AssessmentsNov 1, 2025 | 14:00 GMT
The Weekly Rundown: Potential U.S. Strikes in Venezuela, U.S. Outreach in Central Asia
A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.
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AssessmentsOct 31, 2025 | 20:04 GMT
The Modern Geopolitics of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's national strategy is challenged by its austere past and potential future. The kingdom seeks alignment with a regional and global order to achieve middle power status while preventing internal divisions spurred by the very reforms it is using to walk that path. It is vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and internal erosion of consensus, especially the latter. Riyadh's monarchy must manage these imperatives effectively to avoid a return to a divided, foreign-controlled state, mirroring its 20th-century beginning.
READ MORESituation ReportOct 31, 2025 | 18:48 GMT
U.S., Venezuela: White House Reportedly Ready To Strike Cartel-Linked Targets in Venezuelan Territory
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to attack military sites in Venezuela and the strikes could come at any moment, the Miami Herald reported Oct. 31, citing unnamed sources ''with knowledge of the situation.''
READ MORESituation ReportOct 31, 2025 | 18:10 GMT
Japan: Takaichi Meets With South Korea's Lee and China's Xi on the Sidelines of APEC
New Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 30 and 31, respectively, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, Bloomberg reported.
READ MORESituation ReportOct 31, 2025 | 16:25 GMT
Italy: Senate Approves Meloni's Flagship Justice Reform, Setting Stage for Politically Risky Referendum
Lawmakers in Italy's Senate granted final approval to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's proposed justice reform that would create separate career paths for judges and prosecutors, with 112 votes in favor, 59 against and only nine abstentions, Italian news agency ANSA reported Oct. 30.
READ MORESituation ReportOct 31, 2025 | 16:22 GMT
U.S., India: Countries Renew 10-year Defense Partnership
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, signed a renewed 10-year ''Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership,'' with Hegseth calling the partnership ''one of the most consequential'' in the world, Bloomberg reported Oct. 31.
READ MOREAssessmentsOct 30, 2025 | 21:18 GMT
New U.S. Sanctions Strike at the Heart of Russia's War Economy
New U.S. sanctions on Russia's two largest oil producers mark the most consequential escalation of economic pressure on Moscow since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which signals Washington's intent to constrict the Kremlin's war financing, while testing oil market stability and Putin's capacity to endure prolonged attrition. The United States' Oct. 22 sanctions target Rosneft and Lukoil, which together produce roughly 5 million barrels per day (bpd), representing about half of Russia's total crude output and over 5% of global oil production. The two companies also export nearly 2 million bpd, representing roughly two-thirds of Russia's total crude exports. Announced by the U.S. Treasury as a direct effort to pressure Moscow into a ceasefire, the measures bar U.S. and foreign banks from financing or clearing transactions and include a 30-day wind-down period ending on Nov. 21. They build on the United States and other Western countries'
READ MORESituation ReportOct 30, 2025 | 15:47 GMT
Netherlands: Election Tie Leaves Door Open to Both Centrist or Right-Wing Coalitions
Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) and Rob Jetten's centrist-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) are each projected to win 26 of the 150 seats in the lower house of the Dutch parliament after capturing about 17% of the national vote in the Oct. 29 snap elections, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Oct. 30.
READ MOREAssessmentsOct 30, 2025 | 13:00 GMT
U.S. Naval Update Map: Oct. 30, 2025
The Naval Update Map shows the approximate current locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs), based on available open-source information. No classified or operationally sensitive information is included in this weekly update. CSGs and ARGs are the keys to U.S. dominance over the world's oceans. A CSG is centered on an aircraft carrier and includes significant offensive strike capability. An ARG is centered on three amphibious warfare ships, with a Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked.
READ MOREAssessmentsOct 29, 2025 | 19:54 GMT
The Takeaways From the 2025 ASEAN Summit
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders' summit underscored the bloc's efforts to improve cohesion amid U.S.-China competition, from which it is set to benefit economically. But over time, competing trade pressures and internal divergences will test this cohesiveness, with fractures exposing individual members to external and, at times, coercive influence. On Oct. 26-28, the leaders of Southeast Asian countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the 47th ASEAN Leaders' Summit, joined by high-level representatives from partner countries, including the United States and China. U.S. President Donald Trump attended the opening day, where he oversaw Thailand and Cambodia signing an expanded ceasefire and joint declaration that formalized and broadened their July truce after deadly border clashes. On the economic track, Washington reached bilateral agreements with four ASEAN members, including a reciprocal trade agreement with Malaysia, a full trade accord with Cambodia, a framework trade deal with Thailand, and a provisional
READ MORESituation ReportOct 29, 2025 | 17:19 GMT
South Korea, U.S.: Trade Deal Reached, To Put Pressure on Japan
U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reached a trade deal to lower U.S. tariffs on South Korean goods, including automobiles, from 25% to 15%, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 29.
READ MOREOn SecurityOct 29, 2025 | 15:39 GMT
Worldwide Gen Z Protesters May Be Disappointed With Their Success
In recent weeks, a flurry of youth-led mass protests, often given the moniker ''Gen Z,'' has swept across countries in Africa and Asia. Despite each protest movement having its own unique features, there are signs that they have been inspiring, if not significantly coordinating with each other. They share a common frustration with the ruling elite and a belief that poor governance -- due to the rising cost of living, high-level corruption, social injustice, worsening authoritarianism or otherwise -- is mortgaging their futures. These movements not only have generated empathy from outsiders but also resulted in changes, from regime change or changes to unpopular legislation, that open the door to reforms to countries' political structures, economic systems and security apparatuses. But these uprisings also entail numerous risks beyond the obvious potential for near-term violence. These dangers are often overlooked, yet Gen Z protesters will have to confront the same fundamental
READ MOREAssessmentsOct 29, 2025 | 15:05 GMT
Defense Spending Will Modestly Boost the German Economy, but Challenges Remain
After years of stagnation, the German economy will receive a boost from increased government spending on defense and infrastructure, but a failure to implement flanking structural reform will mean that the boost to medium-term economic growth will be limited. In recent weeks, numerous media reports have cast doubt on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ambitious plans to reform the economy. Since taking office in May after forming a coalition with a slim parliamentary majority between his center-right Christian Democratic Union or CDU and the center-left Social Democratic Party or SPD, Merz's government has reformed the constitutionally mandated limits on government deficits and has committed to significant increases in defense expenditure and infrastructure, especially of transport. The new government has also agreed to implement reforms aimed at reducing growth-impeding bureaucratic rules governing product markets and infrastructure investment. However, despite these goals, thus far intra-coalition disagreements have translated into more limited practical results
READ MORESituation ReportOct 27, 2025 | 19:44 GMT
Russia: Putin Hails Burevestnik Missile Test as Proof of 'Invincible' Nuclear Power
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, claiming it can fly 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) over 15 hours and penetrate any missile defense system, Reuters reported on Oct. 26.
READ MORESituation ReportOct 27, 2025 | 19:41 GMT
Sudan: RSF Claims Full Control of Strategic City of El Fashir
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, announced it had captured El Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state and the location of the army's main headquarters, the last major military stronghold in the region, Reuters reported on Oct. 26.
READ MOREOn GeopoliticsOct 27, 2025 | 16:53 GMT
Europe's Dual Challenge From China and Russia
The EU pursuit of geopolitical independence is being severely tested by Russia's direct security aggression, China's control over critical raw materials and competing economic pressures from the United States.
READ MOREAssessmentsOct 25, 2025 | 14:00 GMT
The Weekly Rundown: Argentina Holds Midterm Elections, Trump Travels to Asia
A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.
READ MORESituation ReportOct 23, 2025 | 15:57 GMT
Indonesia: Militarization Deepens With Palm Oil Plantation Seizures
The Indonesian military has seized roughly 3.7 million hectares of private palm oil plantations and around 30% of national acreage, transferring nearly half to the new state-run agency Agrinas Palma Nusantara, Reuters reported on Oct. 23.
READ MOREAssessmentsOct 23, 2025 | 13:00 GMT
U.S. Naval Update Map: Oct. 23, 2025
The Naval Update Map shows the approximate current locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs), based on available open-source information. No classified or operationally sensitive information is included in this weekly update. CSGs and ARGs are the keys to U.S. dominance over the world's oceans. A CSG is centered on an aircraft carrier and includes significant offensive strike capability. An ARG is centered on three amphibious warfare ships, with a Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked.
READ MORESituation ReportOct 22, 2025 | 21:49 GMT
U.S., Russia: U.S. Sanctions Rosneft and Lukoil, Increasing Pressure on Russia's Energy Revenues
The United States announced new sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia's two largest oil companies, and several of their subsidiaries as part of efforts to pressure Moscow to end its war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 22.
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