<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

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves Downing Street on Feb. 2, 2026, in London. 

Economics

Politics

While the crisis could see Labour elect a new leader in the coming months, broad party consensus and fiscal constraints make sharp policy shifts unlikely, limiting the risk of sustained market volatility.

In the U.K., Starmer's Leadership Struggles Reach a Tipping Point

Turkey

A digital satellite illustration shows Europe at night.

Energy

Military & Security

The EU enlargement chief's upcoming visit to Turkey signals an attempt to balance cautious engagement with clear strategic interests, rather than an imminent breakthrough on the country's stalled accession process.

Understanding the EU's Strategic Reengagement With Turkey

Assessments

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu speaks in parliament after surviving two no-confidence votes in Paris, France on Jan. 23 23, 2026. 

The budget's likely adoption will keep the minority government in office, but deep political fragmentation will limit policy action and sustain the risk of early elections, keeping France's fiscal trajectory uncertain.

The Risks to France's Fiscal Outlook Beyond the 2026 Budget

Columns

On Geopolitics

The flags of NATO, the EU and Poland are seen next to each other. 

Despite achieving strategic indispensability and significant military power, Poland's political influence in the EU and NATO has lagged, creating a paradox in which it is critical to executing Western strategies but peripheral to decision-making.

Has Poland Missed Its Shot at Becoming a Major EU Power?

Israel

Palestinian Territories

China

Japan

South Korea

India

Egyptian trucks and heavy machinery on Oct. 26, 2025, on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.

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: A Gaza Border Reopening, EU Leaders Visit India

United States

Greenland

The HDMS Knud Rasmussen ship of the Danish Navy patrols the waters off of Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 20, 2026. 

Global Trade

Trump's threatened tariffs over his bid to acquire Greenland have turned the U.S.-EU trade dispute into a high-stakes geopolitical confrontation, raising the risk of a sustained trade war that would severely strain transatlantic economic ties and NATO cohesion.

Trump's Greenland Tariff Threat Escalates Transatlantic Tensions

U.S. protectionism has dramatically weakened the rules-based, multilateral trade regime established after World War II, driving governments to increasingly view trade through a national security lens rather than purely an economic one.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Conclusion

Vietnam

Ukraine

Russia

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.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

Moldova

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

The flag of Greenland, known locally as "Erfalasorput," flies next to the Church of Our Saviour on March 30, 2025, in Nuuk, Greenland. 

The United States' aim to acquire Greenland risks triggering a NATO crisis if U.S. and European negotiators fail to reach a settlement.

Europe Weighs Responses to U.S. Pressure Over Greenland

The European Parliament's trade committee agreed on a common position on the July 2025 EU-U.S. trade framework agreement, backing amendments ahead of a plenary vote, Politico reported Feb. 10. 

EU, U.S.: European Parliament Backs Safeguards in EU-U.S. Tariff Deal, Paving Way for Plenary Vote

Hong Kong SAR, China

A Hong Kong national security court sentenced the 78-year-old media tycoon and British dual-citizen Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison on charges of foreign collusion and sedition, Reuters reported on Feb. 8.

Hong Kong: Lai Case Shows Political Assimilation and Will Strain U.S., U.K. Ties

Qatar

QatarEnergy is delaying the startup of its expansion of the North Field East liquefied natural gas project until at least the fourth quarter of 2026 and potentially early 2027, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 9. 

Qatar: QatarEnergy's LNG Expansion Project Start-Up Delayed to at Least Q4

China said it was open to resuming dialogue with Lithuania after Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said the country's 2021 decision to allow Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius was a mistake, Reuters reported Feb. 6.

Lithuania, China: Vilnius Signals Shift Toward Normalizing Relations With Beijing

Pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is mounting after Labour lawmakers renewed objections to his appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador, citing Mandelson's past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Guardian reported Feb. 4.

U.K.: Labour Pressure on Starmer Intensifies Amid Mandelson Scandal 

Negotiators for blocs within the European Parliament agreed to restart the ratification process for the EU-U.S. tariff framework agreement, which had been frozen in January following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats linked to the Greenland dispute, Politico reported Feb. 4.

U.S., Europe: European Parliament Agrees To Unfreeze EU-U.S. Tariff Deal Ratification Process

Environment, Science & Technology

The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation into Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind, according to a Feb. 3 commission press release.

EU, China: Brussels Opens Subsidy Probe Into Chinese Wind Turbine Maker Goldwind  

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will face two more no-confidence votes Feb. 2 after invoking Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to pass the 2026 budget without a parliamentary vote, Le Figaro reported.

France: Prime Minister Lecornu Set To Survive Final No-Confidence Votes on 2026 Budget

Europe

SITUATION REPORTS

EU, U.S.: European Parliament Backs Safeguards in EU-U.S. Tariff Deal, Paving Way for Plenary Vote

Hong Kong: Lai Case Shows Political Assimilation and Will Strain U.S., U.K. Ties

Qatar: QatarEnergy's LNG Expansion Project Start-Up Delayed to at Least Q4

Lithuania, China: Vilnius Signals Shift Toward Normalizing Relations With Beijing

U.K.: Labour Pressure on Starmer Intensifies Amid Mandelson Scandal

U.S., Europe: European Parliament Agrees To Unfreeze EU-U.S. Tariff Deal Ratification Process

EU, China: Brussels Opens Subsidy Probe Into Chinese Wind Turbine Maker Goldwind

France: Prime Minister Lecornu Set To Survive Final No-Confidence Votes on 2026 Budget

Forecasts

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