Lithuania

Germany

Finland

Latvia

France

Estonia

Romania

Spain

Italy

Politics

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her team of Commissioners, a press release by the Commission shows Sept. 17. 

EU: Von der Leyen Unveils New European Commission

Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan

Economics

Energy

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a series of agreements to increase bilateral cooperation with Uzbekistan across several areas, including critical raw materials and migration, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 15.

Germany, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan: Berlin Strengthens Central Asian Energy and Raw Material Ties

Luxembourg

Denmark

Belgium

Netherlands

Military & Security

Berlin announced that the country will extend border controls with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark for at least another six months to ''further restrict irregular immigration'', reported the Financial Times on Sept. 9.

Germany: Berlin Extends Temporary Immigration Controls to All Land Borders

Iran

United Kingdom

France, Germany and the United Kingdom -- the so-called E3 grouping of signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- issued a joint statement on Sept. 10 criticizing Iran's transfer of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Europe: France, Germany and the U.K. Sanction Iran Over Missile Transfers to Russia

China

Despite warnings from China, a German frigate and a supply ship will sail through the Taiwan Strait in mid-September, Der Spiegel reported on Sept. 7.

Germany: Navy to Embark on First Transit Through Taiwan Strait Since 2002

The far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, emerged as the largest party in Thuringia, with 32.8% of the vote, and the second-largest in Saxony, with 30.6% of the vote, following elections in the two eastern states on Sept. 1, DW News reported on Sept. 2. 

Germany: Anti-Establishment Parties Make Gains in Eastern State Elections

United States

Israel

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The United Kingdom suspended 30 of its 350 arms export licenses to Israel, effective immediately, due to risks that Israel could use the weapons in violation of international humanitarian law, Reuters reported on Sept. 2. 

U.K., Israel: London Partially Suspends Arms Export Licenses to Israel

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed to launch negotiations on a bilateral cooperation treaty covering areas such as foreign policy coordination, irregular migration, renewable energy investments, supply chain resilience, energy security and research, innovation, and emerging technology, a joint declaration published by both governments shows Aug. 28.

U.K., Germany: Starmer and Scholz Launch Negotiations for Bilateral Cooperation Agreement

Assessments

Europe

Russia

A Russian warship transits the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Cyber

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russia's risk tolerance for physical and cyber operations against Western targets appears to be increasing, raising the likelihood of more disruptive and/or violent attacks.

A More Brazen Russia Slowly Raises the Specter of a NATO Confrontation

Sub-Saharan Africa

Palestinian Territories

Mongolia

Supporters attend a campaign event for the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on Aug. 29, 2024, ahead of upcoming regional elections.

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

The Weekly Rundown: An Africa-China Summit, State Elections in Eastern Germany

Turkey

Cambodia

Japan

Turkmenistan

Kyrgyzstan

Afghanistan

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The escalating impacts of climate change and water scarcity will inflame tensions between Central Asian countries, raising the risk of violent state conflict in the coming decades. 

The Looming Threat of Central Asian 'Water Wars'

Sweden

Norway

Austria

Slovenia

Hungarian police officers check cars at the Nickelsdorf-Hegyeshalom border crossing on the Austrian-Hungarian border on March 18, 2020. 

Increasing levels of migration, terrorism activity and Russian aggression in Europe are driving Schengen countries to tighten their border controls, heralding a more spotty functioning of the passport-free travel zone.

Growing Border Controls Threaten Europe's Schengen Area

Cars drive past election campaign posters in the German city of Zwickau, located in the eastern state of Saxony, on Aug. 20, 2024, ahead of Saxony's Sept. 1 state election. 

A strong showing by far-right and -left parties could disrupt the implementation of federal migration and energy policies in Germany's east, while weakening mainstream parties ahead of the 2025 national election.

Previewing State Elections in Eastern Germany

Columns

On Geopolitics

Ukraine

A recreational sailing yacht suspected of use in the sabotage of undersea gas pipelines stands in dry dock on the headland of Bug on Ruegen Island on March 17, 2023, near Dranske, Germany. In a high-profile article published late on Aug. 14, The Wall Street Journal provided the latest and arguably most detailed publicly available account that Ukraine was responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea in late September 2022.

The Wall Street Journal provided the latest and arguably most detailed publicly available account that Ukraine was responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, a reminder to us of the importance of acknowledging and doing our best to mitigate our analytic biases.

What New Revelations About the Nord Stream Attack Can Remind Us About Analytical Biases

Mexico

Vietnam

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump on June 22 in Philadelphia. Should Trump return to the White House in 2025, a second term would see him target China, Mexico, Vietnam and the European Union to varying degrees.

Global Elections

U.S.-China Relations

Should former President Donald Trump return to the White House in 2025, a second term would see him target China, Mexico, Vietnam and the European Union to varying degrees.

What a Second Trump Term Could Mean for Global Trade: Who Trump Would Tariff, and How They Would Respond

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, arrives to speak to the media in Berlin on June 10, 2024, the day after the elections for the European Parliament were held in Germany.

Mainstream parties will continue their collective stance in preventing the AfD from entering the federal government, but the far-right party's strong support in eastern Germany could still enhance its sway in state-level politics.

The Rise of Germany's Far Right Portends Political Risks in the Years to Come

South Africa

Australia

Malaysia

New Zealand

Switzerland

President Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in as member of parliament during the first sitting of the new South African parliament on June 14 in Cape Town, South Africa. Ramaphosa will be inaugurated to a second term in a ceremony scheduled to take place June 19 in Pretoria.

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine's Peace Summit, South Africa's Inauguration

Snapshots

A voter casts their ballot in European parliamentary elections on June 9, 2024, in Berlin, Germany.

Growing political tensions within Germany's ruling coalition will exacerbate infighting, though early elections remain unlikely.

What a Poor Performance in EU Elections Means for Germany's Coalition Government

Brazil

Colombia

India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) April 12 in Dausa, India.

The Weekly Rundown: Indian Elections, Scholz Goes to China

Chinese car manufacturer BYD's stacked electric vehicles wait to be loaded onto a ship at the international container terminal of Taicang Port at Suzhou Port in China's eastern Jiangsu province on Sept. 11, 2023.

As Chinese electric vehicles threaten to flood Western markets, Washington and Brussels prepare restrictions to protect domestic manufacturers and secure sensitive data. 

Chinese Electric Vehicles Prepare to Hit the Great Wall of Western Tariffs

<p>Germany is a country located in Central Europe, bordered by Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark. The country has mountainous terrain in the south, dominated by the Alps, with a plateau and forests in the center and the north. The Rhine, the Danube and the Elbe rivers, combined with Germany&#39;s central location in Europe and its access to the North Sea, allowed the country to become a leading exporter and one of the most prosperous economies in Europe. Between the late 10th and early 19th centuries, the territories of today&#39;s Germany were the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, a collection of small kingdoms, principalities, duchies and city-states. This led to the development of multiple seats of political and economic power that achieved unity in 1871. While Berlin is Germany&#39;s capital and most populous city, the country also has several economic and political centers, including Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and Frankfurt. Germany&rsquo;s location in the heart of the North European Plain has led to constant conflicts with its neighbors like France and Russia. After World War II, Germany was divided between East Germany, in the Soviet orbit, and West Germany, integrated to the European Economic Community and NATO. The country achieved reunification in 1990. Germany&rsquo;s main geographic challenge is preserving its territorial unity and maintaining a political balance between regions within the country. It also seeks to maintain a political alliance with France and a balance of power in Europe to preserve peace and keep markets open for trade. Berlin&#39;s efforts to keep the European Union closely integrated amid the current economic crisis are in line with this strategy.</p>

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The Fate of the Eurozone

European Disintegration

SITUATION REPORTS

EU: Von der Leyen Unveils New European Commission

Germany, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan: Berlin Strengthens Central Asian Energy and Raw Material Ties

Germany: Berlin Extends Temporary Immigration Controls to All Land Borders

Europe: France, Germany and the U.K. Sanction Iran Over Missile Transfers to Russia

Germany: Navy to Embark on First Transit Through Taiwan Strait Since 2002

Germany: Anti-Establishment Parties Make Gains in Eastern State Elections

U.K., Israel: London Partially Suspends Arms Export Licenses to Israel

U.K., Germany: Starmer and Scholz Launch Negotiations for Bilateral Cooperation Agreement

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