Political History and Theory | Council on Foreign Relations

Politics and Government

Renewing America Series: The History of American Democracy

Panelists discuss historical context and perspective for the current state of democracy in the United States. This meeting is part of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy. With its Renewing America initiative, CFR is evaluating nine critical domestic issues that shape the ability of the United States to navigate a demanding, competitive, and dangerous world.

Virtual Event by Jamelle Bouie, Jon Grinspan, Jill Lepore, Yascha Mounk and Michael Beschloss March 3, 2022 Renewing America Series
United States

TWE Remembers: The Bricker Amendment

In 1954, the Senate nearly passed a constitutional amendment to curtail the president’s authority to make international agreements. President Dwight D. Eisenhower avoided a major foreign policy loss thanks to an unusual ally.

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay February 26, 2022 The Water's Edge
Democracy

TPI Replay: Democratic Crises in U.S. History, With Suzanne Mettler

In this special series of The President’s Inbox on the future of democracy, James M. Lindsay speaks with experts to discuss whether and where democratic governance is faltering around the world. This week, Suzanne Mettler, John L. Senior professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University, places the current crisis of American democracy in historical perspective. This episode is part of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Suzanne Mettler January 4, 2022 The President’s Inbox

Political History and Theory

How Can We Use (but Not Abuse) History?

Richard Haass and Margaret MacMillan, one of the world’s foremost historians, discuss how best to apply history to better understand current global challenges, including the erosion of democracy, the rise of China, and Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Podcast with Richard Haass December 16, 2021 Nine Questions for the World
Economics

Arthur Ross Book Award: “The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes”

Gideon Rose celebrates the winners of this year’s Arthur Ross Book Award: Zachary D. Carter, Peter Baker and Susan B. Glasser, and Robert D. Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett.

Virtual Event by Zachary D. Carter, Peter Baker, Susan B. Glasser, Robert D. Putnam, Shaylyn Romney Garrett and Gideon Rose December 7, 2021 U.S. Foreign Policy Program
United States

Ten Anniversaries to Note in 2022

As 2021 comes to a close, here are ten notable historical anniversaries to mark in 2022.

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 1, 2021 The Water's Edge

United States

TWE History-Related Blogs and Videos

A list of all blog posts and videos reflecting on historical events from The Water's Edge.

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 1, 2021 The Water's Edge
Germany

How Are Green Parties Shaping Global Politics?

As the focus on environmental and social justice issues has increased, green parties have grown in influence across many countries. Here’s how they’re reshaping today’s political landscape.

Explainer Video with James McBride and Thamine Nayeem November 11, 2021
United States

TWE Remembers: The Trent Affair

A diplomatic crisis between the United States and Great Britain over two captured Confederate envoys nearly sparked war one hundred sixty years ago.

Blog Post by Margaret Gach November 8, 2021 The Water's Edge
United States

Virtual Roundtable: Was Jimmy Carter a Successful Foreign Policy President?

Four decades after he left power, Jimmy Carter’s presidency is being reevaluated by historians. The passage of time and availability of documentary evidence makes such a reassessment possible. Is the popular impression of Carter as a president who could not grasp international realities fair? Kai Bird, author and recent biographer of Jimmy Carter, explores whether Carter was an underrated foreign policy president.

Virtual Event by Kai Bird and Ray Takeyh July 22, 2021
Censorship and Freedom of Expression

TWE Remembers: The Pentagon Papers

Sunday is the fiftieth anniversary of the New York Times’ publication of the Pentagon Papers. My colleague Margaret Gach, a research associate for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relati…

Blog Post by Guest Blogger for The Water's Edge June 11, 2021 The Water's Edge
United States

Centennial Speaker Series Session 1: What Are the Lessons of History for Our Era?

Please join Margaret MacMillan for a discussion of prominent events in history that can help increase our understanding of current events and guide policymaking. This meeting will launch CFR’s new speaker series, The 21st Century World: Big Challenges & Big Ideas, which will feature some of today’s leading thinkers and tackle issues that will define this century. The series commemorates CFR’s centennial and will be released as a podcast later this year.

Virtual Event by Margaret MacMillan and Richard Haass April 13, 2021
Political History and Theory

The Council on Foreign Relations at 100: The History

2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the Council on Foreign Relations. Since its inception in 1921, the Council has been guided by an unwavering set of core principles: independence, nonpartisanship, and a commitment to producing quality, policy-relevant scholarship. The CFR’s mission, to provide the analysis and context necessary to inform America’s foreign policy choices and to increase public understanding of the world and why it matters, remains as urgent today as at any time in the past century.

Explainer Video January 5, 2021
U.S. Foreign Policy

Isolationism

In his new book, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself From the World, CFR Senior Fellow Charles A. Kupchan explores the nation's past to uncover the ideological and political roots of U.S. grand strategy, understand the recent return of isolationist sentiment, and examine how the nation can bring its foreign commitments back into line with its means and purposes.

Teaching Notes by Charles A. Kupchan October 29, 2020
U.S. Foreign Policy

Isolationism—New in Paperback

Charles A. Kupchan mines the nation’s past to uncover the ideological and political roots of ongoing changes in U.S. foreign policy, including the sources of Donald J. Trump's “America First” doctrine.

Book by Charles A. Kupchan September 9, 2022