United States

China

Japan

North Korea

South Korea

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, where the two sides signed 15 memorandums of understanding, including on establishing a ministerial-level commercial dialogue and deepening cooperation on artificial intelligence and cultural product exchanges, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 5.

South Korea, China: Lee-Xi Chat Rosey on Economic Ties, Mixed on North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a factory working on production of the country's first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, with photos showing the hull -- often one of the last stages of submarine construction -- fully intact, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Dec. 25.

North Korea: Kim Unveils Nuclear-Armed Submarine

The U.S.-led U.N. Command objected to a bill proposed by South Korea's ruling Democratic Party earlier in 2025 that would give Seoul, rather that the U.N. Command, control of nonmilitary access to the inter-Korean demilitarized zone, Yonhap News Agency reported on Dec. 17.

South Korea, U.S.: Unification Ministry Risks U.S.-ROK Rift on DPRK Policy

Energy

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung gave a speech in which he pledged to facilitate talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by considering easing U.S.-South Korea military drills, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 3.

South Korea, U.S.: Lee Details Submarine Deal, Prepares for Trump-Kim Talks

South Korea's National Intelligence Service said during a closed-door parliamentary briefing on Nov. 4 that it had detected signs that North Korea was preparing for a summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Yonhap News Agency reported the same day.

North Korea, U.S.: Trump-Kim Summit a Near-Miss, Meeting Expected After March

South Korea detected at 8:10 a.m. that North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles from Junghwa south of Pyongyang, Yonhap News Agency reported on Oct. 22. 

North Korea: Missiles Launched Ahead of APEC, Regional Leadership Talks

Vietnam

Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, where both pledged to deepen Party, parliamentary and local exchanges; expand cooperation in culture, education, health, tourism and communications; and coordinate more closely in multilateral forums, Bao Chinh Phu reported on Oct. 9.

Vietnam, North Korea: Lam, Kim Hold Talks in Pyongyang

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sept. 28 and with Premier Li Qiang on Sept. 29 in Beijing, the South China Morning Post reported on Sept. 29.

North Korea, China: Foreign Ministers Meet Ahead of Western Engagements

Assessments

Venezuela

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Ukraine

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet takes off from Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport on December 15, 2025 in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. If U.S. strikes escalate and cause significant casualties, it could make retaliatory measures -- including the arbitrary detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela or the harassment of energy sector vessels in the region -- more likely.

Russia-Ukraine 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: South Korea's President Visits Beijing, U.S. Operations in Venezuela

Snapshots

Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un participate in a ceremony at the Pyongyang Sports Palace on Oct. 9, 2025, during Lam's three-day official visit to North Korea.

To Lam's visit injects fresh diplomatic energy into the long-stalled relationship with North Korea and fits into Pyongyang's gradual reemergence as an active player in regional diplomacy.

Vietnam's Lam Extends Diplomatic Balancing Act With Rare North Korea Visit

Ecuador

Mexico

Russia

India

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

Iran

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Syria

Turkey

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

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Elections

Science & Technology

2024: A Geopolitical Review

Columns

On Geopolitics

On April 16, 2024, 155mm caliber shells are shown after manufacturing, ready for shipment at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Trump's return to the White House and North Korean support for Russia have shifted the conflict's dynamics, likely portending a further weakened position for Kyiv.

Bracing for a Protracted War in Ukraine: The Narrowing Path to a Ukrainian Victory

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of North Korea's artillery firing, at a railway station in Seoul on Jan. 6, 2024.

With both sides threatening overwhelming retaliation and having greater capabilities to make good on those threats, provocations along the North-South border now carry a greater risk of erupting into military clashes.

The Rising Risk of Military Clashes on the Korean Peninsula

Portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are displayed in Pyongyang, North Korea, for Putin's visit to the country on June 20, 2024. 

Russia's deepening ties with North Korea are meant to draw U.S. attention and resources away from Ukraine by increasing the threat of conflict in another region.

The Significance of Russia and North Korea's New Defense Pact

Taiwan

While President Biden would be expected to continue to build and strengthen alliances with America's key allies in the northern Asian region, the reelection of President Trump could spur those same allies to look beyond the U.S. for their physical and economic security.

The 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections, Northern Asia and Geopolitical Risk: What to Expect

Natsumi Sakai (C) of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan poses with others after receiving news that she won the by-election for the Tokyo No. 15 district seat for the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, on April 28, 2024.

Recent by-elections reveal that a slush fund scandal is continuing to take its toll on Japan's ruling party, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to remain in power, for now.

By-Election Losses Shake Japan's Ruling Party, but Kishida Stays the Course

Australia

Fiji

Indonesia

New Zealand

Philippines

Singapore

United Kingdom

A 3D rendering of Southeast Asia from space at night with city lights showing Southeast Asian cities in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

U.S.-China Relations

In the Asia-Pacific, countries are increasingly pursuing complex networks of political, economic and defense ties as part of a burgeoning "multi-alignment" strategy that seeks to avoid U.S.-China strategic competition.

Examining 'Multi-Alignment' in the Asia-Pacific

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a spaceport in Russia's Far East, on Sept. 13, 2023. 

Kim Jong Un appears to be setting a new direction for his country's regional and international policies, clearly aware of the vast uncertainties facing the global geopolitical situation.

North Korea's Foreign Affairs Hit an Inflection Point

Media

Podcasts

Cyber

How will North Korea's cyber strategy continue to evolve?

Essential Geopolitics: An Update on North Korean Cyber Activity

<p>The Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, lies on a peninsula extending outward from northeast Asia. The country borders China and Russia to the north, the Republic of Korea to the south, and Japan across the sea to the east. North Korea&#39;s primary geographic challenge is securing its northern and southern borders from the threat of its much larger regional neighbors. The Kaema Plateau and Hamgyong Mountains comprise much of the northern border region, providing a strong but not unbreachable geographic barrier. The Taebaeck Mountains run along the east coast, limiting the potential for invasion from the sea. Since the time of earlier North Korean kingdoms including Koguryo, The Dandong-Sinuiju gap across the Yalu River in the northwest and the wide Imjin-Han river valley in the south leave the country vulnerable, particularly with the lack of geographic barriers along the north-south axis. North Korea&#39;s mountains do provide ample hydropower, and the country also has numerous natural mineral resources and coal, but its terrain and climate limit agricultural activity. Given its larger neighbors, North Korea has two core imperatives. It must secure its southern and northern borders via political accommodation, defensive lines or outward expansion, and it must engender a strong sense of national unity and exploit differences among its neighbors to balance external political pressure. From the launching of the Korean War to the heavily fortified DMZ, from the exploitation of relations between China and Russia to the development of a nuclear deterrent, North Korea&#39;s actions in many ways are shaped by similar constraints and pressures as felt by its predecessor kingdoms due to its location and geography.</p>

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

China in Transition

SITUATION REPORTS

South Korea, China: Lee-Xi Chat Rosey on Economic Ties, Mixed on North Korea

North Korea: Kim Unveils Nuclear-Armed Submarine

South Korea, U.S.: Unification Ministry Risks U.S.-ROK Rift on DPRK Policy

South Korea, U.S.: Lee Details Submarine Deal, Prepares for Trump-Kim Talks

North Korea, U.S.: Trump-Kim Summit a Near-Miss, Meeting Expected After March

North Korea: Missiles Launched Ahead of APEC, Regional Leadership Talks

Vietnam, North Korea: Lam, Kim Hold Talks in Pyongyang

North Korea, China: Foreign Ministers Meet Ahead of Western Engagements

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