United States

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Science & Technology

The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management lifted its stop-work order on the $5 billion Empire Wind offshore project, project developer Equinor announced on May 19.

U.S.: Trump Administration Lifts Stop-Work Order on Empire Wind Project

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, AP reported on May 19.

U.S., Russia: Putin Promises To Work With Ukraine on Peace During Call With Trump

Europe

Economics

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union was working on a new package of sanctions against Russia that would target the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, more vessels linked to Russia's shadow oil tanker fleet, and the country's financial sector, as well as further reduce the oil price cap, Reuters reported on May 16.

EU, Russia: Von der Leyen Floats New EU Sanctions on Russia, Including on Nord Stream Pipelines

Cote d'Ivoire

The United States and Cote d'Ivoire reached an agreement in principle permitting the United States to operate drones from the Bouake air base, Jeune Afrique reported on May 14. 

Cote d'Ivoire: Government Reportedly Reaches Agreement in Principle With U.S. Over Drone Access  

Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States would look to issue a 180-day waiver for Congressional sanctions on Syria, with eventual aspirations to permanently remove the sanctions, though that would require Congressional approval, Bloomberg reported May 16. 

U.S., Syria: Trump Administration Pushes for 180-Day Sanctions Waiver

The first direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since March 2022 took place in Istanbul, Turkey, Reuters reported on May 16.

Russia, Ukraine: Bilateral Meeting Ends With No Immediate Announcements

United Arab Emirates

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan reaffirmed the country's commitment to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion framework for investment in the United States, including in artificial intelligence and semiconductors, initially reached in March, Reuters reported on May 15.

U.S., UAE: United Arab Emirates Reaffirms AI Investment, Deepening Partnership

Australia

China

Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said Canberra would resist U.S. pressure to reduce trade with China, emphasizing that China remains Australia’s largest export market by a wide margin, The Australian Financial Review reported on May 15.

Australia, U.S., China: Canberra Rejects U.S. Trade Pressure on Beijing

Columns

On Geopolitics

Visitors walk down the inclined shaft at Steenkampskraal rare-earth mine on July 29, 2019, about 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) from Vanrhynsdorp, a town in Western Cape province, South Africa.

Global Trade

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-China trade tensions are increasing the risk of supply chain disruptions for critical raw materials, but companies can take steps to mitigate this danger.

Corporate America Comes to Grips With Supply Chain Risks to Critical Raw Materials

Assessments

Iran

Jordan

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan hold the movement's flag during a demonstration in the capital, Amman, on Nov. 28, 2014.

Militant factions of the Muslim Brotherhood will likely go underground in Jordan following the government's ban on the organization, but Iranian influence and persistent socioeconomic grievances will sustain risks of violence.

In Jordan, a Ban Pushes the Muslim Brotherhood Underground

For export-reliant developing countries that were already facing financial distress, the global uncertainty created by Trump's sweeping tariffs will sharply increase economic risks, as well as introduce political instability risks.

 Trump's Tariffs Will Hit Developing Economies Hard

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: May 15, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters aboard Air Force One on May 14, 2025, as he flies to Doha, Qatar, for his first trip to the Middle East since returning to the White House. 

Trump's decision to lift sanctions will help kickstart Syria's war-torn economy and strengthen its new government, but sectarian infighting, Israeli aggression and a resurging Islamic State could still hamper progress.

In Syria, the Promise and Limits of U.S. Sanctions Relief

Snapshots

Philippines

Supporters of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attend a campaign rally in Mandaluyong, the Philippines, on May 9, 2025, ahead of the midterm elections. 

President Marcos' diminished Senate majority could slow defense deals in the short term and tilt foreign policy back toward neutrality or a China-friendly stance in the long term.

Midterm Elections Deal a Blow to the Philippines' U.S.-Friendly President

Containers are seen at China's Lianyungang port in eastern Jiangsu province on May 1, 2025. 

Although the U.S.-China trade deal will bring short-term economic relief, negotiations over a broader agreement will remain fraught, particularly since the rapid reduction of U.S. tariffs will embolden China to implement strong retaliation when talks falter.

Despite Tariff Reprieve, a Broader U.S.-China Deal Will Remain Elusive

This combination of pictures shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) during a press conference in Berlin on June 11, 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow on March 18, 2025.

While direct talks mark a notable development in the peace process, Moscow will not make meaningful concessions unless it faces bolder action from the West (particularly the U.S.), like asset seizures and increased military aid to Ukraine.

Russia Agrees To Hold Talks With Ukraine Amid U.S. Pressure, but Peace Will Remain Elusive

Iraq

Yemen

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B aircraft over the North Sea having taken off from RAF Fairford on July 1, 2016 in Gloucestershire, England. The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

Washington Bumps up Against the Limits of Airpower in the Middle East

United Kingdom

U.S. President Donald Trump -- flanked by Vice President JD Vance (left) and Peter Mandelson, the U.K. ambassador to the United States (right) -- holds a phone call with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office of the White House on May 8, 2025. 

The agreement's narrow scope and quota system suggest the White House remains intent on restricting imports, meaning tariff relief for most other countries reaching deals will also be limited.

Trump Reaches First Post-Tariff Trade Deal With the U.K.

U.S. Naval Update Map: May 8, 2025

The allure of implementing a sphere of influence model is more likely to disappoint those who may argue that it would create more stability and security.

The Temptations of a Sphere-of-Influence Model of International Relations

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

U.S.: Trump Administration Lifts Stop-Work Order on Empire Wind Project

U.S., Russia: Putin Promises To Work With Ukraine on Peace During Call With Trump

EU, Russia: Von der Leyen Floats New EU Sanctions on Russia, Including on Nord Stream Pipelines

Cote d'Ivoire: Government Reportedly Reaches Agreement in Principle With U.S. Over Drone Access

U.S., Syria: Trump Administration Pushes for 180-Day Sanctions Waiver

Russia, Ukraine: Bilateral Meeting Ends With No Immediate Announcements

U.S., UAE: United Arab Emirates Reaffirms AI Investment, Deepening Partnership

Australia, U.S., China: Canberra Rejects U.S. Trade Pressure on Beijing

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