South Korea

Politics

South Korea's ruling Democratic Party voted to impeach two senior prosecutors, including Lee Jung-seop, who is leading a corruption investigation into the leader of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, Yonhap News Agency reported on Dec. 1.

South Korea: Opposition Impeaches Prosecutors as Election Nears

El Salvador

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele stepped down on Nov. 30 to run for reelection in the upcoming Feb. 4, 2024, general elections, receiving a leave of absence from the country's Legislative Assembly and appointing his private secretary, Claudia Rodriguez, as acting president, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 1.

El Salvador: President Bukele Steps Down to Run for Reelection

China

Afghanistan

Economics

Military & Security

The Afghan Taliban's new ambassador to China arrived in Beijing, marking the first time the group has officially sent an ambassador abroad since its August 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, AP reported on Dec. 1.

Afghanistan: Taliban Officially Sends Ambassador Abroad for First Time

Bangladesh

According to the secretary of Bangladesh's Election Commission, the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, and its "like minded parties" did not submit their nominations for the 2024 general election by the Nov. 30 deadline, The Daily Star reported on Dec. 1.

Bangladesh: Main Opposition Party Boycotts 2024 Elections as Nomination Deadline Passes

Brazil

Energy

The CEO of Brazil's state-owned oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro, or Petrobras, announced that the country plans to join the oil cartel OPEC+ in January 2024 following a full technical analysis, Reuters reported on Dec. 1.

Brazil: Brasilia to Join OPEC+, Flexing Fossil Fuel Might

Vietnam

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Hanoi, Vietnam, where the two countries agreed to upgrade rail connections while laying the groundwork for a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping in the coming weeks, Reuters reported on Dec. 1.

China, Vietnam: Countries Agree to Upgrade Rail Ties, Lay Groundwork for Xi Visit

Armenia

Azerbaijan

A meeting of the commission on border delimitation and security between Armenia and Azerbaijan, chaired by the countries' respective deputy prime ministers, was held at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, Eurasianet reported on Dec. 1. 

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Leaders to Intensify Border Delimitation Commission Meetings

Madagascar

Madagascar's Constitutional Court confirmed President Andry Rajoelina's reelection on Nov. 16 in response to a court challenge by the runner-up, Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, BBC reported Dec. 1. 

Madagascar: Court Confirms President Rajoelina's Reelection

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

Below are our latest and most relevant politics analyses.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

Venezuela's Unraveling

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The Kurdish Struggle

Israel's Survival Strategy

Turkey's Resurgence

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Brexit

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The Pulse of Political Islam

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Russia's Internal Struggle

China in Transition

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

India's Own Worst Enemy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Snapshots

Germany

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz prepares to deliver a speech in parliament about the budget crisis on Nov. 28, 2023, as Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (left), Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy Minister Robert Habeck look on. 

While the three members of the ruling coalition will likely reach a compromise, complex negotiations over spending cuts could still collapse the government next year.

Where Is Germany's Budget Crisis Headed?

Assessments

Activists march toward Bangladesh's election commission in Dhaka on Nov. 15, 2023, to protest the announcement of the general election's date. 

Growing concerns about vote rigging, rising inflation and state repression risk triggering more political violence and economically disruptive protests ahead of the Jan. 7 ballot.

Bangladesh Braces for Another Turbulent Election

United States

Israel

Palestinian Territories

People wave flags and cheer as a helicopter with Israeli hostages released earlier by Hamas lands at a medical center on Nov. 26, 2023, in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Fighting in Gaza will likely resume once Hamas runs out of hostages to exchange, which could see Israel-U.S. ties fray if the former doesn't heed the latter's calls to minimize civilian casualties.

How Much Longer Will Israel and Hamas Keep Extending Their Truce?

United Arab Emirates

Russia

COP28 President-Designate and the UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Sultan al-Jaber (front row, fourth from left) -- poses for a group photo along with U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on May 3, 2023, in Berlin, Germany.

Environment, Science & Technology

This year's U.N. conference will highlight disparities between the developed and developing world on climate ambitions, as well as individual countries' differing priorities.

What To Watch For at the COP28 Climate Summit

Netherlands

Geert Wilders (C), leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, sits next to Frans Timmermans (R), leader of the Green Left-Labor Party alliance, and Henri Bontenbal (L), leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal party, during a meeting in the Dutch parliament on Nov. 24, 2023, in The Hague, Netherlands. The party leaders are discussing the formation of a coalition government following Wilders' victory in the Nov. 22 general election.

Social Issues

The Netherlands' far-right Party for Freedom will moderate its platform as it struggles to attract coalition partners and win a parliamentary majority.

Despite a Far-Right Victory, Constraints Will Moderate the Netherlands' Next Government 

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Supporters of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's ruling Sacred Union coalition gather at the Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa on April 29, 2023.

Amid instability in the east, election interference and disunity, the Congo's opposition parties will struggle to gain a foothold during the country's December general elections.

In Congo, President Tshisekedi Looks to Secure a Second Term

Kenya

Saudi Arabia

OPEC headquarters on June 3, 2023, in Vienna. OPEC+ will meet Nov. 26 to decide whether to deepen production cuts.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Climate Negotiations at COP28, OPEC+ Meets Following an Oil Sell-off

United Kingdom

Portugal

Spain

People visit the 1627 Pilgrim Village at "Plimoth Plantation," where role-players portray pilgrims seven years after the arrival of the Mayflower, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On Thanksgiving, the United States celebrates the Plymouth Colony. However, few know that New England's colonization was a response to major geopolitical pressures -- particularly England's struggle against the Spanish both on the Continent and in the New World.

Thanksgiving and Puritan Geopolitics in the Americas

Serbia

Kosovo

NATO peacekeepers stand guard as hospital employees lead a protest march of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo on June 19, 2023. 

Russian information campaigns are fomenting EU accession fatigue and anti-Western narratives in Serbia and raising risks of violence in northern Kosovo.

The Threat of Russian Influence Operations in Serbia and Kosovo

Posters for different political parties are displayed near the Dutch parliament building on November 19, 2023, ahead of the country's general election.

The Nov. 22 vote will result in long coalition talks that will likely eventually yield a moderate, fiscally conservative government that's less environmentally ambitious than its predecessor.

Previewing the Netherlands' General Election

Argentina

Argentine President-elect Javier Milei (center) speaks to supporters, accompanied by his running mate Victoria Villarruel (left) and his girlfriend Fatima Florez (right) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after winning the presidential runoff on Nov. 19, 2023. 

Milei will struggle to enact his pledged structural reforms, like dollarization, due to a lack of support in Congress, which will likely see him instead pursue unpopular spending cuts that could destabilize his new government.

Argentina Has Elected a Libertarian President. What Now? 

Taiwan

The presidential candidate for the Union por la Patria party, Sergio Massa (R), speaks next to the presidential candidate for the La Libertad Avanza party, Javier Milei, on Nov. 12, 2023, during a presidential debate in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argentina will hold the second round of its presidential election Nov. 19.

The Weekly Rundown: Argentina's Presidential Runoff, the Registration Deadline for the Taiwanese Presidential Race

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

South Korea: Opposition Impeaches Prosecutors as Election Nears

El Salvador: President Bukele Steps Down to Run for Reelection

Afghanistan: Taliban Officially Sends Ambassador Abroad for First Time

Bangladesh: Main Opposition Party Boycotts 2024 Elections as Nomination Deadline Passes

Brazil: Brasilia to Join OPEC+, Flexing Fossil Fuel Might

China, Vietnam: Countries Agree to Upgrade Rail Ties, Lay Groundwork for Xi Visit

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Leaders to Intensify Border Delimitation Commission Meetings

Madagascar: Court Confirms President Rajoelina's Reelection

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