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Here’s what you missed while you were away

As summer winds down this weekend, here are the geopolitical stories you may have missed while your inbox was on “out of office” — the ones we expect will have the biggest impact this fall.

In Sudan, the skies have turned deadly

Drones have become the new face of modern warfare, dominating headlines as Russia and Ukraine trade near-daily aerial strikes. But unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) are wreaking havoc in another of the world’s deadliest, and least covered, conflicts: Sudan.

With drones now entering the fray, the conflict risks escalating into a dangerous new phase, allowing both sides to keep inflicting damage with minimal risks to themselves.

Ever since the SAF recaptured the capital Khartoum in March, the two sides have been locked in a strategic stalemate, with drones enabling both groups to carry out precision strikes hundreds of miles behind enemy lines.

Is Sudan a sign of future of warfare? Read more here.

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Here's why Israel will accept a Gaza ceasefire soon

Despite the foot dragging and all the threats of taking over Gaza City, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will find his way to a ceasefire in Gaza this September. Here's why.

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his wife, Kim Hye Kyung, are pictured at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Aug. 24, 2025, before flying to Washington, D.C., USA.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

What We’re Watching: South Korea’s Lee to meet Trump, Israel offers withdrawal for Hezbollah disarmament, Maryland man now headed to Uganda

Lee-Trump meeting to center on China

South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung visits Washington, D.C., with plenty on his agenda as he meets US President Donald Trump. Top of the list will be China. Unlike his predecessors, Lee wants to boost ties with Beijing – he even said Seoul should stay out of any China-Taiwan conflict. Meanwhile Trump wants South Korea to bolster its forces so that the American troops stationed there can focus on containing China rather than helping defend the locals from North Korea – this, unsurprisingly, worries Seoul. Trump’s post this morning about there being a “Purge or Revolution” in South Korea won’t help, either. Lee’s charm offensive has already begun, with the use of Trump’s (likely) favorite attire: a red hat.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Ukrainian Independence Day, Aug. 24, 2025.

ZUMAPRESS.com via Reuters Connect

Hard Numbers: Ukraine blocked from using long-range US missiles, Israeli strike on hospital, Taliban gaining legitimacy, & More

190: Ukraine has not been able to fire US-made long-range missiles – which have a range of 190 miles – into Russia, as Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby blocked Kyiv from using these weapons. Colby is a prominent China hawk who sees support for Ukraine as a distraction from challenging Beijing. Earlier this year, he blocked a weapons shipment to Ukraine, before US President Donald Trump overruled him.

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The Pentagon is seeking more than $3.5 billion in emergency funding to replenish US weapons and equipment for Israel, following Iran’s large-scale April 2024 missile and drone attack.

Eileen Zhang

Graphic Truth: Pentagon seeks billions to restock Israeli defenses

The Pentagon is seeking more than $3.5 billion in emergency funding to replenish US weapons and equipment for Israel, following Iran’s large-scale April 2024 missile and drone attack. The largest single request, about $1 billion, is for RTX’s Standard Missile interceptors which are used to shoot down ballistic missiles. Another $204 million is earmarked for Lockheed Martin’s THAAD interceptors, which destroy ballistic missiles at high altitudes. Funds for radar upkeep, vessel refurbishments, and munitions transport are also on the bill. The requests, drawing on Congress’s 2024 Israeli Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, underscore the steep costs of sustaining a heightened US military presence in the Middle East.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva participates in the Inauguration Ceremony of the GWM Factory in Iracemapolis, state of Sao Paulo, on August 15, 2025.

Eduardo Carmim / Photo Premium / SPP

What We’re Watching: Brazil’s left-wing leader makes a comeback, Israel considers Gaza options, India and China explore border drawings

Brazil’s Lula finds a recipe for left-wing LatAm success

Brazil is now subject to 50% tariffs from the United States, but President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appears to be reveling in it: his approval rating jumped another three percentage points in August, per Genial/Quaest polling, reaching 46%, up from 43% in July and 40% in May. It appears Lula’s positioning as a foil to US President Donald Trump – just see his recent interviews with international outlets – is paying dividends. At a time when much of South America appears to be tilting right, the Brazilian leader may have found a recipe for keeping the left in power.

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Metropolitan Police Department officers secure 16th Street near the White House, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meeting to discuss the war in Ukraine, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 17, 2025.

REUTERS

What We’re Watching: Zelensky’s turn to meet with Trump, Israelis protest against Bibi again, Hong Kong media mogul faces trial

Zelensky heads (back) to the White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is back in Washington today, meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss a potential end to the Russia-Ukraine war and hoping for a better outcome than his last visit to the Oval Office earlier this year. This time he’s bringing friends, European leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and the UK’s Keir Starmer, who are offering their support as he attempts to keep his country intact.

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Senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay (photo) died on August 11, after being the victim of an attack last Saturday, June 7, while attending a political rally in the Modelia neighborhood of Bogotá.

Latin America News Agency via REUTERS

Hard Numbers: Colombian presidential candidate dies after June shooting, Al Jazeera journalists killed in Gaza, South Korean military dropoff, Chinese ship hits its own man

39: At the age 39, center-right presidential candidate Miguel Uribe died on Monday, nine weeks after he was shot by a 14-year-old boy during a campaign rally in Bogota, the Colombian capital. Before his death, the shooting had catapulted Uribe to the top of the polls for next year’s election. The incident has revived fears in Colombia of a return to political violence, which was endemic in the 1980s and 1990s – read more here.

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