Regions

RussiaCrisis Energy as leverage, sanctions as the counter-move, and the limits of both. Where Russian power actually sits: long on energy and military, short… 11 connectionshealth assessedinfluence meter EuropeRising tension Broad power with one structural gap. Europe is strong on economy, diplomacy and soft power, short on energy — most live connections here run… 18 connectionshealth assessedinfluence meter Middle EastActive conflict The region that sets the price of everything else, now fighting the war the rest of this map runs downstream of. When the Strait of Hormuz closed… 15 connectionshealth assessed4 powers contest it United StatesRising tension The United States is the acting side of ten connections on the map — the sanctions chain, the US–Iran war it is fighting, the Taiwan arms package… 18 connectionshealth assessedinfluence meter ChinaRising tension The surplus the rest of this map is defending against, and the technology fight's other side. Europe's sovereignty package is aimed here, the… 13 connectionshealth assessedinfluence meter AfricaRising tension Africa is where the second-order costs of distant decisions land first — food prices set by other continents' wars, minerals priced by other… 5 connectionshealth placeholder4 powers contest it IndiaStable India is the clearest live test of whether sanctions redirect trade rather than stop it — a buyer with the size to set terms and the position to… 4 connectionshealth placeholderinfluence meter Great BritainStable A mid-size economy that punches through a P5 Security Council seat, a nuclear deterrent and a financial centre most of this map still routes… 3 connectionshealth placeholderinfluence meter Latin AmericaStable Latin America sits downstream of most crises on this map — a commodity supplier that turns other continents' shocks into export windfalls, an… 7 connectionshealth placeholder3 powers contest it Indo-PacificRising tension The trade lane the rest of this map's chip controls, tariffs and overcapacity all have to pass through — the Malacca and Singapore straits alone… 6 connectionshealth placeholder5 powers contest it ArcticRising tension Retreating ice is opening shipping routes and resource claims faster than any treaty covering them, and the powers with a coastline here are… 3 connectionshealth placeholder4 powers contest it CaucasusRising tension Three small states between two seas, carrying pipelines the rest of this map depends on and frozen conflicts none of them have resolved. Georgia… 3 connectionshealth placeholder3 powers contest it

Every hub is laid out the same, because every one of these regions matters the same amount — what differs is how much of the work we have done, and each card says that for itself. Order reflects that progress, not any ranking of the places.