Mali

Canada

Turkey

Russia

Economics

Canadian mining company Barrick Gold signed a new agreement to resolve a nearly two-year dispute over its mining operations in Mali, although the junta has yet to approve the deal formally, Reuters reported on Feb. 19. 

Mali: Barrick Gold Claims Agreement With Malian Junta To End Mining Dispute

United States

Ukraine

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

At a press conference, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was more confident in achieving a settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war after the Feb. 18 talks between Russian and U.S. delegations in Saudi Arabia, adding that he would probably meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin around the end of February, Reuters reported on Feb. 19. 

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Trump Criticizes Zelensky Ahead of Putin Summit

Europe

Military & Security

Ambassadors from the European Union's 27 member states unanimously approved the bloc's 16th sanctions package against Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Politico reported on Feb. 19.

Europe, Russia, Ukraine: EU Approves New Sanctions Against Russia, Prepares Military Aid for Ukraine

Sudan

Russia and Sudan's Sudanese Armed Forces-led government finalized an agreement regarding the development of a Russian naval facility on the country's Red Sea coast, Sudan Tribune reported on Feb. 12. 

Sudan: Government Finalizes Agreement for Russian Naval Base  

France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and the European Commission issued a joint statement insisting on being included in any future negotiations concerning Ukraine's fate following a meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister in Paris, France, Reuters reported on Feb. 12. 

Europe, Ukraine: Europe Demands a Seat at the Negotiating Table for Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump held his first officially recognized phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and, immediately afterward, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since retaking office on Jan. 20, Reuters reported on Feb. 12.

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Trump Holds First Official Phone Calls With Putin, Zelensky

Cameroon

Chad

Cote d'Ivoire

Togo

Libya

Russia's Africa Corps began deploying transmission equipment and radars at the Faya-Largeau base in northern Chad in late January, while observers have noted several individuals thought to be Africa Corps emissaries in the capital, N'Djamena, Jeune Afrique reported on Feb. 11.

Africa: Russia Expands Footprint in Chad, Upgrades Airbase in Southern Libya

On a surprise trip to Moscow, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, secured the release of an American held in Russia, Marc Fogel, a teacher held for more than three years on drug charges, The New York Times reported on Feb. 11. 

U.S., Russia: Trump Envoy Visits Moscow, Secures Release of American

Columns

On Geopolitics

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Crowds of Palestinians gather to receive food outside a U.N. aid distribution center in the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah on Nov. 2, 2024.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Social Issues

The displacement of any Palestinians from the Gaza Strip will further erode post-World War II norms against population transfers, laying the groundwork for future global conflicts.

Trump's Gaza Plan Risks Further Eroding Global Constraints on Population Removals

Assessments

(Left to right) U.S., Saudi and Russian officials attend a meeting in Riyadh on Feb. 18, 2025.

While the talks open the door to a ceasefire, the exclusion of Ukraine and its European partners creates the risk of a deal that is not enforced and fails to end the fighting.

What To Expect From U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ethiopia

Kenya

Rwanda

Lebanon

Sri Lanka

Damage on Feb. 13 in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Mideast Ceasefires and Arab Gaza Proposals, the AU Summit

Media

Podcasts

Is the Russia-Ukraine war Putin's Vietnam?

Essential Geopolitics: The Implications of U.S.-Russia Talks on War With Ukraine Part II

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tanzania

Americas

Brazil

Colombia

Cuba

Haiti

Nicaragua

Venezuela

Iraq

Jordan

Syria

Yemen

Cambodia

China

Indonesia

North Macedonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia

Albania

Kosovo

South Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

India

The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Is the Russia-Ukraine War Putin's Vietnam?

Essential Geopolitics: The Implications of U.S.-Russia Talks on War With Ukraine, Part I

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on during a joint press conference with Poland's prime minister in Lviv on Dec. 17, 2024.

Despite growing pressure from the U.S. and Russia, Zelensky will resist proposals for Ukrainian elections and/or a ceasefire if he believes the terms would be political suicide for him and an affront to his country's interests.

How Will Peace Talks and Potential Elections Impact Ukraine's Political Stability? 

Syria’s de-facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa addresses a crowd at a mosque in Damascus on Dec. 8, 2024.

While Syrians will drive their country's destiny, external influence from regional and global powers could determine what kind of government replaces the deposed Assad regime.

Syria's Future: Islamist Republic, Turkish Client State, or Jihadist Stronghold?

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during a state awards ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 16, 2024.

The negotiations are unlikely to quickly yield a ceasefire, as Trump pressures the Kremlin for a deal with sanctions pressure and the prospect of continued support to Ukraine.

How Will U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Play Out in the Months Ahead?

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

El Salvador

Guatemala

Mexico

Panama

Hungary

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio arrive at the State Department in Washington, D.C., to speak to employees on Jan. 21, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Expires, Rubio Tours Latin America

Iran

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

Germany

A compressor gas station of the Yamal–Europe pipeline is seen on Feb. 19, 2022, in Wloclawek, Poland. 

Energy

The expiration of the Russia-Ukraine transit deal underscores Europe's ongoing efforts to sever its reliance on Russian resources, with far-reaching implications for energy markets and geopolitics in the region and beyond. 

The End of Russian Gas via Ukraine Cements Europe's New Energy Landscape

<p>Despite being the largest country in the world by area, the Russian Federation occupies territory that is indefensible and unforgiving. The core of Russia, running from the Volga grain belts up through Moscow proper to the Baltic Sea, lacks any natural features to fortify it from attack. This is why the country has traditionally anchored its territory to major geographic barriers far from its core in an attempt to keep foreign powers distant. As a result, Russia has inevitably had to reach east across the frozen tundra of Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, southeast to the Tien Shen mountains of Central Asia, south to the Caucasus Mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, and finally west to the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe. But, there is one major hole in this geographic expanse: The Northern European plane. The Northern European plane is a gap between the Carpathian Mountains and the Baltic sea which, at its narrowest, is 480 kilometers (300 miles) across. This narrow point, referred to as the Polish funnel, lies just West of Warsaw and reaches down Krakow in the south. Russia has faced three major attackers along this axis; Napoleon, Wilhelm II, and Hitler. Most recently, the expansion of NATO and the European Union into Central and Eastern Europe has raised Russian hackles. Moscow would much prefer to control the lands between Russia and the Polish funnel &mdash; pushing as far west as possible &mdash; knowing full well that once an attacker has passed that narrow chokepoint, it is an open march to Russia&#39;s heartland. For this reason, Moscow seeks to occupy or influence its borderlands, or at the very least, maintain their neutrality. Looking beyond its indefensible borders and largely hollow interior, Russia boasts a diverse population of 144,463,450 people and a powerful military. These armed forces, backed by an autocratic political system, help protect the country&#39;s unwieldy land mass. Russia&#39;s economy is inherently fragile and highly dependent on commodity exports ranging from grain to energy. The country is traditionally at its most powerful when a strong, heavy-handed leader is in charge, such as current Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite this, though, the Kremlin must continually deal with internal political divisions, rising ethnic tensions and regional dissidence.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Mali: Barrick Gold Claims Agreement With Malian Junta To End Mining Dispute

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Trump Criticizes Zelensky Ahead of Putin Summit

Europe, Russia, Ukraine: EU Approves New Sanctions Against Russia, Prepares Military Aid for Ukraine

Sudan: Government Finalizes Agreement for Russian Naval Base

Europe, Ukraine: Europe Demands a Seat at the Negotiating Table for Ukraine

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Trump Holds First Official Phone Calls With Putin, Zelensky

Africa: Russia Expands Footprint in Chad, Upgrades Airbase in Southern Libya

U.S., Russia: Trump Envoy Visits Moscow, Secures Release of American

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