Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

India

Pakistan

Economics

Energy

Military & Security

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief meeting in New Delhi, where the two signed a 10-year liquefied natural gas energy supply agreement under which the United Arab Emirates will supply India with some $3 billion worth of LNG over 10 years, for a total of 0.5 million metric tons of LNG a year, AP reported on Jan. 19.

India, UAE: Governments Sign Energy, Defense Agreements

Somalia

Egypt

Israel

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Somalia are in advanced talks to seal a military partnership, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 16.

Red Sea: Saudi Arabia in Talks To Finalize Military Partnership With Egypt, Somalia 

Yemen

Politics

Yemen's Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council appointed a fresh prime minister who is a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and dismissed a Southern Transitional Council member on Jan. 15, Al Jazeera reported on Jan. 16, citing Yemen's Saba state news.

Yemen: Leadership Changes in Anti-Houthi Bloc Tighten Saudi Arabia's Grip on Yemen

United States

Iran

Oman

Qatar

Iran has warned regional countries that U.S. bases in the Middle East could be targeted in retaliation for potential U.S. attacks in support of Iranian protesters, Reuters reported Jan. 14. 

U.S., Iran: Tehran Warns of Potential Attacks Against U.S. Bases, U.S. Partially Evacuates

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki accused Ethiopia of declaring war on Eritrea in an interview aired on Eritrean state television, Addis Standard reported on Jan. 13. 

Eritrea: President Isaias Accuses Ethiopia of Declaring War on Eritrea

Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi called on Arab nations under the leadership of Saudi Arabia to take action against Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, drawing parallels between Somaliland and Yemen's now-dissolved Southern Transitional Council, Garowe Online reported on Jan. 12. 

Somalia: Defense Minister Calls Arab Nations To Take Action Against Somaliland

Sudan

Sudan's military-led government has officially returned to the capital, Khartoum, after nearly three years of operating from its wartime base in Port Sudan, BBC reported on Jan. 11. 

Sudan: Army Announces Return to Capital as Government Headquarters

Abdulrahman Jalal al-Sebaihi, the secretary-general of Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council, said on Yemeni TV on Jan. 9 that the Emirati-backed STC and its institutions would dissolve "immediately."

Yemen: Separatist STC Dissolves, Saudis Move To Develop Southern Yemen

Assessments

Syria

Turkey

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 30, 2025. 

Two regional alignments are coalescing along the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa, risking the escalation of proxy conflicts and longstanding rivalries.

The Unfolding Regional Realignments Along the Red Sea and Their Implications

Saudi-backed forces are seen on the outskirts of Yemen's Hadramawt province, where the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) recently launched an offensive, on Jan. 3, 2026. 

Social Issues

The Gulf nations' growing battle for influence is straining bilateral ties and fueling proxy conflicts in places like Yemen and Sudan, though both sides will likely avoid any escalation that could harm their economies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Pursue Divergent Paths in a Multipolar World

Venezuela

China

North Korea

South Korea

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

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognizing Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on Dec. 26, 2025. 

Israel establishing military facilities in Somaliland would invite Houthi attacks against the territory and raise the likelihood of renewed disruptions to Red Sea shipping.


Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Raises the Stakes Along the Red Sea Corridor 

Columns

On Geopolitics

Yemenis gather during a rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which wants to revive an independent South Yemen, as they wave the old South Yemen flag in Khormaksar Square, in the coastal port city of Aden on Dec. 14, 2025. 

Achieving South Arabian independence will require Yemen's Southern Transitional Council to overcome the historical challenges that have long plagued the governance of Yemen writ large, like tribalism and regionalism.

The Precarious Path to South Arabian Independence

YemenYemenis rally to show their support for the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council on Dec. 14, 2025.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Escalating tensions and potential violence between the Southern Transitional Council and Saudi-backed forces create security vacuums that Houthi rebels will likely exploit.



Yemen's Anti-Houthi Bloc Is Fracturing

Chile

Cambodia

Thailand

People watch the USS Gravely, a Navy warship, departing the Port of Spain on Oct. 30, 2025. The U.S. warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Saudi Meeting, Military Escalation in the Caribbean

A 3D logo of Vision 2030 from the obverse side of 200 Saudi Riyal banknote. Facing ballooning costs and questionable viability, Saudi Arabia is scaling back giga-projects like Neom, signaling a new market-driven discipline that nonetheless leaves the state as the primary economic driver.

Facing ballooning costs and questionable viability, Saudi Arabia is scaling back giga-projects like Neom, signaling a new market-driven discipline that nonetheless leaves the state as the primary economic driver.

The Mixed Record of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030

Yemen's Houthi fighters man machine guns mounted on trucks as they participate in a weaponized protest staged against the United States and Israel on Nov. 6, 2025 in Sanaa, Yemen. 

Global Trade

Israel is expected to soon launch another offensive against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, which will risk reigniting the civil war and exposing Gulf countries and Red Sea shipping to retaliatory attacks.

What a Renewed Israel-Houthi Conflict Would Mean for Yemen and Gulf Security

Russia

Entrance signage is seen at OPEC's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on July 23, 2024.

Riyadh and its Gulf partners will likely prioritize OPEC+ unity and cooperation with Moscow on oil policy over boosting production to offset Russian supply losses from U.S. sanctions, even if it risks irking Washington.

Why Saudi Arabia Won't Backfill Russia's Sanctioned Oil Exports

An aerial photo shows the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

An aspiring middle power, Riyadh must still balance ancient imperatives with modern challenges before it reaches the kind of geopolitical security enjoyed by neighbors like Turkey, Iran and Egypt.

The Modern Geopolitics of Saudi Arabia

Bahrain

Kuwait

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. and Qatari military personnel at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, on May 15, 2025.

The U.S. president's pledge to defend Qatar may deter future Israeli attacks, but it is unlikely to deter Iranian aggression or allay Gulf states' greater concerns about Washington's commitment to their security.

Trump's Security Guarantees for Qatar Unlikely To Offer Enough Reassurance

Comprising a majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is surrounded by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.  The kingdom's main geographic challenges are controlling its sparsely populated territory and maintaining shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.    Surrounded by vast deserts, the central Najd plateau is the core of Saudi Arabia and is home to the country's capital, Riyadh. Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, are protected by mountains in the west and flanked by the Red Sea. The security of these cities is a key to the monarchy's legitimacy.    The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I set the stage for the House of Saud to unify the territory that became Saudi Arabia in 1932. Oil and natural gas have been the country's main exports and source of wealth since their discovery in 1938.     A restive Eastern Province holds a majority of the kingdom's reserves and makes the country vulnerable to invasion from the north or the Persian Gulf. Cross border tribal ties also expose the kingdom to unrest in the south on the border with Yemen.    A scarcity of fresh water and a small population density limit Saudi Arabia's defensive capabilities. Since the vast majority of Saudi oil exports pass via the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, the kingdom has historically relied on a foreign power to balance regional rival, Iran and keep the Strait open.    As global oil consumption continues to rise, Saudi Arabia will continue to play a dominant role in the Middle East despite its geographic challenges.

SITUATION REPORTS

India, UAE: Governments Sign Energy, Defense Agreements

Red Sea: Saudi Arabia in Talks To Finalize Military Partnership With Egypt, Somalia

Yemen: Leadership Changes in Anti-Houthi Bloc Tighten Saudi Arabia's Grip on Yemen

U.S., Iran: Tehran Warns of Potential Attacks Against U.S. Bases, U.S. Partially Evacuates

Eritrea: President Isaias Accuses Ethiopia of Declaring War on Eritrea

Somalia: Defense Minister Calls Arab Nations To Take Action Against Somaliland

Sudan: Army Announces Return to Capital as Government Headquarters

Yemen: Separatist STC Dissolves, Saudis Move To Develop Southern Yemen

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support