United States

Taiwan

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Taiwan's legislature sent a $13 billion supplemental defense budget proposed by the opposition Taiwan People's Party to committee for review, with the new bill a slimmed-down version of the $40 billion budget proposed by President William Lai that the committee has refused to review 10 times, the Taipei Times reported on Jan. 30.

Taiwan, U.S.: Opposition Efforts Unlikely To Sate Washington's Demands on Defense, Trade

U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Kevin Warsh, a former White House and Federal Reserve official, to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term as chairman expires in May, the Financial Times reported on Jan. 30.

U.S.: Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh To Be Next Federal Reserve Chairman

Ukraine

Russia

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a U.S.-proposed pause in Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure had begun overnight and that Ukraine was reciprocating by refraining from attacking Russian energy targets, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Jan. 30.

Ukraine, Russia, U.S.: Narrow Energy Pause Takes Effect as Talks Face Uncertainty

Cuba

Mexico

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order late on Jan. 29 declaring a national emergency in response to threats from Cuba and ordering the imposition of tariffs on countries that directly or indirectly sell or provide oil to Cuba.

U.S., Cuba: White House Threatens To Impose Tariffs on Countries That Provide Oil to Cuba

Venezuela

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez signed into law a reform of the country's hydrocarbon law, reversing decades of state control and opening the sector to private investors, El Pais reported on Nov. 29.

U.S., Venezuela: U.S. Issues General License After Venezuela Approves New Oil Law

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Ethiopian security forces withdrew from the Tigray region's southern towns of Korem and Alamata on Jan. 28, and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, subsequently seized them, BBC Amharic reported on Jan. 30 based on reports from several local residents.

Ethiopia: Army Reportedly Withdraws From Southern Tigray Following Clashes With TPLF in Tselemti 

Somalia

Israel

Turkey

Turkey has dispatched several F-16 fighter jets and attack helicopters to Somalia, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 30, quoting sources familiar with the matter.

Somalia: Turkey Deploys F-16s To Counter al Shabaab, Strengthen Influence

Benin

Cote d'Ivoire

Niger

France

The Islamic State publicly claimed responsibility for the Jan. 28-29 attack on Niamey's Diori Hamani International Airport, which also houses a drone facility, according to a communique tracked by SITE Intelligence Group, Jeune Afrique reported on Jan. 30.

Niger: Islamic State Claims Niamey Attack After Junta Leader Blames West African and French Leaders

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

Below are our latest and most relevant politics analyses.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

Venezuela's Unraveling

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The Kurdish Struggle

Israel's Survival Strategy

Turkey's Resurgence

EU: Regional Blocs

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Brexit

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The Pulse of Political Islam

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Russia's Internal Struggle

China in Transition

Southeast Asia: Burdened by Consensus

India's Own Worst Enemy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

Kazakhstan

The national flag of Kazakhstan waves in the wind.

Abolishing the Senate and reintroducing the vice presidency may curb the immediate risk of insider-led coups, but the measures are unlikely to resolve succession uncertainty before President Tokayev's term ends in 2029 and could ultimately increase political volatility.

Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Reforms Could Reshape -- and Destabilize -- Its Political Future

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu speaks in parliament after surviving two no-confidence votes in Paris, France on Jan. 23 23, 2026. 

The budget's likely adoption will keep the minority government in office, but deep political fragmentation will limit policy action and sustain the risk of early elections, keeping France's fiscal trajectory uncertain.

The Risks to France's Fiscal Outlook Beyond the 2026 Budget

Columns

On Geopolitics

Syria

A Syrian flag flutters above crowds gathering in central Hama, Syria, during celebrations on Dec. 5, 2025, marking one year since the fall of former President Bashar al Assad's regime.

The third Syrian state, under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, will likely emerge as a Turkish-aligned, authoritarian regime that prioritizes internal stability, reconstruction and regional neutrality, as it tries to avoid its predecessors' mistakes and excesses.

The Third Syrian State: Autocracy, Alignment and Al-Sharaa's Unique Neutrality

Australia

The Australian flag flies at half mast over Parliament House on Jan. 22, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia, to honor the victims of the Bondi shootings.

Passed in response to the Bondi Beach attack, the legislation will likely fuel legal and federal-state friction, deepen opposition fragmentation and entrench security policy as a persistent fault line in Australian politics.

The Political Impact of Australia's Gun Reform and Anti-Hate Bills

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters gather for a rally in Sylhet, Bangladesh, ahead of the upcoming national election on Jan. 22, 2026. 

The Feb. 12 ballot could yield a government led by the conservative BNP, a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat party, or a fragile BNP-Jamaat coalition -- each with distinct implications for Bangladesh's economic, political and foreign policy landscape.

Bangladesh's General Election: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Snapshots

Costa Rica

The candidates running in Costa Rica's 2026 presidential election participate in a debate at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Jan. 11, 2026. 

Although the president cannot run for reelection, his hand-picked successor will likely win the vote, keeping the right wing at the helm.

Costa Rica's Upcoming Election Will Likely Yield Policy Continuity

China

Zhang Youxia, senior vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), attends the opening of the fourth plenary session of the National People's Congress on March 11, 2023, in Beijing, China. 

The removal of Xi's closest military ally signals an acceleration of his push to eliminate internal threats and heightens uncertainty about the president's decision-making on Taiwan, potentially raising the risk of future conflict.

China's High-Level Military Purge Raises Risk of a Miscalculation on Taiwan

Poland

The flags of NATO, the EU and Poland are seen next to each other. 

Despite achieving strategic indispensability and significant military power, Poland's political influence in the EU and NATO has lagged, creating a paradox in which it is critical to executing Western strategies but peripheral to decision-making.

Has Poland Missed Its Shot at Becoming a Major EU Power?

Palestinian Territories

Japan

South Korea

United Kingdom

India

Egyptian trucks and heavy machinery on Oct. 26, 2025, on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip.

Israel-Hamas 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: A Gaza Border Reopening, EU Leaders Visit India

The Federal Reserve's headquarters is seen in Washington, D.C.

Trump will soon be able to nominate a new Fed chair and governor. But unless the Supreme Court vastly increases the president's power to dismiss Fed governors, the bank will retain its independence, limiting the risk of market instability.

U.S. Fed Independence: Assessing Threats From Trump Nominations, Court Rulings

Iran

A photo of Israeli banknotes.

While Israel's economy has proven remarkably resilient during the years-long Gaza war with Hamas, persistent security risks and an upcoming election will present new challenges.

How Israel's Economy Will Weather Persistent Political and Security Concerns in 2026

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at a hotel in New York City on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting on Sept. 22, 2025. 

Global Trade

A trade deal could gradually reduce barriers in the tech, industrial and energy sectors, but progress will likely remain constrained by U.S. tariff uncertainty and India's reluctance to make concessions in sensitive sectors like agriculture.

Where Things Stand in U.S.-India Trade Talks

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

Taiwan, U.S.: Opposition Efforts Unlikely To Sate Washington's Demands on Defense, Trade

U.S.: Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh To Be Next Federal Reserve Chairman

Ukraine, Russia, U.S.: Narrow Energy Pause Takes Effect as Talks Face Uncertainty

U.S., Cuba: White House Threatens To Impose Tariffs on Countries That Provide Oil to Cuba

U.S., Venezuela: U.S. Issues General License After Venezuela Approves New Oil Law

Ethiopia: Army Reportedly Withdraws From Southern Tigray Following Clashes With TPLF in Tselemti

Somalia: Turkey Deploys F-16s To Counter al Shabaab, Strengthen Influence

Niger: Islamic State Claims Niamey Attack After Junta Leader Blames West African and French Leaders

Forecasts

ANALYSES

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