Geopolitical Insights

We no longer have the luxury of viewing the world from a linear perspective. The compounding effects of global events and the speed at which they occur produce exponential shifts in market dynamics.

Through our Situation Reports (SITREP), Academy’s Geopolitical team responds to potentially market-moving developments with a quick and to the point report that reflects immediate reactions and thoughts from some of the foremost experts on each subject. As events unfold and a deeper story emerges, these reports are later supplemented by our more in-depth Around the World reports and podcasts.

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Academy SITREP – Houthi Rebels Seize Cargo Ship in Red Sea

What has Happened: On November 19th, an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea was hijacked by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. While none of the 25 crew members are Israeli, the Galaxy Leader is a Bahamas-flagged car carrier affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. This incident could raise concerns about security in the Red Sea, which ... Academy SITREP – Houthi Rebels Seize Cargo Ship in Red Sea

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Additional Articles

2023

Academy SITREP – Israel and Hamas Near Hostage Deal

November 21, 2023 What has Happened: A multi-stage deal mediated by Qatar is close to being reached between Israel and Hamas; it is expected to free dozens of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a limited ceasefire. The deal (the first potential diplomatic breakthrough since the war began on October 7th) includes Hamas releasing approximately 50 hostages ... Academy SITREP – Israel and Hamas Near Hostage Deal

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Academy SITREP – Biden to Meet with Xi at APEC Summit in San Francisco

November 14, 2023 What has Happened: As we anticipated in our October ATW, President Biden is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping tomorrow at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, CA. This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last year and will be the ... Academy SITREP – Biden to Meet with Xi at APEC Summit in San Francisco

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Academy SITREP – Israel Expands Ground Operations in Gaza

October 30, 2023 What has Happened: Israeli ground troops entered Gaza late last week, starting a new phase in its war to destroy the Islamist militant group Hamas. The Israeli ground operations are currently moving against “staging sites” for Hamas militants and are including airstrikes on these targets as well. Hamas is highly embedded in the Palestinian population ... Academy SITREP – Israel Expands Ground Operations in Gaza

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Academy SITREP – U.S. Airstrikes in Syria Target Iranian-Backed Proxy Forces

October 27, 2023 What has Happened: Earlier this morning, the U.S. conducted two airstrikes against facilities used by Iran’s IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and its proxies in eastern Syria in retaliation for at least 19 recent rocket and drone attacks against American bases and personnel in the region. A pair of U.S. F-16 fighter jets utilizing precision-guided ... Academy SITREP – U.S. Airstrikes in Syria Target Iranian-Backed Proxy Forces

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Academy SITREP – Update on War Between Israel and Hamas

October 9, 2023 What has Happened: Israel has seized control of the communities around Gaza that were at the center of the horrific attacks by Hamas over the past 48 hours. Israel’s Ministry of Defense has ordered a ”complete siege” of Gaza cutting off electricity, food, fuel, and water to the region and has called up 300,000 reservists. ... Academy SITREP – Update on War Between Israel and Hamas

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Academy SITREP – War Between Israel and Hamas

October 7, 2023 What has Happened: Early this morning, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel firing thousands of rockets in a coordinated air and land assault. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country was now “at war” and has retaliated with massive airstrikes on Hamas targets. Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia organization that fought ... Academy SITREP – War Between Israel and Hamas

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Academy SITREP – U.S. Jet Shoots Down Turkish Drone Over Syria

October 6, 2023 What has Happened: Yesterday, a U.S. F-16 shot down an armed Turkish drone after it flew near U.S. forces in northeast Syria and ignored warnings to depart the area. While the Pentagon had no reason to believe that Turkey was targeting U.S. forces in the region, there have been other close calls such as in ... Academy SITREP – U.S. Jet Shoots Down Turkish Drone Over Syria

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Academy SITREP – Tension Between Serbia and Kosovo

October 5, 2023 What has Happened: On September 24th, armed Serbian paramilitary personnel ambushed a police patrol in the northern part of Kosovo, killing one Kosovo police officer. Following the attack, the number of Serbian troops continued to grow on the border and last Friday, the White House publicly highlighted its concerns surrounding the “unprecedented” Serbian military buildup. ... Academy SITREP – Tension Between Serbia and Kosovo

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Academy Securities SITREP – U.S. | Iran Prisoner Deal

September 18, 2023 What has Happened: • Today, five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran were released and are on their way back home. • This deal reportedly includes the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue from South Korea to a bank in Qatar and the dismissal of federal charges against five Iranians accused of ... Academy Securities SITREP – U.S. | Iran Prisoner Deal

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Academy SITREP – Putin and Kim Jong Un to Meet in Russia

September 12, 2023 What has Happened: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is on his way to Russia to meet with President Putin this week to discuss a potential deal to supply Russia with weapons for use in its war in Ukraine. In return for weapons such as artillery shells and anti-tank missiles, U.S. officials believe that North ... Academy SITREP – Putin and Kim Jong Un to Meet in Russia

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ACADEMY SITREP – Wagner Owner Prigozhin Killed in Plane Crash in Russia

August 23, 2023 What has Happened: Earlier today, Tass (the Russian state news agency) reported that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was listed as a passenger on a plane that crashed northwest of Moscow, killing all 10 people on board. While unconfirmed, social media channels associated with the Wagner Group said that Russian air defenses had shot down the ... ACADEMY SITREP – Wagner Owner Prigozhin Killed in Plane Crash in Russia

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ACADEMY SITREP – U.S. Approves Sending F-16s to Ukraine

August 18, 2023 What has Happened: Last evening, the U.S. approved sending F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine as soon as the pilots complete their training. Denmark and the Netherlands (both NATO members) have been leading the efforts to train Ukrainian pilots and support staff on how to fly and maintain the F-16 aircraft. ... ACADEMY SITREP – U.S. Approves Sending F-16s to Ukraine

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ACADEMY SITREP – Ukraine Attacks Russian Tanker with Sea Drone

August 6, 2023 What has Happened: On Saturday, a Russian tanker was hit by a Ukrainian sea drone in the Kerch Strait. In addition, on Friday, Ukraine attacked a Russian naval ship with a sea drone in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Kiev recently said that it had designated six Black Sea ports as being in “war ... ACADEMY SITREP – Ukraine Attacks Russian Tanker with Sea Drone

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Academy SITREP – U.S. Orders Partial Evacuation of Embassy in Niger

August 4, 2023 What has Happened: Last week, Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted from power in a coup by the military led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani. As a result, the U.S. and France threatened to cut ties with Niger (halting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid), France sent home its citizens from the country, and the ... Academy SITREP – U.S. Orders Partial Evacuation of Embassy in Niger

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Academy SITREP – Russia Threatens Shipping in the Black Sea

July 21, 2023 What has Happened: • Earlier this week, Russia “terminated” the Black Sea grain deal that had allowed Ukraine to export food crops to alleviate the global food shortage following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. • In addition, Russia re-established its blockade and stepped up its air strikes on Ukrainian ports where an attack on Chornomorsk destroyed ... Academy SITREP – Russia Threatens Shipping in the Black Sea

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Academy SITREP – Geopolitics of Rare Earth Elements

July 13, 2023 What has Happened:  This SITREP is a follow-up to our 2021 report (Rare Earths – A National Security and Environmental Threat) and our semiconductor-focused piece from earlier this year (World War v3.1).  Last week, China said that it would impose export restrictions on gallium and germanium products used in computer chips and other components.  This ... Academy SITREP – Geopolitics of Rare Earth Elements

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SITREP – Turkey Drops its Opposition to Sweden Joining NATO

July 11, 2023 What has Happened: In a sudden reversal as the NATO Summit is set to begin today, Turkey’s President Erdogan has given his approval for Sweden to join NATO. Prior to this decision, Erdogan had made advancing Turkey’s bid to join the European Union a requirement before he would provide his support. However, in return for ... SITREP – Turkey Drops its Opposition to Sweden Joining NATO

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Crisis in Russia – Update

June 25, 2023 What has Happened: As an update to our previous SITREP, the Wagner Group reversed course this afternoon and decided not to continue on to Moscow after President Lukashenko of Belarus mediated a deal between President Putin and Prigozhin. Criminal charges against Prigozhin for mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped and it is reported that ... Crisis in Russia – Update

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SITREP – Crisis in Russia

June 24, 2023 What has Happened: A rebellion led by the head of Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group has triggered the most significant domestic crisis for Putin since the invasion of Ukraine. Earlier today, Putin ordered his military to act against Wagner forces after it seized the southern Russian city of Rostov. Prigozhin, the Wagner chief, moved his forces ... SITREP – Crisis in Russia

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SITREP – Nova Kakhovka Dam Destroyed in Ukraine

June 6, 2023 What has Happened: Earlier today, the Kakhovka dam and the hydroelectric power station on the Dnieper River were severely damaged by an explosion causing significant flooding in the Russian controlled region. Ukrainian officials accused “Russian terrorists” of executing the attack while Kremlin officials denied this and blamed “Ukrainian sabotage” for the damage. The Kakhovka Reservoir ... SITREP – Nova Kakhovka Dam Destroyed in Ukraine

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SITREP – Russia Accuses Ukraine of Drone Attack on Kremlin

May 3, 2023 What has Happened: Earlier today, Russian authorities accused Ukraine of attempting to attack the Kremlin with two drones in order to assassinate President Putin. The Kremlin called the attack a “terrorist act” and said that Russian military/security forces “disabled” the drones before they could strike their targets. The Kremlin said that debris from the drones ... SITREP – Russia Accuses Ukraine of Drone Attack on Kremlin

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SITREP – Finland Joins NATO

April 4, 2023 What has Happened: Earlier today, Finland joined NATO as the alliance’s 31st member (doubling the size of NATO’s border with Russia). This news comes as a setback for Putin, who cited NATO’s expansion as a major reason for his invasion of Ukraine last year. As expected, the Russian Foreign Ministry threatened “military, technical, and other ... SITREP – Finland Joins NATO

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SITREP – U.S. Reaper Drone Forced Down by Russian Fighters in Black Sea

March 14, 2023 What has Happened: This afternoon, a Russian Su-27 jet collided with a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone over the Black Sea (in international airspace and over international waters). One of the Russian jets intentionally dumped fuel in front of the drone, and one then damaged the propeller causing the drone to crash into the Black ... SITREP – U.S. Reaper Drone Forced Down by Russian Fighters in Black Sea

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SITREP – Nord Stream Explosions Report by Seymour Hersh

February 8, 2023 What has Happened: On September 26, 2022, a series of explosions caused serious damage to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines. Both pipelines were constructed to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, and are majority owned by the Russian gas company Gazprom. Sweden and Denmark, ... SITREP – Nord Stream Explosions Report by Seymour Hersh

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SITREP – Surveillance Balloon Shot Down

February 4, 2023       What has Happened: The Chinese surveillance balloon that crossed over the U.S. this week was shot down by a U.S. F-22 on Saturday afternoon. The spy balloon was about six miles off the coast of South Carolina and flying at an altitude of between 60,000 and 65,000 feet when it was shot down. ... SITREP – Surveillance Balloon Shot Down

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SITREP – Chinese Surveillance in the U.S.

February 3, 2023 What has Happened: The U.S. military has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern part of the U.S. (near a U.S. strategic missile base) for the past few days. Today, the Pentagon said that the balloon “violated U.S. air space and international law” and rejected China’s earlier claim ... SITREP – Chinese Surveillance in the U.S.

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