Iran

United Arab Emirates

Australia

Military & Security

Politics

Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning system aircraft and around 85 personnel to the United Arab Emirates for an initial four-week mission to help defend Gulf airspace against Iranian missile and drone attacks, according to a media release from the Australian Ministry of Defense published March 9.

Australia, UAE, Iran: Canberra Deploys Defensive Military Support to Gulf

United States

China

North Korea

Russia

The China State Railway Group announced on March 9 that it would resume direct passenger rail service between Beijing and Pyongyang and international passenger rail service between China's border city of Dandong and Pyongyang, effective March 12.

China, North Korea: Cross-Border Passenger Rail Service Resumes

Economics

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is focused on day-of negotiations and securing purchase agreements during his trip to China to meet with President Xi Jinping from March 31 to April 2, according to Semafor sources on March 10, while Xi's team wants terms finalized beforehand and is aiming for a broader deal with long-term investments. 

U.S., China: Old Grievances, Different Tactics and Goals Shape Trump-Xi Summit

U.S.-China Relations

Sudan

The United States designated organizations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan, namely the Sudanese Islamic Movement, or SIM, and the Al-Baraa bin Malik Bataillon, or BBMB, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, effective from March 16, the U.S. State Department announced on March 9.

Sudan: U.S. Designates Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Afghanistan

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan and its Taliban government a "state sponsor of wrongful detention," demanding the group end its continuing use of "terrorist tactics" and kidnappings "for ransom or to seek policy concessions," Reuters reported on March 9.

U.S., Afghanistan: Washington Designates Afghanistan 'State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention'

Cuba

Energy

U.S. President Donald Trump said a U.S. takeover of Cuba could be friendly or not, Reuters reported on March 9.

U.S., Cuba: Washington To Maintain Pressure on Havana To Obtain Economic and Political Concessions

Argentina

Bolivia

Chile

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guyana

Honduras

Panama

Paraguay

Trinidad and Tobago

The United States hosted the "Shield of the Americas" summit in Doral, Florida, during which U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation launching a coalition to combat drug cartels, The Guardian reported on March 7.

U.S., Latin America: Shield of the Americas Summit Establishes Coalition To Combat Cartels

Japan

South Korea

Taiwan

South Korea's presidential office pledged on March 9 to move toward implementing a price cap on fuel that week and added that Seoul is investigating tax evasion and price collusion among refineries and gas stations.

Northeast Asia: Fuel Price Controls Inbound, Oil Reserve Releases Under Consideration

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

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Feb. 22, 2026. 

Kim Jong Un's latest directives suggest a willingness to pursue high-level negotiations with the United States and China in pursuit of critical economic concessions.

North Korea's Party Congress Points to Diplomatic Window of Opportunity

Media

Vietnam

Podcasts

How will election results impact Vietnam's economic growth in the near term?

The Decision Advantage: What To Expect From Vietnam's Leadership Election Results

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa at his "Shield of the Americas" summit, a gathering with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026, in Doral, Florida. 

The United States' increasing interventionism across the Americas has led to joint military operations with Ecuador, which, if sustained, could successfully reduce cartel violence there.

U.S.-Ecuador Military Operations Expand Washington's Regional Interventionism

Snapshots

Israel

Demonstrators wave Iranian national flags and hold pictures of the country's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026.

The selection of hard-line cleric Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his slain father will entrench Tehran's resolve to continue the war and preserve its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Iran's New Supreme Leader Will Strengthen Hard-Liner Influence

Iraq

Jordan

Syria

Jordanian Armed Forces, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps forces and other international forces conduct a combined Arms Live Fire Exercise on May 23, 2024 in the desert near Azraq, Jordan. 

As the United States prepares to withdraw its final troops from Syria, Amman will likely expand cross-border security operations to counter Islamic State and disrupt drug smuggling networks.

Jordan Likely To Step Up Anti-Islamic State, Countersmuggling Operations in Syria

Colombia

Lebanon

Germany

Greece

France

United Kingdom

Cyprus

Netherlands

Spain

Italy

Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran on March 2, 2026, after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top military leaders, prompting a new wave of Iranian retaliatory missile attacks across the region. 

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

The Weekly Rundown: War in the Middle East, U.S.-China Trade Talks

U.S.-Iran Relations

Egypt

Turkey

A an Iranian missile that landed March 4 near the Turkish border in the Qamishli district of al-Hasaka, Syria. Although direct strikes as part of Iranian regional retaliation remain unlikely, the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran threatens Egypt and Turkey with energy disruptions and security challenges.

Although direct strikes as part of Iranian regional retaliation remain unlikely, the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran threatens Egypt and Turkey with energy disruptions and security challenges.

Evaluating the Spillover Risks of the Iran War for Egypt and Turkey

Indonesia

The U.S. Supreme Court in October 2024 in Washington.

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against the Trump administration's tariffs imposed under the IEEPA still leaves Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam vulnerable to other trade escalation mechanisms.

Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Vietnam Assess Their U.S. Trade Deals After IEEPA Tariffs

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) on Feb. 25 at the quay of the North Port in Malmo, Sweden. A prolonged conflict in the Middle East would increase Europe's exposure to security risks, including potential attacks on European-linked assets, renewed migration pressures and an elevated terrorism threat, particularly if European capitals assume a more active military or diplomatic role against the Iranian regime.

A protracted regional war threatens to expose the Continent to risks ranging from cyberattacks against critical infrastructure to a renewed influx of asylum seekers.

Prolonged Conflict in Iran Would Elevate Security, Migration Threats Against Europe

Members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participate in a military drill in an outpost near Arbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, on Jan. 15, 2026.

Although arming Iranian Kurdish factions might increase pressure on Tehran, such an uprising alone would be unlikely to collapse the regime, while significantly raising the risk of drawing Turkey and Iraq into the conflict.

The Risks and Constraints of a U.S.-Backed Kurdish Uprising in Iran

Volunteers clean up the rubble outside a government building in Tehran, Iran, that was destroyed by U.S. and Israeli strikes on March 4, 2026.

The war will most likely end in a tenuous ceasefire in the coming weeks, though a faster or slower truce is possible, depending on the U.S.'s political resolve to maintain its campaign against Iran.

The Iran War Will Last as Long as U.S. Political Resolve Does

India

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Feb. 3 in Washington.

India will likely delay finalizing its trade deal with the United States while seeking opportunities to expand its Russian oil imports, creating a risk of U.S. pharmaceutical tariffs against it.

The State of the Indian-U.S. Trade Deal After IEEPA Tariffs

Politics

SITUATION REPORTS

Australia, UAE, Iran: Canberra Deploys Defensive Military Support to Gulf

China, North Korea: Cross-Border Passenger Rail Service Resumes

U.S., China: Old Grievances, Different Tactics and Goals Shape Trump-Xi Summit

Sudan: U.S. Designates Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organization

U.S., Afghanistan: Washington Designates Afghanistan 'State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention'

U.S., Cuba: Washington To Maintain Pressure on Havana To Obtain Economic and Political Concessions

U.S., Latin America: Shield of the Americas Summit Establishes Coalition To Combat Cartels

Northeast Asia: Fuel Price Controls Inbound, Oil Reserve Releases Under Consideration

Forecasts

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