Haiti

United States

Military & Security

Politics

The U.S. embassy in Haiti issued a statement on Feb. 4 declaring its support for Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime's leadership "in building a strong, prosperous, and free Haiti," ahead of the end of the Transitional Presidential Council's mandate on Feb. 7.

Haiti: U.S. Backs Prime Minister Amid Dispute Over Political Transition

China

Chinese state media announced on Feb. 4 the dismissal of three National People's Congress (NPC) delegates with ties to the defense industry, including senior figures from aviation and nuclear weapons research, without providing official reasons, Reuters reported.

China: Lawmakers With Defense-Sector Ties Dismissed as Anti-Corruption Purge Widens

United Kingdom

Pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is mounting after Labour lawmakers renewed objections to his appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.S. ambassador, citing Mandelson's past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Guardian reported Feb. 4.

U.K.: Labour Pressure on Starmer Intensifies Amid Mandelson Scandal 

Colombia

Venezuela

Alex Saab, a close ally and frontman of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, was arrested in Caracas on Feb. 4 as a result of a joint U.S.-Venezuelan operation, El Pais reported the same day. 

Venezuela, U.S., Colombia: Maduro Ally Arrested in Joint U.S.-Venezuelan Operation

Iran

Iran accepted U.S. demands that talks in Oman on Feb. 6 be direct face-to-face and cover Iran's support of regional armed groups and its missile program, the New York Times reported Feb. 4, citing three Iranian officials and an Arab official. 

U.S., Iran: Tehran Reportedly Agrees To Discuss Missiles, Support for Armed Groups

U.S.-Iran Relations

Kazakhstan

Pakistan

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed a joint declaration establishing a strategic partnership during Tokayev's state visit to Islamabad, Akorda reported Feb. 4.

Kazakhstan, Pakistan: Strategic Partnership Signals Deeper Connectivity Push

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Economics

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Feb. 3 trip to Saudi Arabia yielded multiple agreements, including a deal for Saudi companies to build solar plants in Turkey.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia: Erdogan's Trip to Riyadh Yields Multiple Deals, Cooperation Pledges

Libya

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of Libya's late dictator Moammar Gadhafi, was killed on Feb. 4 during a "direct confrontation" with gunmen, the BBC reported the same day.

Libya: Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, Son of Late Dictator, Assassinated

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

Thailand

People walk past campaign posters in Bangkok on Feb. 2, 2026, ahead of Thailand's Feb. 8 general election.

Thailand's Feb. 8 general election and constitutional referendum are unlikely to deliver a decisive political reset and will instead risk extending a familiar cycle of constrained reform and policy caution amid heightened security and economic pressures.

Elections and Referendum Unlikely to End Thailand's Cycle of Constrained Governance

Russia

Russian soldiers wear chemical protection suits as they stand next to a military fueler on the base of a prime mover of Russian Topol intercontinental ballistic missile during a training session at the Serpukhov's military missile forces research institute some 100km outside Moscow on April 6, 2010.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Over time, this will intensify an ongoing buildup of nuclear capabilities across the globe and make crises involving nuclear powers more unpredictable and prone to miscalculations. 


Implications of the Last Major U.S.-Russian Nuclear Arms Control Agreement's Expiration

U.S.-China Relations

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (top, 5th from left) speaks during the election campaign rally on Jan. 29, 2026, in Himeji, Japan. 

Outcomes for the Feb. 8 snap ballot include a decisive victory for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party, a weakened conservative coalition and an opposition win.

Japan's Lower House Elections: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Snapshots

A digital satellite illustration shows Europe at night.

Energy

The EU enlargement chief's upcoming visit to Turkey signals an attempt to balance cautious engagement with clear strategic interests, rather than an imminent breakthrough on the country's stalled accession process.

Understanding the EU's Strategic Re-Engagement With Turkey

India

A freight train on Aug. 26, 2025, in Ajmer India.

A U.S.-India trade deal will bring some relief to Indian exporters, but ambiguities over its scope, implementation timeline and myriad other flashpoints will risk undermining it.

An India-U.S. Trade Deal Will Face Ongoing Hurdles

Iraq

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (center) delivers a speech during a campaign rally in Baghdad ahead of parliamentary elections on Nov. 7, 2025. 

If former Prime Minister al-Maliki overcomes challenges to form a new cabinet, it would likely deepen sectarian divisions, embolden Iran-backed militias and increase Iraq's exposure to U.S. financial and/or military pressure.

In Iraq, the Potential Return of a Divisive Leader Raises Alarm

A burned-out vehicle along a road on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Quetta on Feb. 1, 2026, a day after an attack by Baloch separatists. The intensifying insurgency will exacerbate strains on Pakistan's security forces, worsening the country's security challenges and further constraining foreign investment interest.

The intensifying insurgency will exacerbate strains on Pakistan's security forces, worsening the country's security challenges and further constraining foreign investment interest.

With Coordinated Attacks, Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency Intensifies

A man walks past a mural painted on the outer walls of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026.

Despite recent momentum toward restarting talks, a deal will likely remain elusive due to the U.S.'s maximalist demands and Iran's red lines, sustaining the risk of U.S. (and likely Israeli) military action in the coming weeks. 

Can New U.S.-Iran Talks Avert a Greater Conflict?

Iranian newspapers one of them (R) with a headline in Persian reading "Iran is ready for a big response," Jan. 27 in Tehran in Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a range of military options against Iran.

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

The Weekly Rundown: The U.S. and Colombian Presidents Meet, The Threat of U.S. Strikes on Iran

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

France

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

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

Haiti: U.S. Backs Prime Minister Amid Dispute Over Political Transition

China: Lawmakers With Defense-Sector Ties Dismissed as Anti-Corruption Purge Widens

U.K.: Labour Pressure on Starmer Intensifies Amid Mandelson Scandal

Venezuela, U.S., Colombia: Maduro Ally Arrested in Joint U.S.-Venezuelan Operation

U.S., Iran: Tehran Reportedly Agrees To Discuss Missiles, Support for Armed Groups

Kazakhstan, Pakistan: Strategic Partnership Signals Deeper Connectivity Push

Turkey, Saudi Arabia: Erdogan's Trip to Riyadh Yields Multiple Deals, Cooperation Pledges

Libya: Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, Son of Late Dictator, Assassinated

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support