Niger

Turkey

China

France

Russia

Economics

Energy

Nigerien authorities announced that they would nationalize uranium mining company SOMAIR, a subsidiary of France's state-owned Orano that owns the country's only operating uranium mine, Reuters reported on June 20. 

Niger: Junta To Nationalize Subsidiary of France's Orano 

United States

Iran

Israel

Europe

Germany

United Kingdom

Military & Security

Politics

The EU foreign policy chief and the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France and Germany -- the so-called E3 grouping of signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva, Switzerland, to encourage Iran to negotiate with the United States for a new nuclear deal, Reuters reported on June 20. 

Europe, Iran: E3, Iranian Foreign Ministers Meet in Geneva

Indonesia

French President Emmanuel Macron and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto signed 27 cooperation agreements during the former's state visit to Indonesia, deepening collaboration in defense and energy, among other areas, the Indonesia Business Post reported on May 29.

France, Indonesia: Paris, Jakarta Deepen Defense, Energy Ties

Vietnam

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

France and Vietnam signed 14 cooperation agreements during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit in Hanoi, covering defense, satellite technology, transportation, vaccine production and a $10.25 billion Airbus aircraft deal, Bao Chinh Phu reported on May 26. 

France, Vietnam: Countries Deepen Partnership With Defense and Investment Deals

Poland

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

EU ambassadors approved a new package of sanctions on Russia, the 17th since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with measures including visa bans and asset freezes on senior Russian officials, export bans on dual-use chemicals and restrictions targeting dozens of companies accused of sanctions evasion, Politico reported May 14. 

EU, Russia: EU Ambassadors Approve 17th Package of Sanctions Against Russia

France and Poland signed a wide-ranging bilateral defense, economic and energy cooperation treaty on May 9 in Nancy, France, Reuters reported the same day.

France, Poland: Governments Pledge Defense Cooperation, Nuclear-Sharing Discussions

Newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to revive Franco-German cooperation to bolster Europe's security, economic resilience and global competitiveness in a joint article published by Le Figaro on May 7, just hours ahead of a bilateral meeting in Paris.

Germany, France: Merz and Macron Pledge To Revive Franco-German Engine

Americas

French officials say the country remains opposed to an EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, stressing that recent U.S. tariff hikes have "not changed" their position on a deal they still deem unacceptable due to insufficient protections for domestic agricultural sectors, Politico reported April 30, citing unnamed government sources.

Europe, South America: France Reiterates Opposition To EU-Mercosur Trade Deal

Snapshots

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Paris on June 24, 2025. 

The collapse of negotiations over potential changes to President Macron's controversial pensions reform will increase the risk of more no-confidence votes against the government, budgetary deadlock and another early election.

In France, the Collapse of Pension Reform Talks Risks Worsening Political Instability

Assessments

Sub-Saharan Africa

Canada

Japan

Italy

Rescue teams work at damaged buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes on June 13, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. 

Global Trade

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

The Weekly Rundown: G7 Leaders' Summit, More Israeli Attacks on Iran

An image shows a row of flags from the G7 members.

The June 15-17 summit will provide an opportunity for the bloc to discuss trade tensions and the war in Ukraine, but the meeting is more likely to expose transatlantic divisions over Trump's tariffs and reluctance to pressure Russia.

What To Expect From the First G7 Summit Following Trump's Return to the White House

Singapore

French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press briefing during his trip to Singapore on May 30, 2025. 

U.S.-China Relations

The deals reached with Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam expand France's role in Southeast Asia amid shifting global trade and defense dynamics, a welcome development for a region increasingly pinned between the U.S. and China.

Macron's Southeast Asia Tour Deepens French Footprint in the Region

Columns

On Geopolitics

Benin

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Djibouti

Gabon

Guinea

Madagascar

Mali

Mauritania

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Senegal

Togo

Algeria

Morocco

A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (2 L) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) attend a meeting with European and Ukrainian officials on April 17 at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

Ukraine will be forced to choose between compromising on its supposed red lines to de-escalate its war with Russia, or risk losing U.S. support and its battlefield position. 

Growing U.S. Pressure for a Peace Deal Puts Ukraine in a Difficult Position

Spain

NATO military forces during static display after the Steadfast Dart 2025 military exercises at the Smardan Training Area in Smardan, Romania, on Feb. 19, 2025. 

Europe is increasingly focused on achieving greater strategic autonomy in defense, but internal divisions and material constraints will plague this quest, even as the United States' role on the Continent continues to shrink, meaning NATO will likely remain the cornerstone of Europe’s security architecture. 

The Future of Transatlantic Security Cooperation, Part 2: The View From Europe

South Africa

A list of countries facing reciprocal tariffs on display April 2 at the White House.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The Weekly Rundown: The Escalating Global Trade War, South Africa's Coalition Government on the Brink

Netherlands

Ireland

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order after delivering remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an April 2 event in the Rose Garden in Washington. The U.S.–EU trade dispute is on track to escalate as Brussels prepares retaliation against Washington's sweeping 20% tariff on EU goods, increasing the risk of a protracted tit-for-tat trade war that would disrupt supply chains, slow growth on both sides of the Atlantic and strain broader cooperation. 

The developments could see a protracted tit-for-tat trade war that disrupts supply chains, slows growth on both sides of the Atlantic and strains broader cooperation.

Brussels Prepares to Respond to the Latest Trump Tariffs

French far-right Leader Marine Le Pen leaves the courtroom after a guilty verdict in her embezzlement case trial on March 31, 2025 in Paris, France. 

Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling EU funds and an immediate five-year ban from public office has shaken French politics, threatening government stability and fueling far-right outrage ahead of the 2027 election.

Le Pen's Five-Year Political Ban Sets the Stage for Renewed Political Instability in France

South Korea

People wave flags and chant slogans during a protest in front of the municipality headquarters in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. To Announce Tariffs, Protests in Turkey Rage On

<p>France is a country in Western Europe bound in the south by the Alps, Pyrenees Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. To the west and north is the Atlantic Ocean, and on its eastern border lies the river Rhine and the low mountains of the Ardennes, Vosges and Jura. Mountains, rivers and seas help protect France at all points but one: the North European Plain. As a result, France&#39;s main geographic challenge is safeguarding its eastern border on the path of this historic invasion route. The lack of internal geographic barriers contributed to France&#39;s social cohesion, which in turn led France to become one of the world&#39;s first modern nation-states. The Beauce region represents France&#39;s core. Its navigable rivers, warm climate, sufficient rainfall and fertile soils have made France one of the world&#39;s leading agricultural powers. At the extreme northern border of the Beauce region, where the rivers Marne and Seine meet, lies Paris &mdash; France&#39;s economic and political center. Paris&#39; strategic location on these rivers gives it administrative control of trading routes from the Beauce region to the rest of France and Europe In modern times, the most existential threats to France have come from its powerful eastern neighbor, Germany. Between 1871 and 1945, France and Germany fought three major wars &mdash; all on the North European Plain. After World War II, France attempted to contain Germany largely through the creation of the European Union. The economic and political crisis plaguing Europe has put France&#39;s containment strategy into question.</p>

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The Fate of the Eurozone

European Disintegration

SITUATION REPORTS

Niger: Junta To Nationalize Subsidiary of France's Orano

Europe, Iran: E3, Iranian Foreign Ministers Meet in Geneva

France, Indonesia: Paris, Jakarta Deepen Defense, Energy Ties

France, Vietnam: Countries Deepen Partnership With Defense and Investment Deals

EU, Russia: EU Ambassadors Approve 17th Package of Sanctions Against Russia

France, Poland: Governments Pledge Defense Cooperation, Nuclear-Sharing Discussions

Germany, France: Merz and Macron Pledge To Revive Franco-German Engine

Europe, South America: France Reiterates Opposition To EU-Mercosur Trade Deal

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