military is the key variable to track for understanding the likelihood and potential success of such an invasion. 

The Evolving Taiwan-China Relationship, Part 3: The Military

Philippines

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (right) meets with his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez (left), at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on April 12, 2023. 

The reinvigorated defense alliance will improve the U.S.'s ability to counter Chinese military moves in nearby waters. But it will also place Manila directly in Beijing's crosshairs.

The Revamped U.S.-Philippine Alliance Starts to Come to Fruition

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (center right) greets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (center left) on her arrival at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on April 5, 2023, in Simi Valley, California. 

Beijing's more muted response to the meeting doesn't reflect a shift in its aggressive strategy toward Taipei, which will remain a stressor in cross-strait and U.S.-China trade relations.

Taiwan Will Continue to Vex U.S.-China Ties, Despite Low-Key Tsai-McCarthy Visit

France

Spain

Riot police walk past a street fire during violent clashes over the government's reform of the pension system March 23, 2023, in Paris. As protests against French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to approve a controversial pensions reform without a vote in the National Assembly continue, the country's main trade unions will hold a general strike March 28. 

The Weekly Rundown: Spain's Prime Minister in China, Anti-Government Protests in France

Media

Brunei Darussalam

Vietnam

Graphics

Chinese maritime militia vessels float near the Philippine-controlled island of Thitu, which Filipinos call Pag-asa, in the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on March 9, 2023.

Recent incidents in the South China Sea illustrate the competing interests of claimant states amid increasing militarization.

A Look at Recent Incidents in the South China Sea

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (left) and Vice President William Lai attend a ceremony to mark the island's National Day in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei on Oct. 10, 2022. 

Taiwanese voters' desire for sovereignty and economic growth will make Taipei's balancing act between Beijing and the West all the trickier in the coming years.

Updating Our Assessment of the Evolving Taiwan-China Relationship: Politics

Taiwan's military unveiled its first domestically built attack submarine, the "Hai Kun" (Narwhal), which will commence harbor testing on Oct. 1 and thereafter sea testing, Focus Taiwan reported on Sept. 28.

Taiwan: Domestic Submarine Progress Might be Too Little Too Late

Taiwan's Defense Ministry claimed on Sept. 24 that China was conducting military drills around Dacheng Bay in Fujian province (across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan), the Taipei Times reported the next day. 

China, Taiwan: Competing Deterrence Strategies Heighten Uncertainty Over War

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported on Sept. 18 that 103 aircraft and nine ships from China's military entered Taiwan's unofficial air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the 24 hours prior to Monday morning. 

China, Taiwan: Record High Air Incursions Perpetuate Regional Militarization

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to replace Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada with Minoru Kihara, the current head of a Japan-Taiwan interparliamentary group, on Sept. 13, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Sept. 12.

Japan: Kishida Ups Defense Ties With Taiwan Amid Pressure From Political Opposition

United Kingdom

The British Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee issued a report referring to Taiwan as an "independent country" and calling on the government to guarantee a more direct response to the military threat China poses to the island, Politico reported on Aug. 30.

U.K., China: British China Hawks Issue Controversial Report

Billionaire and founder of electronics manufacturer Foxconn Terry Gou announced his candidacy for Taiwan's January 2024 presidential election, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 28.

Taiwan: Terry Gou Further Reduces the Odds of a Pro-China President

South Korea

The United States will extend exemptions to its October 2022 restrictions on the export of semiconductor technology to China for South Korean and Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturers, Nikkei Asia reported, citing industry sources, on Aug. 24.

U.S.: Washington to Extend Exemptions for Chip Export Restrictions to China

The White House will request later in August that Congress consider approving foreign military financing for arms sales to Taiwan as part of a supplemental budget request for Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Aug. 2.

Taiwan, U.S.: With Arms Sale to Taiwan, Money Is Nice, but Speed Is Better

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Australia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Barbados

Benin

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Belize

Botswana

Iran

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Bolivia

Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Germany

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Brazil

Burundi

Finland

Israel

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

Chile

Federated States of Micronesia

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Central African Republic

Colombia

Fiji

Latvia

Lebanon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chad

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Libya

Comoros

Cuba

Czech Republic

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Morocco

Cote d'Ivoire

Denmark

Dominica

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Dominican Republic

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Palestinian Territories

Djibouti

Ecuador

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Marshall Islands

Saudi Arabia

Eritrea

Grenada

Mongolia

Taiwan is located along a sea lane in the West Pacific, with the East China Sea to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the south. The island is 180 kilometers off the southeastern coast of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. The strait has allowed for communication with the mainland since ancient times, but has also forced the island to confront the mainland's unrelenting attempts to reclaim it.    Taiwan consists of two geographic and population cores. The first is the Chianan Plain in the southwestern region, home to Taiwan's earliest civilizations and the island's second-largest city, Kaohsiung. The second is Taipei Basin, home to the island's capital, Taipei. These two cores are separated by rugged mountains and over several centuries have developed their own distinct social patterns and economic structures. The presence of mainlanders, who have been crossing the strait since the 17th century, further compounds the island's socio-political divides.    Taiwan's crucial strategic position has put it at the center of regional geopolitical competition for centuries. In the 17th century it was controlled by various European colonial powers, and up until World War II, it switched hands between the Chinese empire and Japanese rulers. Taiwan was the extended battleground of the Chinese Civil War in the mid-1940s and only established itself as an independent, unified polity in 1945. Today, it remains a focal point of power struggles between China, Japan and the United States. The island's primary geographic challenge is to avoid being dominated by external powers while securing a maritime buffer. Both these goals are challenged by China, which is expanding its maritime ambitions in the East and South China seas and remains fixated on eventual national reunification.

SITUATION REPORTS

Taiwan: Domestic Submarine Progress Might be Too Little Too Late

China, Taiwan: Competing Deterrence Strategies Heighten Uncertainty Over War

China, Taiwan: Record High Air Incursions Perpetuate Regional Militarization

Japan: Kishida Ups Defense Ties With Taiwan Amid Pressure From Political Opposition

U.K., China: British China Hawks Issue Controversial Report

Taiwan: Terry Gou Further Reduces the Odds of a Pro-China President

U.S.: Washington to Extend Exemptions for Chip Export Restrictions to China

Taiwan, U.S.: With Arms Sale to Taiwan, Money Is Nice, but Speed Is Better

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