<p>Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. The Himalayan Mountains form the northern border of South Asia, whose two main rivers, the Indus and the Ganges, support the region&rsquo;s great population centers. India is the region&rsquo;s dominant country, home to the world&rsquo;s fastest growing economy. But its rivalry with neighboring Pakistan, a fellow nuclear power and growing consumer market, has made South Asia one of the world&rsquo;s most dangerous nuclear flashpoints. The region is also a testament to how militancy and militarism can undermine the regional integration needed to unleash higher economic growth.</p>

Everything that informs geopolitics can be found in South Asia: challenging demographics, geographic diversity, and contentious, ill-defined borders. 

South Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Politics of Pipelines

Banking

Crossing Borders

Globalization

Social Issues

The Pulse of Political Islam

Instability in Central Asia

South Asian Militancy

India's Own Worst Enemy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

United States

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Palestinian Territories

Indonesia

Vietnam

Slovakia

Hungary

Ukraine

Russia

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine 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: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

A man walks past campaign posters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman and Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on Feb. 13, 2026.

Economics

The transition from an interim administration will likely restore political stability, though social and fiscal pressures will still pose constraints for the new center-right government.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Wins Big in First Election Since 2024 Uprising

Media

Podcasts

What major challenges will the incoming government face?

What To Expect From Bangladesh's Upcoming Elections

Iran

Japan

Thailand

Campaign posters Feb. 6 of candidates running in the upcoming Japanese House of Representatives election, in Inagi, Tokyo prefecture.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan Holds Snap Elections, U.S. Weighs Options After Iran Talks

U.S.-Iran Relations

Snapshots

A freight train on Aug. 26, 2025, in Ajmer India.

A U.S.-India trade deal will bring some relief to Indian exporters, but ambiguities over its scope, implementation timeline and myriad other flashpoints will risk undermining it.

An India-U.S. Trade Deal Will Face Ongoing Hurdles

A burned-out vehicle along a road on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Quetta on Feb. 1, 2026, a day after an attack by Baloch separatists. The intensifying insurgency will exacerbate strains on Pakistan's security forces, worsening the country's security challenges and further constraining foreign investment interest.

The intensifying insurgency will exacerbate strains on Pakistan's security forces, worsening the country's security challenges and further constraining foreign investment interest.

With Coordinated Attacks, Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency Intensifies

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters gather for a rally in Sylhet, Bangladesh, ahead of the upcoming national election on Jan. 22, 2026. 

The Feb. 12 ballot could yield a government led by the conservative BNP, a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat party, or a fragile BNP-Jamaat coalition -- each with distinct implications for Bangladesh's economic, political and foreign policy landscape.

Bangladesh's General Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

China

South Korea

United Kingdom

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

The Weekly Rundown: A Gaza Border Reopening, EU Leaders Visit India

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at a hotel in New York City on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting on Sept. 22, 2025. 

Global Trade

A trade deal could gradually reduce barriers in the tech, industrial and energy sectors, but progress will likely remain constrained by U.S. tariff uncertainty and India's reluctance to make concessions in sensitive sectors like agriculture.

Where Things Stand in U.S.-India Trade Talks

Nigeria

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Greenland

Taiwan

Europe

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Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

U.S.-China Relations

Energy

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Feb. 25-26 visit to Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders agreeing to upgrade their strategic partnership to a "Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity," The Economic Times reported on Feb. 26.

India, Israel: Cooperation Deepens Across Defense, Trade, Energy

India's foreign ministry announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel from Feb. 25-26, Reuters reported on Feb. 24.

India, Israel: Modi To Visit Israel Feb. 25-26

Pakistani officials said on Feb. 22 that the country's military launched airstrikes overnight Feb. 21 targeting seven "terrorist camps and hideouts" linked to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State Khorasan Province in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost, killing at least 70-80 militants, Dawn reported on Feb. 22. 

Pakistan, Afghanistan: Pakistan Launches Latest Cross-Border Strikes in Retaliation for Militant Attacks

Brazil

After attending the India AI Impact Summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Feb. 21, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 19.

India, Brazil: Lula Is Set To Meet Modi Amid Negotiations on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths

France

Spain

French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to renew their bilateral defense cooperation framework for another decade, expand joint defense production, deepen interoperability, increase joint exercises and raise defense industrial integration, according to a Feb. 17 joint statement. 

France, Spain, India: Defense and Technology Cooperation Is Set To Deepen

Canada

According to Canadian official Victor Fedeli, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit New Delhi from March 1-2 to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reuters reported on Feb. 17. 

India, Canada: Carney To Visit India in Early March

According to Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, India's textile exports will enter the United States duty-free if manufacturers use U.S. cotton yarn, the same tariff benefit granted to Bangladesh, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 12.

India: U.S. Tariffs on Select Indian Textile Exports Set To Ease

The White House updated its U.S.-India trade deal fact sheet to change wording on agricultural goods, removing references to pulses such as lentils and chickpeas, The Economic Times reported on Feb. 11.

India: U.S. Revises Statement on India Trade Deal 

South Asia

SITUATION REPORTS

India, Israel: Cooperation Deepens Across Defense, Trade, Energy

India, Israel: Modi To Visit Israel Feb. 25-26

Pakistan, Afghanistan: Pakistan Launches Latest Cross-Border Strikes in Retaliation for Militant Attacks

India, Brazil: Lula Is Set To Meet Modi Amid Negotiations on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths

France, Spain, India: Defense and Technology Cooperation Is Set To Deepen

India, Canada: Carney To Visit India in Early March

India: U.S. Tariffs on Select Indian Textile Exports Set To Ease

India: U.S. Revises Statement on India Trade Deal

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