Andrew Kohut, founding director of the Pew Research Center, discusses the themes outlined in his forthcoming CFR Working Paper Resilient American Values: Optimism in an Era of Growing Inequality and Economic Difficulty, as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call series.

Robert Kahn, CFR's Steven A. Tananbaum senior fellow for international economics, leads a conversation on the current state of the U.S. economy and the challenges that lie ahead.

Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, discusses the influence of the United States on common and organized crime in Central America, and offers policy recommendations for what the United States could do domestically and internationally to mitigate the violence.

Shanker A. Singham, chairman of the International Roundtable on Trade and Competition Policy, leads a conversation on how government-imposed anticompetitive market distortions harm U.S. exports and state and local economies.

Blake Clayton discusses oil speculation and the U.S. energy market.

Scott Thomasson, president of NewBuild Strategies LLC, discusses policy and legislative issues affecting state investment in infrastructure.

Janet Cowell and Roland Stephen discuss the decline in manufacturing in North Carolina and across the United States, and offer policy recommendations to help states better respond to global competition.

The University of San Diego's David A. Shirk discusses the findings of his recent Council Special Report The Drug War in Mexico: Confronting a Shared Threat.

CFR's Michael A. Levi discusses the pros and cons of nuclear energy in light of Japan's nuclear crisis.

Daisy Khan discusses the national and international implications of the debate surrounding the proposal to build a community center and mosque near the World Trade Center site.

This call was part of CFR's Outreach Initiative. Learn more about CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative and State and Local Officials Initiative.

Listen to CFR's Shannon K. O'Neil discuss the challenges of ongoing drug violence in Mexico as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

Listen to CFR's Kara McDonald discuss the international response to the devastating January 12 earthquake in Haiti.

Listen to Stephen Biddle, CFR senior fellow for defense policy, provide an update on the current situation in Iraq and examine the political and military implications of U.S. policy options going forward as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call Series.

This call was made possible in part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

Listen to Gordon H. Hanson, professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego, discuss immigration reform as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call Series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.