Assessments

Europe

Spain

Leaders of the Council of the European Union, the bloc’s main decision-making body, hold a meeting in Brussels, Belgium in March 2017.

Politics

Spain's proposal to nix unanimity voting on strategic EU decisions will run up against resistance from smaller states that want to preserve their veto power.

In the EU, a New Push To Streamline Foreign Policy Decisions Emerges

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks at a campaign rally in Seville for his Socialist Party (PSOE) on May 13, 2023, ahead of the country's May 28 regional and municipal elections. 

The May 28 ballot will result in fragmented local legislatures and increase the far-right Vox party's influence ahead of the general election later this year.

Spain's Regional Elections Will Offer a Glimpse Into the Makeup of Its Next Government

Uganda

Brazil

United States

South Korea

Portugal

U.S. and South Korean flags are waved March 10, 2015, in Seoul, South Korea.

Economics

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: South Korea's President Meets Biden, Lula Pushes Spain on EU Trade

Germany

France

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

China

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

U.S.-China Relations

Snapshots

A driver waves a Spanish flag from his car during an anti-government demonstration organized by Spain's far-right Vox party in Malaga on Oct. 12, 2020. 

Internal crises in Spain's center-left government are harming its prospects ahead of regional elections in May, which will open the door to a right-wing victory in the December general elections.

Fractures in Spain's Government Give Right-Wing Parties an Edge Ahead of Elections

Japan

Greece

Belgium

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

Columns

On Geopolitics

Poland

Hungary

EU flags fly outside the headquarters of the European Commission on Feb. 23, 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Brexit, COVID-19 and the Ukraine crisis have increased the influence of southern and eastern EU members to the detriment of traditionally more influential countries in the north.

The EU's Shifting Balance of Power

United Kingdom

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

Supporters of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) protest in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 27, 2022, as part of a nationwide strike among U.K. rail workers. 

European countries could see a wave of disruptive protests in the coming months as workers demand wage increases to keep up with the rising cost of living. 

Europe's Inflation Crisis Raises the Risk of Social and Labor Unrest

Switzerland

Russia

A photo taken on July 5, 2022, shows the dried-up river bed of the Po River in Italy's Veneto region. Water levels in Italy's largest river have reached record lows amid a severe drought.

Record-low rainfall is disrupting crop yields, energy production and trade flows at a time when European countries are already battling soaring food and fuel prices.

A Severe Drought Turns Up the Heat on Europe’s Economic and Energy Crises

Algeria

Morocco

Western Sahara

People take part in a ''Free Sahara'' rally in Madrid, Spain, on March 30, 2022, in protest of the Spanish government's recent move to recognize Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara. 

Madrid’s support will further legitimize Rabat’s claimed control over the disputed territory, though it will also risk inciting more attacks by Algeria-backed militants.

Spain's New Stance on Western Sahara Brings Morocco-Algeria Tensions Back to a Boil

Security

The Spanish government approved a 2.2 billion euro ($2.4 billion) package of measures including subsidies, water supplies and direct financial aid to mitigate the impacts of a prolonged drought on the country's agricultural sector, Reuters reported on May 11.

Spain: New Government Measures Address Drought Ahead of Key Regional Elections

Spain's center-left government vowed to block a plan from autonomous right-wing Andalucia's regional government to allow new farming development near the protected Donana National Park amid scarce water supplies in the southern Spanish region, El Pais reported on April 17.

Spain: Madrid and Andalucia's Regional Government at Odds Over Scarce Water Resources

Spain's lower house approved a pension reform that will increase the contributions that workers and companies make to the pension system, Cadena COPE reported on March 30.

Spain: Lower House Approves Pension Reform Soon After France

Spain's center-left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez survived a vote of no-confidence after 201 members of the Congress of Deputies voted against the motion, 52 voted in favor of it and 91 abstained, El Pais reported on March 22.

Spain: Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is meeting Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Rabat, Morocco, after which he is expected to announce an 800 million euro ($869 million) credit line for Spanish investments in Morocco and as many as 20 agreements to boost trade and investment, Reuters reported Feb. 2.

Spain, Morocco: Countries Strengthen Economic Ties Following Diplomatic Truce

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Barcelona, Spain, where they signed a friendship treaty to increase political and economic cooperation between their countries, Euronews reported Jan. 19.

Spain, France: Countries Sign Friendship Treaty Ahead of Madrid's EU Presidency

European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid, Spain, on Jan. 10 to discuss a coordinated EU response to the $369 billion U.S. subsidy package introduced by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Politico reported Jan. 11.

EU: Industry Commissioner Breton Tours Europe to Gather Support for EU-Funded Green Subsidies

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government will continue looking for ways to reform how the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), which appoints the head of the Supreme Court and members of the Constitutional Court, operates after the Spanish Constitutional Court blocked his plan to reform the institution on Dec. 19, El Pais reported Dec. 20.

Spain: Prime Minister Insists on Reforming Judiciary After Constitutional Court Blocks Plan

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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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.

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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

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

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

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<p>Spain is located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, France, the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. Spain is separated from France by the Pyrenees, a protective mountain barrier between the two countries. The Strait of Gibraltar divides Spain from Africa, which at its narrowest is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) wide. This eased the invasion of the Moors in the eighth century during the rise of the Islamic caliphate. The Arab presence lasted until the end of the 15th century, when Christian Spanish kingdoms unified modern Spain. This unification helped Spain compete with other maritime powers such as the United Kingdom and continental powers like France. Spain&rsquo;s access to the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, along with its need for natural resources, promoted its consolidation into one of the greatest naval and colonial powers of Europe. While Spain has had external challenges, its main geographic challenge comes from within. Spain&rsquo;s core is Madrid, the country&rsquo;s capital, most populated city and political center. Madrid sits on Spain&rsquo;s Meseta Central and was chosen as the capital in the 16th century to allow more centralized control of the country. But Spain&rsquo;s mountainous terrain has historically determined its political life by hindering communication between different regions within the country. This geography has led to the emergence of regionalist and separatist movements, especially in Catalonia and the Basque Country. Spain&rsquo;s challenge, then, is to bring about a truly united nation with a balance of power between the central government in Madrid and the autonomous regions, especially as Catalonia.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Spain: New Government Measures Address Drought Ahead of Key Regional Elections

Spain: Madrid and Andalucia's Regional Government at Odds Over Scarce Water Resources

Spain: Lower House Approves Pension Reform Soon After France

Spain: Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote

Spain, Morocco: Countries Strengthen Economic Ties Following Diplomatic Truce

Spain, France: Countries Sign Friendship Treaty Ahead of Madrid's EU Presidency

EU: Industry Commissioner Breton Tours Europe to Gather Support for EU-Funded Green Subsidies

Spain: Prime Minister Insists on Reforming Judiciary After Constitutional Court Blocks Plan

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