Council on Foreign Relations

In this new Council Special Report, CFR's Micah Zenko describes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of the U.S. drone program. Wary of how drones could be used in the future by both our allies and our adversaries, Zenko offers policy recommendations for Washington. Download the Report »

Calling attention to the changing demographics of the United States' population, CFR President Richard N. Haass outlines arguments for immigration reform and unpacks the consequences of doing nothing. For Haass, the most important dimension of this debate is legal immigration, which has been shown to boost American competitiveness.

To understand the arguments on both sides of the issue, reference the CFR Backgrounder, "The U.S. Immigration Debate">>

Speaking at the World Affairs Council of Northern California, CFR's energy expert Michael Levi asserts that while the United States has become independent in domestic natural gas production, we have not become energy independent when it comes to oil. For Levi, it is worth remembering that the United States is still part of a large global oil market, and our economy can still be affected by changing dynamics in the Middle East. Read More »

In this CFR interview, Julia Sweig explains the Cuban government's recent commitments to reform and the geostrategic reasons why a rapprochement between Washington and Havana would be beneficial. According to Sweig, Washington should seize on this opportunity to initiate a new dialogue and begin solving the many problems impeding normalization between the two countries. Read More »

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The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

About CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative

The CFR State and Local Officials Initiative seeks to serve as a resource and forum for bipartisan discussion on pressing international issues that affect the priorities and agendas of state and local governments, including the economy, trade and competitiveness, homeland security, public health, immigration, and energy supply and climate policy. For more information, please contact Amy Cunningham, assistant director for the National Program & Outreach, at 212.434.9848 or outreach@cfr.org.

About the State and Local Officials Portal on CFR.org

CFR's State and Local Officials Portal, www.cfr.org/stateandlocal, is a resource and forum for discussion on international issues of local importance. This webpage serves as a guide to CFR's best materials on the topics that matter most to state and local officials and their constituents. In addition to a wide range of CFR materials--including work from the think tank, interviews with experts, meeting transcripts, and new backgrounders--users will find analysis and documents from other sources that have been carefully selected by the website's editorial staff for their relevance and quality.

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