Egypt

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

Politics

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip -- likely within days -- after the Israel Defense Forces secured the body of the last remaining hostage taken by Hamas in 2023, Reuters reported on Jan. 26.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel To Reopen Rafah Crossing After Hostage Recovery Efforts End

United States

U.S. President Donald Trump formally unveiled the U.N.-mandated Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Reuters reported on Jan. 22.

U.S., Palestinian Territories: Trump Unveils Board of Peace

Economics

The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip (NCAG), the 15-person committee of Palestinian technocrats tasked by the U.N. Security Council and the Board of Peace with governing Gaza, convened for the first time in Cairo, Egypt, Reuters reported Jan. 15.

Palestinian Territories: Gaza Committee of Technocrats Convenes for First Time

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan in Gaza would begin, saying it would entail the demilitarization, reconstruction and post-Hamas governance of the strip, Al Jazeera reported on Jan. 14. 

Israel, Gaza: Phase Two of Gaza Ceasefire To Begin, but Questions on Implementation Remain

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said on Telegram that the group would readily hand power over to a technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza as per the so-called second phase of the U.S. ceasefire plan, which President Donald Trump is due to announce the same week, AP reported on Jan. 11.

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Aims To Play for Time as It Offers To Hand Over Power

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel would maintain a permanent security presence in the Gaza Strip for security reasons and that at some point -- though no specific timeline was given -- Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would establish Nahal units in northern Gaza, Reuters reported Dec. 23. 

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Defense Minister Says IDF To Establish Civilian-Military Units in Gaza

Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly planning to discuss potentially attacking Iran during his expected Dec. 29 meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump after both U.S. and Israeli intelligence assessed that Iran is rebuilding its ballistic missile program, NBC reported Dec. 20.

Israel, U.S., Iran: Netanyahu Reportedly Intends To Discuss Iran Attack Plans With Trump

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitor, wrote in an assessment that there was no longer a famine in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Global Hunger Monitor Declares Famine Is No Longer Present in Gaza

Assessments

China

Japan

South Korea

United Kingdom

India

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

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

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

U.S. President Donald Trump (center) holds up his signature on the founding charter among world leaders during a ceremony for the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2026.

The U.S.-led endeavor's immediate priority will be expanding aid in Gaza, but internal divisions, international skepticism and Israeli interference will likely undermine its effectiveness, especially if the Israel-Hamas ceasefire collapses.

What To Make of Trump's 'Board of Peace'

Greenland

Vietnam

Denmark

France

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Ukraine

Russia

A sniper police officer on the Congress hotel during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 2025, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

Iraq

Lebanon

Yemen

A stock image shows the silhouettes of soldiers.

Emboldened by its recent capture of Venezuela's Maduro, the White House will likely seek to kill and potentially abduct more Middle Eastern extremists in the coming year, but pursuing high-profile targets like Iranian leaders will carry significant risks.

Potential Targets for U.S. Assassination and Abduction Operations in the Middle East

U.S.-Iran Relations

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

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Asia-Pacific

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South Asia

Cyber

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Environment, Science & Technology

Social Issues

As elections reshape political incentives worldwide, 2026 will see major powers recalibrate diplomacy and conflict, raising the risk of fragile deals, regional instability and sudden escalation.

2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast: An Excerpt

U.S.-China Relations

Columns

On Geopolitics

A NASA satellite image shows the city lights of Europe. 

Global Trade

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our hits and misses in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2025 Annual Forecast

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

YemenYemenis rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council on Dec. 14, 2025.

Escalating tensions and potential violence between the Southern Transitional Council and Saudi-backed forces create security vacuums that Houthi rebels will likely exploit.



Yemen's Anti-Houthi Bloc Is Fracturing

A container ship arrives Oct. 10 at the Port of Oakland, California. In 2026, political calculations among major global players will significantly shape international affairs.

In 2026, political calculations among major global players will significantly shape international affairs.

2026 Annual Forecast: A Global Overview

Israeli air defence systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv amid a fresh barrage of Iranian rockets on June 16, 2025.

If effective, the laser air defense system will significantly reduce the cost of intercepting short-range aerial threats and bolster Israel's multilayered protection against aerial attacks.


The Role of Iron Beam in Israel's Evolving Defense Architecture

Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard as Egyptian and Red Cross workers search for the bodies of the last two remaining hostages from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 1, 2025.

The shift toward a low-intensity conflict in the Gaza Strip will likely enable Israel to keep pressuring Hamas to disarm without triggering significant backlash or a resumption of Houthi maritime attacks.

Israel Moves Toward a De Facto Partition of Gaza

Hamas militants arrive to secure the area as Egyptian and Red Cross workers search for the bodies of the last two remaining hostages from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Dec. 1, 2025. 

In this phase of the conflict, Israel and Hamas aim to break one another's political will not through widespread violence but through attrition and exhaustion.

Hamas and Israel Evolve the Gaza Conflict

Snapshots

Workers clean the rubble from the site of a Nov. 23 Israeli airstrike targeting a residential building in the southern Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut. Israel will likely opportunistically escalate airstrikes against Hezbollah and Hamas to further weaken the militant groups and push them toward disarmament without ending shaky ceasefires.

Miscalculation or an opportunity for Israel to significantly set back Hezbollah would, however, increase the likelihood of a return to major fighting. 

Despite More Intense Israeli Strikes, Hezbollah and Hamas Ceasefires Will Likely Hold

Israel-Hamas Conflict

SITUATION REPORTS

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel To Reopen Rafah Crossing After Hostage Recovery Efforts End

U.S., Palestinian Territories: Trump Unveils Board of Peace

Palestinian Territories: Gaza Committee of Technocrats Convenes for First Time

Israel, Gaza: Phase Two of Gaza Ceasefire To Begin, but Questions on Implementation Remain

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Aims To Play for Time as It Offers To Hand Over Power

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Defense Minister Says IDF To Establish Civilian-Military Units in Gaza

Israel, U.S., Iran: Netanyahu Reportedly Intends To Discuss Iran Attack Plans With Trump

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Global Hunger Monitor Declares Famine Is No Longer Present in Gaza

Forecasts

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