<p>To the west of Eurasia lays Europe, a region predisposed to division. It is surrounded on nearly all sides by islands and peninsulas that make it difficult for Europe to cohere. The northern half of the continent, moreover, sits on a plain whose short, meandering rivers tend to empower countries without forcing them to work with others. The southern half is situated on more mountainous terrain that has historically impeded the creation of strong, unified economies. As a result, Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.</p>

Europe is a continent riven by pockets of distinct cultures whose differences are all too often irreconcilable.

Europe

Belize

Andorra

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Holy See

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

North Macedonia

San Marino

Sweden

United Kingdom

Bulgaria

Portugal

Serbia

Croatia

Poland

Romania

Cyprus

Norway

Austria

Slovakia

Albania

Slovenia

Netherlands

Switzerland

Spain

Montenegro

Monaco

Italy

Ireland

Iceland

Hungary

Kosovo

Beyond Quantitative Easing

The Ukraine Conflict

The Politics of Pipelines

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Brexit

The Fate of the Eurozone

Banking

Crossing Borders

Globalization

European Disintegration

Echoes of the Cold War

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Snapshots

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz prepares to deliver a speech in parliament about the budget crisis on Nov. 28, 2023, as Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (left), Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy Minister Robert Habeck look on. 

Economics

Politics

While the three members of the ruling coalition will likely reach a compromise, complex negotiations over spending cuts could still collapse the government next year.

Where Is Germany's Budget Crisis Headed?

Assessments

United States

United Arab Emirates

China

Russia

COP28 President-Designate and the UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Sultan al-Jaber (front row, fourth from left) -- poses for a group photo along with U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on May 3, 2023, in Berlin, Germany.

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

This year's U.N. conference will highlight disparities between the developed and developing world on climate ambitions, as well as individual countries' differing priorities.

What To Watch For at the COP28 Climate Summit

Geert Wilders (C), leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, sits next to Frans Timmermans (R), leader of the Green Left-Labor Party alliance, and Henri Bontenbal (L), leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal party, during a meeting in the Dutch parliament on Nov. 24, 2023, in The Hague, Netherlands. The party leaders are discussing the formation of a coalition government following Wilders' victory in the Nov. 22 general election.

Social Issues

The Netherlands' far-right Party for Freedom will moderate its platform as it struggles to attract coalition partners and win a parliamentary majority.

Despite a Far-Right Victory, Constraints Will Moderate the Netherlands' Next Government 

People visit the 1627 Pilgrim Village at "Plimoth Plantation," where role-players portray pilgrims seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On Thanksgiving, the United States celebrates the Plymouth Colony. However, few know that New England's colonization was a response to major geopolitical pressures -- particularly England's struggle against the Spanish both on the Continent and in the New World.

Thanksgiving and Puritan Geopolitics in the Americas

NATO peacekeepers stand guard as hospital employees lead a protest march of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo on June 19, 2023. 

Military & Security

Russian information campaigns are fomenting EU accession fatigue and anti-Western narratives in Serbia and raising risks of violence in northern Kosovo.

The Threat of Russian Influence Operations in Serbia and Kosovo

Posters for different political parties are displayed near the Dutch parliament building on November 19, 2023, ahead of the country's general election.

The Nov. 22 vote will result in long coalition talks that will likely eventually yield a moderate, fiscally conservative government that's less environmentally ambitious than its predecessor.

Previewing the Netherlands' General Election

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Argentina

Taiwan

The presidential candidate for the Union por la Patria party, Sergio Massa (R), speaks next to the presidential candidate for the La Libertad Avanza party, Javier Milei, on Nov. 12, 2023, during a presidential debate in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina will hold the second round of its presidential election Nov. 19.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Argentina's Presidential Runoff, the Registration Deadline for the Taiwanese Presidential Race

A stock photo shows blue capsules on a conveyor at a pharmaceutical factory.

If approved, the proposed measures could increase access to new treatments and shore up the bloc's drug supplies, but they also risk deterring investment.

The Implications of the EU's Pharmaceutical Reform

Liberia

Madagascar

Saudi Arabia

U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia.

The Weekly Rundown: Xi and Biden at APEC, a Saudi Summit on Gaza

U.S.-China Relations

Columns

On Security

Israel

Palestinian Territories

The street in the Schaerbeek area of Brussels on Oc. 17, 2023, after the suspected perpetrator of a fatal terrorist attack in the Belgian capital was shot dead. Even if the IDF succeeds in largely destroying Hamas, it will come at a large cost -- in reputation, protest and, in all likelihood, terrorist backlash for years to come.

Even if the IDF succeeds in largely destroying Hamas, it will come at a large cost -- in reputation, protest and, in all likelihood, terrorist backlash for years to come.

Considering the Future Terrorist Threat From the Israel-Hamas War

Brazil

Paraguay

Uruguay

The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South America's largest economies are expected to reach a final agreement for a free trade deal during a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 30.

EU, Americas: EU and Mercosur Countries Near Final Deal for Free Trade Agreement

The European Union canceled its election observation mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to security concerns that rendered the mission "impossible," Reuters reported on Nov. 30. 

EU, Congo: Bloc Cancels Congo Election Observation Mission

Belarus

Finland will close its last remaining open border crossing with Russia for at least two weeks following an uptick in illegal migration attempts that Finnish officials say Russia is facilitating in order to destabilize the country after joining NATO earlier this year, AP reported Nov. 29. 

Finland, Russia: Finland Closes Entire Border With Russia Over Migrant Concerns

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said China has dropped coercive trade measures targeting Lithuania, as the two countries are working to restore diplomatic relations following a dispute surrounding the Baltic country's relations with Taiwan, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 28.

EU, Lithuania, China: Beijing Lifts Economic Coercive Measures Against Lithuania

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he will meet with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron later on Nov. 28 in Brussels, Belgium, with the goal of reaching an agreement on the future of Gibraltar, The Guardian reported on Nov. 28.

Spain, U.K.: Negotiators May Reach Deal on Gibraltar by Nov. 29

South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sign the Downing Street Accord, a bilateral framework to elevate defense, trade and technology ties, Reuters reported on Nov. 22.

South Korea, U.K.: Seoul, London to Sign Pact on Defense, Trade and Technology

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The European Union presented member states with a framework to provide Ukraine with "lasting security commitments" that EU leaders will discuss in December, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 22.

Ukraine, EU: Bloc Prepares Framework for 'Lasting Security Commitments'

The United Kingdom's Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt unveiled the government's Autumn Statement before the House of Commons, detailing an 8.5% increase in state pensions from April 2024 as well as 20 billion pounds ($25 billion) in tax cuts, the Financial Times reported on Nov. 22.

U.K.: Conservative Party Will Struggle to Win Votes With Treasury Chief’s Autumn

Europe

SITUATION REPORTS

EU, Americas: EU and Mercosur Countries Near Final Deal for Free Trade Agreement

EU, Congo: Bloc Cancels Congo Election Observation Mission

Finland, Russia: Finland Closes Entire Border With Russia Over Migrant Concerns

EU, Lithuania, China: Beijing Lifts Economic Coercive Measures Against Lithuania

Spain, U.K.: Negotiators May Reach Deal on Gibraltar by Nov. 29

South Korea, U.K.: Seoul, London to Sign Pact on Defense, Trade and Technology

Ukraine, EU: Bloc Prepares Framework for 'Lasting Security Commitments'

U.K.: Conservative Party Will Struggle to Win Votes With Treasury Chief’s Autumn

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support