<p>Eurasia is the world&rsquo;s most expansive region. It connects the East to the West, forming a land bridge that borders Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South Asia. Forming the borders of this massive tract of land are the Northern European Plain, the Carpathian Mountains, the Southern Caucasus Mountains, the Tien Shan Mountains and Siberia. At the heart of Eurasia is Russia, a country that throughout history has tried, to varying degrees of success, to extend its influence to Eurasia&rsquo;s farthest reaches &mdash; a strategy meant to insulate it from outside powers. But this strategy necessarily creates conflict throughout Russia&rsquo;s borderlands, putting Eurasia a near constant state of instability.</p>

Eurasia connects the East to the West, forming a land bridge that borders Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South Asia. 

Eurasia

Armenia

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Russia

Moldova

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Cyber

The Ukraine Conflict

The Politics of Pipelines

The New Silk Road

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

A Crude Recovery

The Second Space Race

Echoes of the Cold War

Russia's Internal Struggle

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Moscow Looks to the East

Instability in Central Asia

Snapshots

United States

United Arab Emirates

Emirati flags on Feb. 4 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. On Feb. 4-5, delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States held a second round of trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates.

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The talks are unlikely to produce a near-term settlement, as Russia will continue to press its territorial demands while using diplomacy to manage sanctions pressure and build leverage ahead of a spring-summer offensive.

The Limits of Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks

Assessments

China

Russian soldiers wear chemical protection suits as they stand next to a military fueler on the base of a prime mover of Russian Topol intercontinental ballistic missile during a training session at the Serpukhov's military missile forces research institute some 100km outside Moscow on April 6, 2010.

Over time, this will intensify an ongoing buildup of nuclear capabilities across the globe and make crises involving nuclear powers more unpredictable and prone to miscalculations. 


Implications of the Last Major U.S.-Russian Nuclear Arms Control Agreement's Expiration

U.S.-China Relations

The national flag of Kazakhstan waves in the wind.

Abolishing the Senate and reintroducing the vice presidency may curb the immediate risk of insider-led coups, but the measures are unlikely to resolve succession uncertainty before President Tokayev's term ends in 2029 and could ultimately increase political volatility.

Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Reforms Could Reshape -- and Destabilize -- Its Political Future

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a meeting with European national security advisors in Kyiv on Jan. 3, 2026. 

The reshuffle seeks to strengthen Zelensky's negotiating position and mitigate the political fallout from a likely unfavorable peace deal amid weakening Western support and Russia's continued battlefield advances.

Ukraine's Government Reshuffle Signals Preparation for a Tough Peace Deal

Greenland

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Vietnam

Denmark

France

Switzerland

A sniper police officer on the Congress hotel during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 2025, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas 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: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

Romania

Moldovan President Maia Sandu (R) and Romanian President Nicusor Dan on June 10, 2025, in Chisinau, Moldova. Sandu's backing of a hypothetical union signals that joining Romania could eventually emerge as an alternative strategy to Moldova's current plan to join the European Union as an independent state.

Maia Sandu's backing of a hypothetical union signals that joining Romania could eventually emerge as an alternative strategy to Moldova's current plan to join the European Union as an independent state.

Romanian-Moldovan Unification Remains Unlikely, Despite Moldovan President's Endorsement

Nigeria

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Iran

Taiwan

Europe

Norway

India

Pakistan

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Trade

Social Issues

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

U.S.-Iran Relations

Media

Forecast Webcast

Energy

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast Webcast

The Danish-flagged DMS Lauge Koch, an offshore Royal Danish Navy patrol vessel, docks at the Port of Nuuk on March 12, 2025, in Nuuk, Greenland.

Scenarios for the coming year range from unilateral military action by the United States to a U.S.-Denmark agreement to expand Washington's capabilities on the island.


How Could the U.S. Seek To 'Take' Greenland?

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

South Asia

As elections reshape political incentives worldwide, 2026 will see major powers recalibrate diplomacy and conflict, raising the risk of fragile deals, regional instability and sudden escalation.

2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast: An Excerpt

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia, Ukraine and the United States would hold the next round of peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 17-18, with presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky leading the Russian delegation, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Feb. 13.

Russia, Ukraine, U.S: Geneva Talks To Resume Feb. 17-18

Germany

The 62nd Munich Security Conference opened on Feb. 13 in Munich, Germany, with an address by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Germany: Munich Security Conference Kicks Off With Speech by Friedrich Merz

Germany hosted the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Berlin, reaffirming their Strategic Regional Partnership and pressing for intensified cooperation against sanctions evasion tied to Russia's war in Ukraine, Qazinform reported on Feb. 11.

Central Asia, Germany: Berlin Presses Central Asia on Sanctions as It Deepens Strategic Partnership

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was premature to discuss elections in Ukraine, commenting on media reports that Kyiv could soon announce a presidential election and a referendum on a peace deal to be held in May, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Feb. 11.

Ukraine, Russia: Moscow Downplays Election Reports as Kyiv Denies Plans

Turkey

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Defense said it will not proceed with plans for Turkish manufacturer Baykar Defense to localize production of Bayraktar kamikaze drones and loitering munitions, Forbes Kazakhstan reported on Feb. 11.

Kazakhstan, Turkey: Astana Halts Bayraktar Kamikaze Drone Project

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree calling a national referendum on a new constitution for March 15, accelerating the timeline for sweeping political reforms, Qazinform reported on Feb. 11.

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Calls Early Constitutional Referendum

U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku and signed a Charter on Strategic Partnership, formalizing expanded cooperation on security, energy, regional connectivity and technology, Azertac reported on Feb. 10.

Azerbaijan, U.S.: Washington Elevates Baku as Regional Partner

Armenia and the United States signed a joint statement on the completion of negotiations on a civil nuclear cooperation agreement during U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to Yerevan, Reuters reported on Feb. 9. 

Armenia, U.S.: Washington Deepens Armenia Ties With Nuclear Deal During Vance Visit

Eurasia

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, Ukraine, U.S: Geneva Talks To Resume Feb. 17-18

Germany: Munich Security Conference Kicks Off With Speech by Friedrich Merz

Central Asia, Germany: Berlin Presses Central Asia on Sanctions as It Deepens Strategic Partnership

Ukraine, Russia: Moscow Downplays Election Reports as Kyiv Denies Plans

Kazakhstan, Turkey: Astana Halts Bayraktar Kamikaze Drone Project

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Calls Early Constitutional Referendum

Azerbaijan, U.S.: Washington Elevates Baku as Regional Partner

Armenia, U.S.: Washington Deepens Armenia Ties With Nuclear Deal During Vance Visit

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