United States

Europe

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

European leaders, meeting virtually with U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, agreed on five principles for the Aug. 15 summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, The New York Times reported on Aug. 13.

Ukraine, Russia: Allies Secure Ceasefire-First Pledge From Trump Ahead of Alaska Summit

Ecuador

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa led a march attended by thousands of people in the capital, Quito, to criticize the country's Constitutional Court after it suspended articles from three security laws, Infobae reported on Aug. 12. 

Ecuador: President Criticizes Constitutional Court Over Suspension of Security Laws

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S. federal officials believe Russian threat actors are "at least partly responsible" for a recently uncovered breach affecting the internal computer systems that manage sensitive federal court data, The New York Times reported on Aug. 12.

U.S.: Russian Threat Actors Suspected of Federal Court System Hack

Norway

Energy

The head of Norway's counterintelligence agency said Russian hackers were responsible for a cyberattack on a dam in western Norway in April, Reuters reported on Aug. 13.

Norway: Norwegian Intelligence Attributes Dam Cyberattack to Russian Hackers

Israel

Syria

Turkey

Turkish and Syrian defense ministers signed a memorandum of understanding for military cooperation, including training and consultancy, and support to combat the Islamic State in Syria, The Washington Post reported on Aug. 13.

Turkey, Syria: Turkey and Syria Ink Military Cooperation Deal

Australia

China

Nauru

Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu

Economics

The United States pledged $60 million to the Pacific island region under its 2022 U.S.-Pacific Partnership, and China secured a $651 million development deal with Nauru, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported on Aug. 13. 

Pacific Islands: Influence Competition Heats Up Ahead of Summits

Nigeria

Several local governments in northwest Nigeria, including Safana in Katsina state, struck community-led peace deals with bandits to ease farming, herding and residents’ movements, Sahara Reporters reported on Aug. 12.

Nigeria: Northwest Local Governments Reach Peace Deals With Bandits Amid Ongoing Military Operations

Cambodia

Thailand

Thailand is warning it may be compelled to use self-defense in light of continued landmine incidents along disputed areas of its border with Cambodia, the Bangkok Post reported on Aug. 11.

Thailand, Cambodia: Alleged Landmine Incidents Highlight Ceasefire's Fragility

The world is connected, but even the broadest topics deserve an individual look. Below are our latest and most relevant military analyses. 

Below are our latest and most relevant military analyses. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Ukraine Conflict

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

The Battle for Mosul

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

The Jihadist Wars

Echoes of the Cold War

Instability in Central Asia

South Asian Militancy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

Iran

Armenia

Azerbaijan

U.S. President Donald Trump (center), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (left) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (right) hold up an agreement signed during a ceremony at the White House on Aug. 8, 2025.

The deal sidelines Russia and Iran while establishing a U.S. commercial presence in the South Caucasus, but it will remain fragile due to unresolved security guarantees and implementation challenges.

What To Make of the U.S.-Brokered Peace Deal Between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Columns

On Geopolitics

South Sudan

Chad

Ethiopia

Somalia

Sudan

Uganda

United Arab Emirates

Shipping containers are offloaded from a vessel at Berbera Port in Somaliland on Aug. 31, 2021.   (ED RAM/AFP via Getty Images)

The UAE is expanding its influence across East Africa through large-scale investments and security partnerships, aiming to consolidate its status as a global trade hub and counter regional competitors, at the risk of entangling regional states in broader geopolitical contests.

The UAE's Long Game in East Africa

Eritrea

A Tigrayan flag waves at the entrance of a hospital in Tigray's regional capital, Mekele, on Oct. 10, 2024. 

The ruling TPLF's apparent rapprochement with Eritrea and the rise of anti-TPLF groups are raising the risk of an Ethiopian-Eritrean proxy conflict in Tigray that could eventually spur a larger military escalation.

Ethiopia's Tigray Region Faces a Brewing Storm Amid Shifting Alliances

Israeli military vehicles drive along the border fence into Israel, near the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on July 17, 2025.

While the two countries may engage in limited security cooperation, Israel's continued military interventions in Syria and the lack of U.S. economic pressure on Damascus will make full normalization nearly impossible.

Despite Recent Talks, Syria-Israel Normalization Remains Highly Unlikely

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose ahead of a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. 

As Putin and Trump prepare to meet in Alaska, the main risk for Ukraine is a U.S.-Russia deal that cements major territorial losses while offering weak security guarantees, leaving it vulnerable to future Russian aggression.

Putin-Trump Summit: The Risks for Ukraine

Palestinian Territories

India

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 30, 2018, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days.

Israel-Hamas 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: A Trump-Putin Summit, the Deadline for a U.S.-China Tariff Pause

U.S.-China Relations

Snapshots

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at a press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018, in Helsinki, Finland.

The meeting risks sidelining Ukraine and enabling Russia to delay sanctions, consolidate battlefield gains, and advance its strategic interests through a U.S.-Russia peace framework.

What To Expect From the Upcoming Trump-Putin Summit

On Security

Mexico

DEA New York special agent in charge speaks to the press in New York City on Feb. 28, 2025, after the former leader of a brutal Mexican cartel, Rafael Caro Quintero, described by the White House as the world's ''most evil'' drug boss, pleaded not guilty to narcotics charges in New York.

Despite the political and diplomatic risks, Trump is more likely than not to launch some direct operations against Mexican cartels before he leaves office, potentially ranging from light and sporadic U.S. drone strikes to more extensive ground operations.

The Outlook for Trump's 'War' on Mexican Cartels

Lebanon

Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem speaks from a stage surrounded by flags in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, on July 6, 2025. 

Lebanon's new push to disarm Hezbollah will prove challenging amid U.S. pressure, Israel's military assertiveness and Hezbollah's hardening stance, potentially leading to government instability and increased violence.

Can Lebanon Navigate the Minefield of Disarming Hezbollah?

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Supporters of Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik watch him speak in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, on Feb. 26, 2025. 

Republika Srpska's separatist leader will likely defy a ruling to step down, causing institutional paralysis and Western backlash, but early elections or a unilateral declaration of independence are also possible.

The Potential Outcomes of Bosnia's Emerging Political Crisis

The new flag of Syria's interim government.

Parliamentary elections in September will cement Syrian leaders' power at the expense of many minority groups, deepening national fragmentation and heightening risks of violent unrest, particularly amid Israeli military intervention.

In Syria, Parliamentary Elections Will Deepen Political and Sectarian Divides

Israeli troops are seen deployed at the border with the Gaza Strip on July 23, 2025.

Reoccupying the Strip would be expensive and stir controversy at home and abroad, making the strategy politically difficult to sustain in the likely case that a new Israeli government is elected next year. 

The Fallout From an Israeli Reoccupation of Gaza

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

Ukraine, Russia: Allies Secure Ceasefire-First Pledge From Trump Ahead of Alaska Summit

Ecuador: President Criticizes Constitutional Court Over Suspension of Security Laws

U.S.: Russian Threat Actors Suspected of Federal Court System Hack

Norway: Norwegian Intelligence Attributes Dam Cyberattack to Russian Hackers

Turkey, Syria: Turkey and Syria Ink Military Cooperation Deal

Pacific Islands: Influence Competition Heats Up Ahead of Summits

Nigeria: Northwest Local Governments Reach Peace Deals With Bandits Amid Ongoing Military Operations

Thailand, Cambodia: Alleged Landmine Incidents Highlight Ceasefire's Fragility

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