United States

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Kyiv was seeking a standalone security agreement from Western allies and "above all the U.S." to run parallel to any peace treaty, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 8. 

Ukraine: Zelensky Signals Deadlock on Donbas and Seeks Security Guarantees

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv will present a revised 20-point peace framework to U.S. officials on Dec. 9 following consultations with British, French and German leaders in London, United Kingdom, Reuters reported on Dec. 8.

Ukraine, Europe: Kyiv Prepares Counterproposal for Washington as Territorial Deadlock Persists

Sudan

A source within the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, claimed Sudan's SAF-backed government had frozen plans for Russia to establish a naval base at Port Sudan, Sudan Tribune reported on Dec. 6. 

Sudan: SAF Official Claims Plans for Russian Naval Base Are Frozen

Australia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "At the direction of the president, AUKUS is full-steam ahead," Bloomberg reported on Dec. 8. 

Australia, U.S.: Rubio Confirms AUKUS Pact Is Pressing Ahead

Cambodia

Thailand

The Thai and Cambodian militaries clashed in disputed territories across six provinces, leading to casualties on both sides, CNA reported on Dec. 8.

Thailand, Cambodia: Latest Border Clashes Slowly Raise Risk of Ceasefire Collapse

Honduras

Presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla alleged fraud in Honduras' Nov. 30 general election, claiming that "an algorithm changed the data" to benefit candidate Nasry Asfura, Reuters reported on Dec. 4. 

Honduras: Presidential Candidate Alleges Manipulation of Election Results Amid High Political Tensions

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Economics

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed the "Washington Accords," in which both sides reiterated their commitment to implementing their U.S.-brokered June peace deal, the U.S. State Department said in a press release on Dec. 4.

Congo, Rwanda: Tshisekedi Signs Peace Deal With Kagame, Strategic Partnership With U.S.

Late on the night of Dec. 4, the U.S. Trump administration published its 33-page National Security Strategy, which outlined an "America First" framework that emphasized U.S. sovereignty and retrenchment over past cornerstones of U.S. foreign policy like alliance structures and globalization. 

U.S.: National Security Strategy Lays Out Trump Administration's Priorities

Snapshots

Venezuela

The U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group participates in joint operations with the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 13, 2025.

Increased military mobilizations, failed negotiations with Maduro and persistent aggressive rhetoric suggest the Trump administration will likely soon escalate its Caribbean military campaign to targeted strikes in Venezuelan territory.

The U.S. Remains Poised To Attack Venezuelan Territory

Assessments

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

This map shows the approximate locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups.

U.S. Naval Update Map: Dec. 4, 2025

Europe

Eurasia

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 2, 2025.

Energy

Fundamental disagreements between Ukraine and Russia over territorial concessions and security guarantees suggest that peace negotiations are unlikely to lead to a comprehensive breakthrough.

Despite U.S. Diplomatic Push, Ukraine Peace Still a Long Way Off

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

China

Global Trade

U.S.-China Relations

While efforts by China and others to de-dollarize their international trade will fragment the international trade financing regime to some extent, they will do little to undermine the dollar's dominance.

The Geopolitics of Trade: De-dollarization and International Trade

U.S. Naval Update Map: Nov. 26, 2025

Smoke rises in the background as a Ukrainian flag flutters in the wind following a mass overnight Russian drone and missile attacks, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Nov. 19, 2025. 

European efforts to adjust core elements of Trump's plan won't shield Ukraine from his latest threat to withdraw support, and Europe's limited leverage and internal constraints mean it is unlikely to sustain Kyiv's defense alone if talks with the White House fail.

What To Make of Europe's Counterproposal to the U.S. Ukraine Peace Plan

Angola

South Africa

Japan

South Korea

Banners bearing portraits of leaders of the G20 on Nov. 20 in Johannesburg. The South African government has focused the G20 summit's agenda on issues key to African countries.

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 High-Stakes British Budget, South Africa Hosts the G20

Ukrainian artillerymen operate a U.S.-made M-114 howitzer near Pokrovsk, Ukraine, on Oct. 16, 2025.

Trump has given Ukraine until Nov. 27 to accept a plan that would freeze the war on terms favorable to Moscow, or face U.S. aid cuts. But Kyiv is unlikely to accede, instead relying on European support to continue fighting.

Ukraine Likely To Reject Trump's Peace Plan Ultimatum, Prolonging the War

Syria

Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa delivers a speech in Damascus on July 3, 2025, during the unveiling of the "New Visual Identity of the Syrian Arab Republic." 

The transitional government's decision will boost reconstruction and counter-terrorism efforts, but it will also risk alienating internal hard-liners and could eventually fuel an Islamic State resurgence if Syria's economic recovery stalls.

The Implications of Syria Joining the U.S.-Led Fight Against the Islamic State

The Pentagon viewed from above.

A strategic shift to prioritize commercially available technology over bespoke solutions aims to deliver capabilities faster, though it faces constraints and introduces risks to quality and cost.

New U.S. Defense Acquisition Reforms Offer Opportunities for Improvements, but Longstanding Constraints Remain

U.S. Naval Update Map: Nov. 20, 2025

The United States encompasses territory spanning from the Arctic Circle and Central Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic.    The Greater Mississippi Basin is the United States' core and serves as the underpinning of its role as a global superpower.    The basin hosts an extensive network of navigable rivers that overlay the world's largest contiguous piece of arable land. This naturally interconnected river system facilitated integration among settlers and allowed for cheap transport of goods, providing the United States with the ability to feed itself efficiently and rapidly build up industry and capital to expand west. The Midwestern core gave early America strategic depth, while an expanding U.S. coastline, naturally indented with deep harbors, provided its opening to the world.    After reaching the Pacific coast in the mid-19th century, the United States found itself insulated by two oceans. On the continent itself, geography again has worked in the country's favor: lakes to the north and deserts to the south insulate the United States' population centers, with both Canada and Mexico facing too many natural constraints of their own to seriously rival it.    This unparalleled level of wealth and protection gives the United States options that few to no countries can claim. For one, the United States has used its wealth and security to build up the world's largest navy. Control of the world's major sea-lanes gives the United States the power to facilitate or deny trade to allies or rivals of the day. The onus therefore is on the United States to carefully manage its engagements abroad and build up strategic allies to protect its overseas interests and preserve its strength at home. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Ukraine: Zelensky Signals Deadlock on Donbas and Seeks Security Guarantees

Ukraine, Europe: Kyiv Prepares Counterproposal for Washington as Territorial Deadlock Persists

Sudan: SAF Official Claims Plans for Russian Naval Base Are Frozen

Australia, U.S.: Rubio Confirms AUKUS Pact Is Pressing Ahead

Thailand, Cambodia: Latest Border Clashes Slowly Raise Risk of Ceasefire Collapse

Honduras: Presidential Candidate Alleges Manipulation of Election Results Amid High Political Tensions

Congo, Rwanda: Tshisekedi Signs Peace Deal With Kagame, Strategic Partnership With U.S.

U.S.: National Security Strategy Lays Out Trump Administration's Priorities

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