<p>The Asia-Pacific is home to more people than any other region. Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, this region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. Several of these countries, most notably China, experienced rapid economic growth in the second half of the 20th century, giving the region a new sense of global economic relevance that continues today. That relevance, however, depends largely on China, a power in transition whose rise is testing the network of U.S. alliances that have long dominated the region. How effectively Beijing manages its transition will shape the regional balance of power in the decades to come.</p>

Centered on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, the Asia-Pacific region includes the easternmost countries of continental Asia as well as the archipelagos that punctuate the coast. 

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Samoa

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

China

Timor-Leste

Federated States of Micronesia

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Thailand

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Beyond Quantitative Easing

The New Silk Road

Modernizing China’s Military

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Globalization

Social Issues

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

Moscow Looks to the East

China in Transition

A Japanese Awakening

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

Columns

On Geopolitics

United States

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U.S. President Joe Biden gestures to reporters after landing on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 22, 2024, in Washington, D.C. 

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Trump's more aggressive and transactional approach could deliver quick wins for the U.S.'s position in the region, though it could also strain ties with key partners. 

Trump's Asia-Pacific Approach Will Test Biden's Gains

U.S.-China Relations

Assessments

Iran

Israel

Syria

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Cyber

Nation-states' growing use of hacktivist personas to obfuscate responsibility will increasingly enable them to attack targets they would otherwise avoid and spread propaganda.

Hacktivism Offers Plausible Deniability for State-Backed Cyber Actors

Mozambique

Mexico

United Kingdom

Security personnel walk on a road with buses blocking an entrance gate to protect impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from a possible second arrest in Seoul on Jan. 6. If Yoon is not arrested, the opposition could again seek to impeach the country's acting president due to his insufficient support for the arrest efforts, worsening foreign perceptions of political instability in South Korea.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Mozambique's President Takes Office, the U.K. Chancellor Visits China

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World map on a dark digital background representing global communication and global finances.

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2025

Media

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How do demographic trends impact military power?

Applied Geopolitics: Demographic Decline and Military Manpower: Understanding the Shifting Role of Troops in Conflict

Environment, Science & Technology

What is Salt Typhoon, and what happened in the recent hack against U.S. telecommunications companies? 

Essential Geopolitics: Unpacking China's Salt Typhoon Operation

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Eurasia

South Asia

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Trade disruptions, shifting military conflicts and domestic political turbulence will shape global affairs in 2025. 

2025 Annual Geopolitical Forecast: An Excerpt

Venezuela

Lebanon

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro waits for the arrival of other heads of state of members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America regional trading bloc during the XXIV ALBA-TCP Summit in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 14, 2024. 

The Weekly Rundown: Inaugurations in Ghana and Venezuela, Yoon's Potential Arrest in South Korea

Cargo containers painted with Chinese and U.S. flags.

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

Grading Our 2024 Annual Forecast

U.S.-Iran Relations

Palestinian Territories

As 2025 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five events as measured by geopolitical impact.

2024: A Geopolitical Review

Global Elections

Malaysia announced plans to reform its anti-dumping legislation to counter an influx of cheap Chinese goods, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 17.

Malaysia, Indonesia: Chinese Dumping Undermines Regional Trade Amid Growing Economic Pressure

The European nonprofit privacy group noyb, an acronym for "none of your business," filed six complaints against AliExpress, Shein, TikTok, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi for unlawfully transferring European users' data to China, Reuters reported on Jan. 17.

Europe: Noyb Files Complaints Against Six Chinese Companies

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a free speech argument filed by Chinese-based TikTok owner ByteDance, upholding a law that will require the Chinese company to divest itself from the social media platform or face a nationwide ban by Jan. 19, NBC News reported on Jan. 17. 

U.S.: Supreme Court Upholds Law Paving Way for TikTok Ban

Vietnam's former government office chair and spokesperson for the Cabinet, Mai Tien Dung, went on trial for graft alongside eight other former central and provincial government officials, VnExpress reported on Jan. 16.

Vietnam: New Trials Highlight Deepening Anti-Corruption Campaign in 2025

Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party legislators suggested amending the annual budget to introduce cuts of up to 44% on 38 defense projects, including the country's domestic submarine development program, drones and mine-laying vessels, Focus Taiwan reported on Jan. 16.

Taiwan: Budget Cuts Highlight Potential Wrinkle in U.S. Defense Cooperation

Malaysia and the European Union will likely reopen suspended free trade agreement negotiations when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visits Brussels, Belgium, the week of Jan. 20, Politico reported on Jan. 15. 

EU, Malaysia: Dormant Free Trade Negotiations Likely To Resume

Police and anti-corruption investigators arrested South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence on the morning of Jan. 15 on suspicion of committing an insurrection during his Dec. 3-4 martial law declaration, KBS reported the same day. 

South Korea: President Yoon Arrested as Political Grandstanding Continues

The United States is expected to unveil new rules as early as Jan. 15 that are designed to restrict the ability of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung to send advanced chips to China, where they could be used in a variety of applications, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 14.

U.S., China: Washington To Strengthen Export Controls on Advanced Chips to China

Asia-Pacific

SITUATION REPORTS

Malaysia, Indonesia: Chinese Dumping Undermines Regional Trade Amid Growing Economic Pressure

Europe: Noyb Files Complaints Against Six Chinese Companies

U.S.: Supreme Court Upholds Law Paving Way for TikTok Ban

Vietnam: New Trials Highlight Deepening Anti-Corruption Campaign in 2025

Taiwan: Budget Cuts Highlight Potential Wrinkle in U.S. Defense Cooperation

EU, Malaysia: Dormant Free Trade Negotiations Likely To Resume

South Korea: President Yoon Arrested as Political Grandstanding Continues

U.S., China: Washington To Strengthen Export Controls on Advanced Chips to China

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