Below you will find a chronological list of current Council projects. You can search by issue or region by selecting the appropriate category. In addition to this sorting control, you can search for specific subjects within the alphabetical, regional, and issue categories by choosing from the selections in the drop-down menu below.
Each project page contains the name of the project director, a description of the project, a list of meetings it has held, and any related publications, transcripts, or videos.
April 21, 2009—Washington, DC
| Director: | Kay King, Vice President, Washington Program |
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Last month, President Obama unveiled the details of a new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, explaining, "The future of Afghanistan is inextricably linked to the future of its neighbor, Pakistan." As the White House has been preparing to put its plan into action, the Council on Foreign Relations held a multisession, half-day symposium in Washington, DC, intended to provide members and experts an opportunity to examine the central questions surrounding U.S. involvement in the region.
The first panel assessed the situation in the region; the second addressed specific policy options. The event concluded with a conversation with Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-CT).
Annual Corporate Conference—New York, NY
The annual two-day Corporate Conference, held at the Council's New York headquarters, addresses the most pressing international business concerns. The 2009 Corporate Conference featured keynote speakers Robert Greifeld, president and chief executive officer of the Nasdaq OMX Group, and Neville Isdell, chairman of the board, The Coca-Cola Company. Panels of experts spoke on timely topics such as geopolitical risk, the financial markets, global trade, and corporate citizenship, while smaller breakout sessions examined the long-term outlook of emerging markets and pressing issues in today's business landscape.
The Council's 2010 Corporate Conference will be held on March 4-5, 2010.
March 2009—Present
| Director: | Evan A. Feigenbaum, Senior Fellow for East, Central, and South Asia |
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The Asia and the World roundtable series examines the global implications of the rise of Asian power. For a thousand years, Asia was the engine of the global economy, a locus of science and innovation, a center of ideas and intellectual ferment, and the nexus of global power. After a long hiatus, Asia's major powers have now reemerged on the global stage, but their interaction with one another, and with the United States, on important issues and challenges is unsettled and evolving. Speakers and participants analyze the reemergence of China and India as global players, the changing role of Japan on the international stage, and efforts to reshape the international architecture to accommodate the rise of China and India, in particular. Sessions also consider the ways in which greater involvement in the world, not just their immediate neighborhood, is changing the strategic, economic, and political calculations of major countries in East, Central, and South Asia. Meetings look at the tensions, opportunities, and constraints that will determine whether and how the United States can forge partnerships with major Asian powers on issues of global scope. Other sessions may examine timely issues that arise in Central Asia, such as connections to the international oil and gas market, international institutions, and the global economy.
August 27, 2009—Present
| Director: | Benn Steil, Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics |
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March 2009—Present
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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This monthly meeting series seeks to organize focused discussions on plausible short to medium term contingencies that could seriously threaten U.S. interests. Contingency meeting topics will range from specific states or regions of concern to more thematic issues and will draw on the expertise of government and nongovernment experts. The goal of the meeting series is not only to raise awareness of U.S. government officials and the expert community to potential crises but also to generate practical policy options to lessen the likelihood of the contingency and to reduce the negative consequences should it occur. A summary memo of the resulting recommendations will be distributed to participants and important policymakers.
February 25, 2009—February 26, 2009 - Washington, DC
| Director: | Charles A. Kupchan, Senior Fellow for Europe Studies |
|---|
This symposium was made possible through the generous support of the European Commission, CFR's Program on International Institutions and Global Governance, and the Robina Foundation.
Symposium Summary Report (85K)
October 16, 2009—New York, NY
| Director: | Laurie A. Garrett, Senior Fellow for Global Health |
|---|
On August 24, 2009 the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released its “Report to the President on U.S. Preparations for 2009-H1N1 Influenza,” predicting, among other things, that the H1N1 (aka “swine flu”) pandemic would resurge in North America in September, peaking by mid-October, causing infection and illness to up to half the U.S. population before the end of 2009. The PCAST assessment also suggested that H1N1 vaccines would not be available for the general public until well after the mid-October peak, and the epidemic would surge so rapidly that it could overwhelm hospitals, medical supplies and intensive care units, leading to as many as 90,000 deaths in the U.S. The predicted surge held special significance for schools, parents and employers, as sick-outs and school closures could impact productivity. Despite months of preparation, supplies of vaccines, medicines and protective gear were expected to be inadequate, and global competition for essential tools for pandemic control and treatment would be fierce. One billion doses of H1N1 vaccine were ordered from several pharmaceutical companies, and the bulk of that supply was prioritized for ten wealthy nations, particularly the U.S. Little, if any, vaccine, medicine or protective gear was expected to be ready, affordable and distributed for the bottom four billion poorest people on Earth.
The CFR meeting was convened at the predicted peak of the North American pandemic. Will the PCAST model have proven correct? Looking forward, what can be scientifically forecast regarding shifts in the virology and epidemiology of the H1N1 pandemic? What are the economic and financial impacts of the outbreak? What have been, and can be predicted to be, the foreign policy implications of the pandemic and related competition for medical and public health tools?
Related Links:
Summary of Sessions I - III (PDF)
January 22, 2009—New York, NY
| Director: | Stephen Sestanovich, George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies |
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This symposium was made possible through the generous support of BP.
Symposium Summary Report (PDF, 98K)
November 10, 2009—Washington D.C.
| Director: | Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment and Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change |
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This symposium is on the record.
This event is made possible through generous support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Alcoa Foundation, and the Robina Foundation.
Related Links:
November 18, 2009—New York, NY
| Director: | Shannon K. O'Neil, Douglas Dillon Fellow for Latin America Studies |
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Illicit transnational flows of goods, money, information, and people increasingly dominate U.S. relations in the Western hemisphere. Latin America remains the major source of cocaine and many other illegal substances for the United States as well as for the growing European markets. Mexico has become the newest power center for the criminal underworld: once considered primarily a “transit” country for illegal drugs from Colombia, Mexican drug trafficking organizations now dominate these markets, extending their reach from initial production in the Southern Cone to final destinations within the United States and elsewhere. Mexican cartels have a strong presence in source countries such in the Andes for cocaine and in Argentina for the precursors for methamphetamine, and they control coastal routes in the Caribbean and pipelines in Central America. On the other end of the chain, the Department of Justice’s December 2008 National Drug Threat Assessment states that “Mexican drug trafficking organizations now represent the greatest organized crime threat to the United States.” The limits of regional and global policy cooperation and coordination have worked to the advantage of organized criminal syndicates. Displaying great resourcefulness, trafficking organizations exploit the policy divide over how best to define and conduct counter-drug and other crime strategies. They also benefit from the weakness of public safety and security mandates within existing multilateral and regional organizations. The challenge for the international community and Western Hemisphere nations in particular, is to build on initial areas of cooperation, finding new ways and new regional mechanisms to reduce the harm that these violent organizations reap on populations across the region.
The first session will take stock of expanding organized crime and transnational threats throughout the Western Hemisphere, reflecting on the development and expansion of organized crime networks and their effects across the region in the last two decades. The second panel will focus on local and national experiences and policy responses in Colombia and Mexico, outlining the challenges, government and civil society responses, and lessons learned as the region aims to move toward greater cooperation and coordination on this issue. The last panel will focus on hemispheric policy responses to shifting regional dynamics, and the potential role for multilateral institutions and forums.
This symposium is on the record.
This symposium is supported by a grant from the Robina Foundation, the Hauser Foundation, and the Tinker Foundation.
May 18-19, 2009—Washington, DC
| Director: | Charles D. Ferguson, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow for Science and Technology |
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This workshop was made possible through the generous support of CFR’s International Institutions and Global Governance program and the Robina Foundation.
Summary Report (PDF, 72K)
October 19, 2009—Washington, DC
| Director: | Elizabeth C. Economy, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies |
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As President Obama prepares for his first trip to Beijing in November, the spotlight will once again turn to China, the U.S.-China relationship, and China’s growing role in world affairs. From the global financial crisis, to climate change and terrorism, China is shaping the ability of the world to effectively tackle the full range of global challenges. In the coming decades, China’s influence will only continue to grow.
China 2025 addresses the core questions of China’s domestic and foreign policy priorities and their likely implications for the rest of the world. Going forward, how will China’s political, economic, and social trends shape its domestic development? How will its diplomatic and strategic engagement with the developing world and rising powers shape global dynamics? What are the implications of China’s military development and the drive to achieve asymmetric advantages? Does China’s economic future hold more potential for, or challenges to, the international economy and climate change? What challenges is China forecasted to present for U.S. strategic interests in the next few decades?
This conference was co-sponsored by the Project 2049 Institute.
January 2009—January 25, 2009
| Director: | Stewart M. Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director, Program on International Institutions and Global Governance |
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| Author: | Matthew C. Waxman, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Law and Foreign Policy |
June 2009—Present
| Author: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action Micah Zenko, Fellow for Conflict Prevention |
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March 2009—March 1, 2009
| Author: | Michael A. Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment and Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change |
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April 2009—April 1, 2009
| Director: | Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action |
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| Author: | Bronwyn E. Bruton, 2008-2009 International Affairs Fellow in Residence |
May 1, 2009—May 1, 2009
| Author: | Paul Lettow, Adjunct Senior Fellow |
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June 2009—Present
| Director: | Stewart M. Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director, Program on International Institutions and Global Governance |
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| Author: | James M. Goldgeier, Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations |
January 2009—Present
| Staff: | Scott G. Borgerson, Visiting Fellow for Ocean Governance |
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September 9, 2009—September 10, 2009
Session One:
Video • Audio • Transcript
Welcome: Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations
Kim Barker, Former South Asia Bureau Chief, Chicago Tribune; 2009-2010 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
Mohamad Bazzi, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; 2007-2008 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
Christopher Dickey, Paris Bureau Chief and Middle East Regional Editor, Newsweek; 1983-1984 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
Kathy Gannon, Special Correspondent, Associated Press; 2003-2004 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
Presider: Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent, CNN
Session Two:
Video • Audio • Transcript
Caryle M. Murphy, Independent Journalist and Author; 1994-1995 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
David J. Remnick, Editor, New Yorker; 1991-1992 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
Elizabeth Rubin, Contributing Writer, New York Times Magazine; 2008-2009 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
Dan Southerland, Vice President of Programming and Executive Editor, Radio Free Asia; 1990-1991 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow
Presider: Margaret G. Warner, Senior Correspondent, NewsHour With Jim Lehrer
Session Three:
Video • Audio • Transcript
L. Gordon Crovitz, Co-Founder, Journalism Online
Christopher Isham, Vice President, Washington Bureau Chief, CBS News
Nicholas Lemann, Dean, Herbert R. Luce Professor of Journalism, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University
Charles M. Sennott, Executive Editor and Co-Founder, GlobalPost
Presider: John Hockenberry, Host, The Takeaway, WNYC Radio
Session Four:
Video • Audio • Transcript
Stephen A. Capus, President, NBC News
Jonathan Klein, President, CNN/U.S.
Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports
David Westin, President, ABC News
Presider: Ken Auletta, Media writer, New Yorker; Author
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Special thanks to the Ford Foundation and Time Warner, Inc. for their generous support of this event. If you would like more information about the Ford Foundation Challenge Grant to sustain the Murrow Fellowship and related programming, please contact L. Camille Massey, vice president, membership, fellowship, and corporate affairs.
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