United States

Middle East and North Africa

Iran

Israel

Yemen

Military & Security

Politics

On March 28, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis announced they had launched a barrage of ballistic missiles toward Israel overnight, Reuters reported the same day.

Middle East: Yemen's Houthis Attack Israel, Join Iran War

U.S.-Iran Relations

Saudi Arabia

Ukraine

Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a military cooperation agreement to develop defense ties and potential contracts, Bloomberg reported on March 27.

Ukraine, Saudi Arabia: Kyiv Expands Defense Ties in the Gulf

Economics

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked leading businessmen to make large voluntary contributions to the state budget and reiterated that Russia would continue fighting Ukraine until it captured the remaining parts of the Donbas region, The Bell reported on March 27, citing people familiar with the matter.

Russia: Putin Turns to Oligarchs as War Costs Mount

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Pro-Iranian hacktivist group Handala publicly stated on its website that it breached and leaked data from the personal inbox of U.S. FBI Director Kash Patel on March 27, Reuters reported the same day.

U.S.: Iranian Threat Actors Claim To Breach FBI Director's Email Inbox

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a delay until April 6 of the deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or risk U.S. attacks against power plants after claiming that U.S.-Iran discussions were going "very well," AP reported on March 26. 

U.S., Iran: Trump Delays Power Plant Attacks Deadline Until April 6

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

The Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group has withdrawn from several localities in the Lubero and Walikale territories of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province since the night of March 23-24, Jeune Afrique reported on March 27. 

Congo: Rwandan-Backed Rebels Withdraw From Parts of North Kivu

Philippines

France

On March 26, the Philippines and France signed a status of visiting forces agreement, allowing their militaries to deploy personnel in each other's territories for joint training, exercises and operations, The Philippine Star reported the next day.

Philippines, France: Paris Latest To Sign Visiting Forces Agreement With Manila

China

The CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean -- two container ships linked to China's state-owned COSCO Shipping Corp. -- attempted to exit the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz before making abrupt U-turns and heading back into the Gulf, Bloomberg reported on March 27.

MENA: Chinese Container Ships Abort Attempted Transit Through the Strait of Hormuz

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

Below are our latest and most relevant military analyses. 

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The India-Pakistan Rivalry

The Ukraine Conflict

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

The Battle for Mosul

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Coping With a Nuclear North Korea

The Jihadist Wars

Echoes of the Cold War

Instability in Central Asia

South Asian Militancy

Pakistan: A Military With a Country

Assessments

Cuba

People on March 15 in Tehran, Iran, clean up rubble from a missile attack. The Iran war will almost certainly continue through the next week amid Israeli threats to escalate and expand strikes due to Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the U.S. deployment of additional military assets to 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: The Iran War Continues, a European Parliament Delegation Visits China

Media

Podcasts

How will the trajectory of China-U.S. trade conversations change in light of conflict in the Middle East?

The Decision Advantage: The Impact of the Iran War on the Asia-Pacific Region

Cars drive past a gas station in Ponte Leccia on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on March 26, 2026. 

To address Iran-related energy disruptions, the European Union will likely opt for a patchwork of national relief measures, rather than a more comprehensive market intervention.

How the EU Is Responding to Its Latest Energy Crisis

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

The Burj Khalifa skyscraper (L) and the Burj al-Arab hotel (R) on March 11 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With further Iranian provocation, several Gulf Cooperation Council states would be willing to join the war against Iran, but doing so would likely deepen Iran's targeting of their critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and potentially pull the GCC into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Joining in could deepen Iran's targeting of GCC critical infrastructure, exacerbate the globally disruptive impacts of the war and pull the bloc into a permanently hostile relationship with Iran.

Will the Gulf States Join the Iran War, and What Would Happen if They Did?

The Geopolitics of Demographics

Social Issues

While far from deterministic, demographics plays a key role in influencing a country's domestic and international politics, as well as its economic and financial development.

The Geopolitics of Demographics: Politics and Economics

Columns

On Geopolitics

Lebanon

Syria

Photos of prominent Hezbollah leaders are seen at the site of a reported Israeli airstrike which killed 6 members of the same family, on March 19, 2026 in Baalbek, Lebanon.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The trajectory of the war will be increasingly defined by a clash of strategic objectives that makes a quick resolution of the conflict unlikely.


The Impact the Israel-Hezbollah War Will Have on Lebanon

Denmark

Italy

The European Parliament building in 2019 in Strasbourg, France. Parliament is set to hold a plenary vote March 26 on implementing the 2025 EU‑U.S. trade framework agreement.

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote on the EU‑U.S. Trade Framework, the Iran Conflict Continues

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting in Moscow on the global oil and gas market situation on March 9, 2026.

The current surge in demand for Russian oil will likely be short-lived, but weaker sanctions enforcement and higher energy prices could nonetheless buoy Moscow's capacity to fund its war in Ukraine.

In Twist of Fate, Russia Gets a Boost From Iran-Related Oil Shocks

People walk along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026.

Global Trade

Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will compel Gulf Cooperation Council states to invest in alternative trade routes and more resilient physical infrastructure.

Gulf Arab States, Shaken by Iran War, Plan Economic Pivot

Greenland

Danish Defense Minister and top candidate of Denmark's Venstre party, Troels Lund Poulsen (left), and Danish Prime Minister and top candidate of the Social Democrat Party, Mette Frederiksen (right), attend a debate in Copenhagen on March 15, 2026.

The upcoming parliamentary elections could result in three distinct coalitions that would offer varying continuity in domestic economic policy and Copenhagen's approach to U.S. pressure over Greenland.

Denmark's General Elections: Potential Outcomes and Their Implications

Global Elections

Japan

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a news conference at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Feb. 18.

The Japanese prime minister may offer economic and security concessions during her upcoming summit with the U.S. president to avoid direct entanglement in the Iran conflict while preserving the relationship with Washington.

Iran War Heightens Stakes of Key Takaichi-Trump Summit

Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. 

A U.S.-led naval mission to protect ships from Iranian attacks would likely begin only after the war's intensity decreases, and even then, it would take weeks to organize and yield only a limited return of maritime traffic through the strait.

The Obstacles Facing the U.S. Plan for Strait of Hormuz Naval Escorts

Military & Security

SITUATION REPORTS

Middle East: Yemen's Houthis Attack Israel, Join Iran War

Ukraine, Saudi Arabia: Kyiv Expands Defense Ties in the Gulf

Russia: Putin Turns to Oligarchs as War Costs Mount

U.S.: Iranian Threat Actors Claim To Breach FBI Director's Email Inbox

U.S., Iran: Trump Delays Power Plant Attacks Deadline Until April 6

Congo: Rwandan-Backed Rebels Withdraw From Parts of North Kivu

Philippines, France: Paris Latest To Sign Visiting Forces Agreement With Manila

MENA: Chinese Container Ships Abort Attempted Transit Through the Strait of Hormuz

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support