home > the cfr think tank > experts > michael a. levi
David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment and Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-212-434-9495
E-mail: mlevi@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 1000K)
One-page bio (PDF, 61K)
CV (PDF, 41K)
Author of On Nuclear Terrorism, released November 2007. Directed the recent Council-sponsored Independent Task Force on climate change.
Expertise:Climate change; energy policy; weapons of mass destruction; homeland security; arms control and proliferation; technology and foreign policy; science and technology in the Islamic world.
Experience:Fellow for Science and Technology, Council on Foreign Relations (2006-2008); Nonresident Science Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institution (2003-2004); Director, Strategic Security Project, Federation of American Scientists (2001-2003); Deputy Director, Strategic Security Project, Federation of American Scientists (2001).
Selected Publications:Confronting Climate Change: A Strategy for U.S. Foreign Policy (director, Independent Task Force report, Council on Foreign Relations Press, June 2008); On Nuclear Terrorism (Harvard University Press, 2007); Untapped Potential: U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation with the Islamic World (coauthor, Brookings Institution Press, 2005); The Future of Arms Control (coauthor, Brookings Institution Press, 2005).
Related Links:
CFR's International Institutions and Global Governance Program
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
Updated: June 27, 2009
Expert Brief
The main U.S. bill on confronting climate change should adjust the way it proposes cushioning some vulnerable U.S. industries to avoid stirring protectionist fears, writes CFR's Michael Levi.
See more in United States, Economics, Energy/Environment
June 19, 2009
Article
Slate
Michael A. Levi argues that a price on carbon would provide the United States energy security and prod the Canadian oil sands industry to clean up its emissions act.
See more in North America, Energy Security
May 8, 2009
Transcript
What will be the most effective forums for international cooperation in regulating the global commons, and what leadership role should the United States play on these issues? What are the prospects for a climate change agreement at Copenhagen in 2009, and what role should the United States play? What are the prospects for "mini-lateral" cooperation-especially between the United States, European Union, China, and India-among major emitter countries?
See more in Climate Change
May 8, 2009
Video
Watch experts discuss how the United States should be addressing climate change and the need for global cooperation on the issue.
This session was part of the CFR conference: The United States and the Future of Global Governance, which was made possible through the generous support of the Robina Foundation.
See more in Climate Change, Global Governance
May 8, 2009
Audio
Listen to experts discuss how the United States should be addressing climate change and the need for global cooperation on the issue.
This session was part of the CFR conference: The United States and the Future of Global Governance, which was made possible through the generous support of the Robina Foundation.
See more in Climate Change, Global Governance
May 2009
Council Special Report No. 47
Council Special Report
The Canadian oil sands present an important challenge to policymakers: they promise energy security benefits but present climate change problems. Michael A. Levi assesses the energy security and climate change effects of the oil sands and makes recommendations for U.S. policymakers within the context of broader bilateral relations with Canada.
See more in Canada, Climate Change, Energy Security
March 13, 2009
Academic Module
This module features teaching notes by CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi, author of On Nuclear Terrorism, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this CFR book, Dr. Levi examines one of the greatest national security threats of our time: terrorist groups armed with nuclear weapons, and argues that only a broad-based and multi-layered defense can be effective in confronting it.
March 9, 2009
Academic Module
This module features teaching notes by Michael A. Levi, director of the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force report, Confronting Climate Change: A Strategy for U.S. Policy, along with other resources to supplement the text. This report lays out a U.S. negotiating proposal for a global climate accord, including what the United States should be willing to offer and what it should expect others to do in order to confront climate change.
See more in Climate Change, Energy, U.S. Strategy and Politics
March 4, 2009
Op-Ed
Slate
Michael Levi warns that if we try to find a single solution for our economic and energy challenges in the form of "green jobs", we might fail to deliver on both fronts.
See more in Economics, Climate Change
February 2, 2009
Academic Module
These teaching notes, by author and CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi, feature discussion questions and additional projects for the book On Nuclear Terrorism. In this book, Dr. Levi examines one of the greatest national security threats of our time: terrorist groups armed with nuclear weapons. He argues that only a broad-based and multi-layered defense can be effective in confronting nuclear terrorism.
February 2, 2009
Academic Module
These teaching notes, by author and CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi, feature discussion questions and additional projects for the Council Special Report Deterring State Sponsorship of Nuclear Terrorism. In this report, Dr. Levi assesses the state of nuclear security in several vulnerable countries and examines how different deterrent threats would affect the dynamics of cooperation and competition in improving nuclear security.
December 12, 2008
Op-Ed
Huffington Post
The sooner the new administration lays out the contours of the agreement it wants on climate change, the better the odds that it will be able to deliver. In this Huffington Post article, Michael Levi suggests a 5 point strategy for UN climate negotiations.
See more in Energy/Environment, International Organizations
December 11, 2008
Op-Ed
Slate
The annual U.N. climate negotiations, currently under way in Poznan, Poland, have stalled. In this Slate article, Michael Levi argues that one major obstacle is that the list of who's rich and who's poor is hopelessly out of date.
See more in Poland, Energy/Environment, International Organizations
December 3, 2008
Audio
Listen to Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals, and Michael Levi, director of the program on energy security and climate change at CFR, discuss climate change and religious environmental activism as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call Series.
See more in Climate Change, Environmental Pollution, Religion
December 1, 2008
Transcript
Session I of a Council on Foreign Relations Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.
December 1, 2008
Video
Watch experts reflect on global challenges such as the rise of China, climate change, and energy security and how these affect the U.S.-Japan partnership.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.
See more in Japan, U.S. Strategy and Politics
December 1, 2008
Audio
Listen to experts reflect on global challenges such as the rise of China, climate change, and energy security and how these affect the U.S.-Japan partnership.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on the U.S.-Japan Partnership: An Agenda for Change, cosponsored with the Asahi Shimbun.
See more in Japan, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 20, 2008
Expert Brief
CFR Senior Fellow Michael Levi writes that the financial crisis will affect U.S. near-term efforts to deal with energy security and climate change.
See more in Climate Change
October 2008
Article
Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements
Daniel S. Hall, Michael A. Levi, William A. Pizer, and Takahiro Ueno look at policy options for encouraging cooperation between the developed and developing world on combating climate change.
See more in Climate Change, Treaties
September 24, 2008
Op-Ed
USA Today
Michael A. Levi and Scott G. Borgerson discuss the views of Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin on climate change.
Explore international efforts to curb nuclear proliferation with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
The Canadian oil sands present an important challenge to policymakers: they promise energy security benefits but present climate change problems. Michael A. Levi assesses the energy security and climate change effects of the oil sands and makes recommendations for U.S. policymakers within the context of broader bilateral relations with Canada.
This report explores an important element of the maritime policy regime: the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Author Scott G. Borgerson examines the international negotiations that led to the convention, the history of debates in the United States over whether to join it, and the strategic importance of the oceans for U.S. foreign policy today.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
In War of Necessity, War of Choice, Richard N. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq involving the two presidents Bush and Saddam Hussein, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made, what it should seek, and how it should be pursued.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba’s unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
As Ray Takeyh shows in Guardians of the Revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans of Iran is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.
Complete list of CFR Books
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Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior
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