Assessments

Brazil

United States

China

France

United Kingdom

Ireland

Belfast Harbour on Jan. 17, 2023, in Northern Ireland. U.S. President Joe Biden on April 11 will visit Belfast, Northern Ireland, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Economics

Politics

Social Issues

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

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Travels to Northern Ireland, a Saudi-Omani Delegation Visits Yemen

Europe

Germany

Spain

Italy

A photograph taken on March 16, 2023, shows Lake Serre-Poncon partially dry, near Embrun, in the French Alps. 

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Increasingly severe droughts and water shortages brought on by climate change will serve as a multiplier for Europe's energy, agricultural, industrial and socio-economic challenges. 

Europe's Scorching Summer and Warm Winter Portend a New Normal

Belize

Guatemala

Israel

Turkey

Russia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) at a weekly Cabinet meeting Feb. 19, 2023, in Jerusalem.

The Weekly Rundown: Israel's Cabinet Votes on a National Guard, Von der Leyen and Macron Visit China

U.S.-China Relations

Taiwan

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. 

Military & Security

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

Protesters gather on Place de la Bastille in Paris, France, on March 23, 2023, to attend a demonstration a week after the government pushed a pension reform through Parliament without a vote.

With two no-confidence votes and seven straight days of rallies, the backlash against President Macron's pension reform bodes ill for the stability of not only his government, but its successors.

In France, Ongoing Pension Protests Underscore the Risk of Recurring Political Instability

Snapshots

A protestor holds a placard that reads ''Empty Fridge Equals Violence of Dispair'' near a pile of burning trash during a demonstration in Paris, France, against the government's proposed pension reform on March 11, 2023. 

The French president's move to circumvent the National Assembly will limit his government's ability to enact future reforms and raise the risk of more disruptive protests.

Macron Forces Through His Pension Reform. But at What Cost?

South Africa

Ecuador

South African President and ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa on Jan. 7, 2023, in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

The Weekly Rundown: South Africa's State of the Nation Speech, Biden and Lula Meet

People march in the streets of Paris, France, to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform plans as part of a nationwide strike on Jan. 19, 2023. 

The controversial plan to overhaul France's pension system will fuel heavily disruptive labor action that could severely weaken Macron's government. 

In France, the Uproar Over Macron's Pension Reform Portends More Strikes and Political Uncertainty

Burkina Faso

A French army patrol in November 2019 in northern Burkina Faso. A French military withdrawal will likely accelerate the spread of the jihadist insurgencies already running rampant in Burkina Faso, worsening regional economies and security.

A French departure will likely accelerate the spread of the jihadist insurgencies already running rampant in Burkina Faso, worsening regional economies and security.

Burkina Faso's Government Demands a French Military Withdrawal

Japan

Greece

Belgium

Portugal

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist Pierre Olivier Gourinchas speaks during a media interview at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C. on July 26, 2022, after the institution downgraded its outlook for the global economy this year and next. 

As the effects of post-COVID reopenings wane, rising interest rates and slower economic growth may prove particularly problematic for highly indebted countries like Italy.

After a Brief Reprieve, Debt Levels in Many Advanced Economies Are Set to Rise

Canada

Mexico

Passengers of a flight from China walk toward a COVID-19 testing center after arriving in Paris, France, on Jan. 1, 2023. 

The Weekly Rundown: China Ends COVID-19 Travel Restrictions, Biden Meets With Japan, Canada and Mexico's Leaders

Columns

On Geopolitics

Ethiopia

Nigeria

Argentina

Iran

Hong Kong SAR, China

Ukraine

Belarus

India

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2022 Annual Forecast as 2023 Approaches

French President Emmanuel Macron said the French government will introduce new tax credits for green investments and incentives for electric vehicle purchases conditional on them being produced in Europe, Reuters reported on May 12.

France: Paris to Introduce New Tax Credits for EVs, Green Investments

Germany is lobbying other Group of Seven countries to support public investment in natural gas at the Japan-hosted May 19-21 G-7 summit, the Financial Times reported on May 11.

Germany: Berlin Pushes G-7 to Back Public Investment in Natural Gas

BNP Paribas announced it would no longer finance new upstream natural gas fields with direct loans, Financial Times reported May 11. 

France: BNP Paribas to Stop Financing New Gas Field Projects

France's National Assembly approved a non-binding resolution calling on the European Union to designate the Russian private mercenary organization Wagner Group as a terrorist organization, Politico reported on May 9.

Europe: Paris Calls on EU to Add Wagner Group to Terrorist List, U.K. Prepares Similar Move

The lower house of France's National Assembly adopted a text to prevent the ''dismantling'' of the French electricity giant EDF, despite opposition from President Emmanuel Macron's government, le Figaro reported May 4. 

France: National Assembly Adopts Text Preventing EDF Asset Sale 

French energy company TotalEnergies sued the French branch of environmental group Greenpeace and the climate consulting firm Factor-X over a November 2022 report that claimed TotalEnergies had significantly underestimated its greenhouse gas emissions, TotalEnergies said on May 3.

France: TotalEnergies Sues Greenpeace Over Emissions Underreporting Allegations

France's Constitutional Council rejected a second referendum proposal aimed at capping the country's retirement age at 62 on the basis that it did not meet the necessary legal criteria, Reuters reported on May 3.

France: Constitutional Council Blocks Second Referendum Proposal on Pension System

Workers marched across France to protest the government's unpopular reform of the country's pension system, with clashes between demonstrators and the police reported in Paris and Nantes, Reuters reported on May 1.

France: Pension Reform Protests on Labor Day Result in Clashes

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Armenia

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

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Bolivia

Cambodia

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.

Burundi

Finland

Nepal

Cameroon

Georgia

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

Kiribati

Moldova

Oman

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dominican Republic

Laos

Palestinian Territories

Djibouti

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Marshall Islands

Saudi Arabia

Eritrea

Grenada

Mongolia

<p>France is a country in Western Europe bound in the south by the Alps, Pyrenees Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. To the west and north is the Atlantic Ocean, and on its eastern border lies the river Rhine and the low mountains of the Ardennes, Vosges and Jura. Mountains, rivers and seas help protect France at all points but one: the North European Plain. As a result, France&#39;s main geographic challenge is safeguarding its eastern border on the path of this historic invasion route. The lack of internal geographic barriers contributed to France&#39;s social cohesion, which in turn led France to become one of the world&#39;s first modern nation-states. The Beauce region represents France&#39;s core. Its navigable rivers, warm climate, sufficient rainfall and fertile soils have made France one of the world&#39;s leading agricultural powers. At the extreme northern border of the Beauce region, where the rivers Marne and Seine meet, lies Paris &mdash; France&#39;s economic and political center. Paris&#39; strategic location on these rivers gives it administrative control of trading routes from the Beauce region to the rest of France and Europe In modern times, the most existential threats to France have come from its powerful eastern neighbor, Germany. Between 1871 and 1945, France and Germany fought three major wars &mdash; all on the North European Plain. After World War II, France attempted to contain Germany largely through the creation of the European Union. The economic and political crisis plaguing Europe has put France&#39;s containment strategy into question.</p>

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The Fate of the Eurozone

European Disintegration

Female

Male

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire presented the government's "debt stability programme" for 2023-2027, Bloomberg reported on April 20.

France: Paris Unveils Plan for Faster Debt Reduction

The Group of Seven (G-7) set stronger 2030 targets for renewable power generation but said, "investment in the gas sector can be appropriate to help address potential market shortfalls provoked by the crisis" as long as it is consistent with Paris Agreement objectives and does not create any lock-in effects of long-term gas consumption, Reuters reported on April 16.

Global: G-7 Further Weakens Language Around Natural Gas Investment, Backs Ammonia for Power Generation

SITUATION REPORTS

France: Paris to Introduce New Tax Credits for EVs, Green Investments

Germany: Berlin Pushes G-7 to Back Public Investment in Natural Gas

France: BNP Paribas to Stop Financing New Gas Field Projects

Europe: Paris Calls on EU to Add Wagner Group to Terrorist List, U.K. Prepares Similar Move

France: National Assembly Adopts Text Preventing EDF Asset Sale

France: TotalEnergies Sues Greenpeace Over Emissions Underreporting Allegations

France: Constitutional Council Blocks Second Referendum Proposal on Pension System

France: Pension Reform Protests on Labor Day Result in Clashes

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support