CFR in Washington

The Council on Foreign Relations' Washington Office is a growing and multifaceted presence in the nation’s capital. Our goal is to use CFR’s convening power and intellectual resources to inform not only our members, but also Congress, the administration, the media, and the business community.

The Washington Meetings Program

The Washington Meetings Program provides a nonpartisan forum for informed foreign policy debate in the nation’s capital by bringing CFR members together with policymakers, world leaders, academic experts, and prominent thinkers to discuss a wide range of international issues. Recent meetings have featured U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Burmese parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, and journalist Bob Woodword.

The Congress and U.S. Foreign Policy Program

The Congress and U.S. Foreign Policy Program engages policymakers on Capitol Hill with a series of initiatives that include:

  • Briefings for new members of Congress;
  • A monthly briefing on foreign policy issues for chiefs of staff;
  • Friday roundtable discussions with senior foreign policy staff.

The Diplomatic Program

The Diplomatic Program fosters exchange between foreign representatives and CFR members. The Diplomatic Program incorporates:

  • An embassy lunch series;
  • Roundtable briefings for ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission.

The Think Tank

The CFR think tank is also well-represented in Washington, home to over twenty research fellows and a number of special programs, including:

The Corporate Program

Serving an international membership of about 180 companies, the Corporate Program organizes substantive roundtable discussions, workshops, and conference calls. In addition to leveraging CFR expertise in New York as well as in Washington, the Corporate Program features speakers from Wall Street and convenes a "Window on Washington" conference call series to highlight the capital.s perspective on global issues. Opportunities offered to member companies include:

  • High-level roundtables and briefings focusing on economic and foreign policy issues from a business perspective, featuring senior government officials;
  • Access to CFR study groups and meetings with members of Congress and foreign policy officials from around the world.

The CFR mission is rooted in the belief that more frequent and intelligent discussion about foreign relations will lead to better policies. CFR’s nonpartisan position allows us to serve as a resource for not only our members, but Washington policymakers and business leaders as well. We welcome your ideas and your involvement.