Iran

Azerbaijan

Russia

Economics

Politics

Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev announced that construction of the Horadiz-Agbend railway and highway, key links in the North-South and Araz transport corridors, will be completed by 2026, Azerbaijan State News Agency reported on Oct. 13.

Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran: Azerbaijan Positions Itself as Core of Russia-Iran Logistics Network

United States

Ukraine

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Kremlin issued unusually sharp warnings about the potential U.S. supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, Reuters reported on Oct. 12.

Russia, Ukraine, U.S.: Kremlin Issues Escalation Threats Over Potential Tomahawk Delivery

China

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Oct. 12 that Chinese "President Xi [Jinping] just had a bad moment," in reference to China's Oct. 9 expansion of rare earth export curbs, and that "The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it." 

U.S., China: U.S. Open to De-escalation, But Deal Terms Growing More Contentious

U.S.-China Relations

Australia

Australia is consulting miners on a proposed $777 million critical minerals fund that would be led by the government and could include price floors, offtake guarantees and government-backed loans to stabilize domestic producers, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 11.

Australia: Canberra Weighs Critical Minerals Reserve Ahead of U.S. Talks

France

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced his new Cabinet on Oct. 12, two days after being reappointed by President Emmanuel Macron following his resignation on Oct. 6, Le Monde reported the same day.

France: Lecornu Reappointed Prime Minister, To Present Budget and Policy Program to Parliament 

Europe

Netherlands

Cyber

Global Trade

The Dutch government has temporarily taken control of Chinese-owned semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, citing risks to national and European technological security, the Financial Times reported Oct. 12.

Netherlands, China: Dutch Government Seizes Control of Chinese-Owned Chipmaker 

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the United States will impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods on top of existing tariffs, effective Nov. 1 or sooner, in response to new Chinese export licensing requirements announced the previous day, the president said in an Oct. 10 Truth Social post.

U.S., China: Trump Announces New 100% Tariff on China, Export Controls on Critical Software

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened in an Oct. 10 Truth Social post to levy high tariffs or export curbs on China in response to Beijing's recent expansion of rare earth export curbs. 

U.S., China: Trump Threatens Retaliation for China's Expanded Rare Earth Curbs

The world is connected, but even the broadest topics deserve an individual look. Below are our latest and most relevant economics analyses.

Below are our latest and most relevant economics analyses.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Beyond Quantitative Easing

The New Silk Road

The Fate of the Eurozone

South America: Split Decisions on Trade

Banking

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

Social Issues

European Disintegration

Russia's Internal Struggle

China in Transition

A Japanese Awakening

East African Integration

Assessments

Russian flag on a cracked wall, illustrating an economic decline with a downward arrow. 

Energy

Despite high consumer confidence, underlying economic indicators show a significant contraction in non-defense industrial production, slowing consumption and falling investment, signaling that the Kremlin's war economy is steadily deteriorating.

Russia's War Economy Is Faltering

Media

Podcasts

Israel-Hamas Conflict

What should companies be on the lookout for through the end of 2025 and beyond?

Essential Geopolitics: Trends From RANE's 2025 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

Despite the proliferation of digital assets, privately issued cryptocurrencies are unlikely to replace central bank-issued money in stable economies because they fail to sufficiently fulfill the core functions of money.

Privately Issued Cryptocurrencies Will Not Replace Fiat Currency

Morocco

Demonstrators lift banners during a youth-led protest demanding reforms to public healthcare and education in Casablanca, Morocco, on Oct. 6, 2025.

The government will likely make some, mostly symbolic, concessions to the youth-led protest movement, which already appears to be weakening, but ongoing grievances related to economic inequality will sustain the risk of future mass protests.

Moroccans' Socioeconomic Grievances Will Persist, Even if Current Gen Z Protests Abate

Columns

On Geopolitics

Bangladesh

India

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Protesters gather at the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025. 

Widespread discontent with corruption and economic mismanagement is fueling movements that demand greater accountability across South Asia.

Political Instability Roils South Asia

Japan

South Korea

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected LDP leader, on Oct. 4 in Tokyo.

Takaichi will lean into populism, spurring near-term growth but exacerbating long-term economic challenges, while her nationalism will bolster Japan's military and boost U.S. ties even as it strains those with Japan's neighbors.

Japan's Conservative Takaichi Set To Become Next Prime Minister

Outgoing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu arrives to deliver a statement at the Hotel Matignon in Paris after submitting his resignation to French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct. 6, 2025. 

Lecornu's resignation leaves President Macron with few good options to ease the ongoing political gridlock over the budget, portending further market volatility, social unrest and, potentially, a fiscal crisis.

French Political Crisis Deepens as Another Prime Minister Resigns

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

The Geopolitics of Trade

Persistent conflict and armed group control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will sustain significant legal, financial and reputational pressures on companies sourcing critical minerals from the region for the foreseeable future.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Due Diligence and Congo's Critical Minerals

The candidates running in the leadership election of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party -- (from left to right) Takayuki Kobayashi, Toshimitsu Motegi, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi and Shinjiro Koizumi -- pose after delivering speeches at the kick-off of the campaign in Tokyo on Sept. 22, 2025. 

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Oct. 4 vote for party president and therefore prime minister will influence the trajectory of Japan's fiscal policy and foreign relations.

Japan's LDP Leadership Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Forecast Webcast

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2025 Fourth-Quarter Forecast.

2025 Fourth-Quarter Forecast Webcast

The U.N. Security Council holds a meeting on Iran at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, on Sept. 19, 2025. 

The increased isolation will make Iran more reliant on China and Russia, while the added economic strain could fuel domestic protests and empower Iranian hard-liners calling for more aggressive action against the West.

U.N. Sanctions Snapback: What's Next for Iran?

U.S.-Iran Relations

A Polish-made FlyEye V3.0 drone is displayed during the Iron Defender-25 media day on Sept. 18, 2025, in Nowa Deba, Poland. 

European efforts to fast-track a sophisticated anti-drone system will unlock major contracts for defense firms, but the vast scale of the project will leave Europe exposed to Russian provocations for years.

EU 'Drone Wall' Plans Will Take Years To Materialize, Leaving Continent Vulnerable in the Meantime

Economics

SITUATION REPORTS

Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran: Azerbaijan Positions Itself as Core of Russia-Iran Logistics Network

Russia, Ukraine, U.S.: Kremlin Issues Escalation Threats Over Potential Tomahawk Delivery

U.S., China: U.S. Open to De-escalation, But Deal Terms Growing More Contentious

Australia: Canberra Weighs Critical Minerals Reserve Ahead of U.S. Talks

France: Lecornu Reappointed Prime Minister, To Present Budget and Policy Program to Parliament

Netherlands, China: Dutch Government Seizes Control of Chinese-Owned Chipmaker

U.S., China: Trump Announces New 100% Tariff on China, Export Controls on Critical Software

U.S., China: Trump Threatens Retaliation for China's Expanded Rare Earth Curbs

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