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Paraguay

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A general view shows a Knesset session in Jerusalem, Israel, on March 20, 2023. 

Politics

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

The Weekly Rundown: The U.K. and Paraguay Hold Elections, Israel's Knesset Resumes

Media

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Podcasts

An update on current developments in The Middle East

RANE Insights: An In-Depth Overview of Middle Eastern Relations

Snapshots

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

A section of the Lebanese-Israeli border is seen near the village of Shtula in northern Israel on April 6, 2023. 

Military & Security

The attacks coincide with rising unrest in Israeli cities and the West Bank that could embolden the hawkish, far-right members of Israel’s new government.

In Israel, Rocket Fire From Lebanon Risks Spurring a Major Escalation

Belize

Guatemala

United States

Turkey

China

France

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

Columns

On Geopolitics

Israeli military veterans wave national flags during a rally against the government's judicial reform bill along a highway near Netanya on March 28, 2023.

Israel's judicial reforms are about more than its balance of power. They're about how Israel's national identity will confront the multipolar world.

Unrest in Israel Reveals a Broader Debate About National Identity

A mounted policeman stands guard during a March 27, 2023, protest in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Social Issues

Despite the delay, Netanyahu’s coalition is unlikely to abandon its push to overhaul the country’s court system, which will push opposition forces to maintain mass unrest that could spark violence.

Amid Protests, Israel's Government Pauses Its Judicial Reforms. What Now?

Essential Geopolitics: Recent Trends in Israeli-Palestinian Violence

People march on a street in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Feb. 11, 2023, to protest against controversial judicial reforms being touted by the country's right-wing government. 

Economics

While the immediate fallout will likely be limited, deeper problems may emerge if the government pursues more far-right policies that spook investors and businesses.

What Netanyahu's Judicial Reforms Mean for Israel's Economy

(From left) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, then-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pose for a photo during the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. 

With the end of the U.S.-led unipolar world, nationalist ideologies have the freedom to evolve into more complex belief systems, presenting new challenges and opportunities for geopolitical forecasters.

The Effects of Modern Ideology on Forecasting and Analysis

United Arab Emirates

The director of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, shows visitors around the facility’s Holocaust Gallery on Jan. 11, 2023.

The many foreigners enrolled in Emirati schools will bring home new ideas about human rights that could eventually inspire political movements in countries like Egypt and Pakistan.

The Global Impact of the UAE Teaching the Holocaust in Schools

Nigeria

Taiwan

Ukraine

An Israeli flag. The Knesset on Feb. 13 will begin the voting process on proposed judicial reforms changing how Israel's Supreme Court is appointed to favor the coalition that controls the legislature and reducing the court's power of judicial view over the country's Basic Laws.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Israel Votes on Judicial Reform, Nigeria Takes up a Contentious Currency Swap

Algeria

Libya

Morocco

Tunisia

Western Sahara

Energy

After decades of isolation, Algiers plans to use its energy wealth to engage with the world, but its lack of economic diversification will hamper this process.

Algeria Emerges From Isolation, but Its Economy and Foreign Policy Will Limit Change

The U.S. State Department criticized Israel's order to legalize the Jewish Homesh outpost in the northern West Bank, a settlement that was evacuated as part of the 2005 Gaza disengagement law under which Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported on May 29.

U.S., Israel: Washington Criticizes Israeli Reoccupation of West Bank Outpost

Israel’s Knesset passed the 2023-24 national budget in a 64-55 vote, and ultra-Orthodox parties won expanded financial support for their education and social priorities, The Times of Israel reported on May 24.

Israel: National Budget Passes Full of Ultra-Orthodox Social Spending

Israeli military authorities on May 18 approved the rebuilding of the Jewish settlement Homesh in the West Bank, which the Israeli government unilaterally evacuated in 2005 as part of efforts to end the second Intifada (Palestinian uprising), The Times of Israel reported May 22.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Authorities Approve Settlement Construction in West Bank, Jerusalem

An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) went into effect on May 13, The Times of Israel reported the next day.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Cease-Fire Reduces Risks of Violence

Gaza-based militant organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired 289 rockets at Israel, many of which fell short of their targets and hit the Gaza Strip, and Israel's air defenses intercepted most of the rest, The Times of Israel reported on May 10.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Fighting Continues With More Rocket Attacks

The Israeli military is preparing for a prolonged campaign following the targeted killings of three Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leaders overnight on May 8-9 in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported on May 9.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Braces for Prolonged Gaza Conflict Following Strikes on PIJ Leaders

Lawmakers who are members of Israel's Otzma Yehudit party, which belongs to the ruling coalition, boycotted the Knesset after accusing the government of a "feeble" response to Gaza rockets that wounded three people in Israel's south the day before, The Times of Israel reported on May 3.

Israel: Gaza Flare-Up Causes Tensions Inside Coalition

Ahead of the Knesset resuming session on April 30, up to 200,000 right-wing Israelis protested in Jerusalem, demanding the government fulfill its promises to reform the country's judiciary and claiming mass support for the effort, Reuters reported on April 27.

Israel: Pro-Judicial Reform Rally Pressures Government Not to Compromise

Afghanistan

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Argentina

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

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Tajikistan

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Cambodia

Germany

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.

Brazil

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Nepal

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

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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.

Cote d'Ivoire

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Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

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Marshall Islands

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Mongolia

Israel lives under difficult geopolitical circumstances. A small country with limited resources and surrounded by potentially hostile neighbors, Israel survives by allying with powers that do have the resources to manage the balance of power in the Middle East — namely, the United States. Its geographic position also means that Israel must manage complex relations with its Muslim neighbors by quiet collaboration, by exploiting divisions, and by parlaying its technological and economic advantages into create strategic dependencies. To navigate all the challenges presented by the Middle East, Israel will remain agile in its diplomacy and, when the situation warrants, steadfast in its pre-emptive strikes, its covert activities and its economic relationships.

Israel's Survival Strategy

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Female

Male

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen confirmed that Israeli police arrested Jordanian lawmaker Imad Al-Adwan on the Allenby Bridge as he attempted to smuggle firearms into Israel, The Times of Israel reported on April 24.

Israel, Jordan: Israeli Police Arrest Jordanian Lawmaker for Weapons Smuggling

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Israel: Washington Criticizes Israeli Reoccupation of West Bank Outpost

Israel: National Budget Passes Full of Ultra-Orthodox Social Spending

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Authorities Approve Settlement Construction in West Bank, Jerusalem

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Cease-Fire Reduces Risks of Violence

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Fighting Continues With More Rocket Attacks

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Braces for Prolonged Gaza Conflict Following Strikes on PIJ Leaders

Israel: Gaza Flare-Up Causes Tensions Inside Coalition

Israel: Pro-Judicial Reform Rally Pressures Government Not to Compromise

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