US President Donald Trump on October 20, 2025, acted to disrupt the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China by announcing a US way around the CCP’s ace negotiating position: the control of the export of rare earths and critical minerals to the US and the West.
Significant elections and changes in governments since December 1, 2023. Last updated May 25, 2026.
The overarching strategic US-PRC trajectory seems largely unchanged: the PRC in continued decline and the US in continued strategic consolidation. US allies are making separate plans to manage their strategic space to a greater degree.
Türkiye is attempting to control the global landscape of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through the United Nations in order to exert coercive policies and pressure on countries within its sphere of influence and interest.
Geography is patently a critical factor in strategic thinking, not just because of the physical limitations and possibilities it unveils, but because of the psychological impact of geography upon its inhabitants.