Mia Higgins

CFR Staff

Mia Higgins

General Counsel

Mia Higgins is the first general counsel of the Council. In that role, she oversees the organization's legal and risk management functions. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Foreign Affairs

Published by the Council on Foreign Relations since 1922, just a year after the organization’s founding, Foreign Affairs has long been America’s leading forum for serious discussion of foreign policy and international affairs.

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The Fate of “America First”

with Unknown via Foreign Affairs January 9, 2026

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Total Defense for an Era of Total War

with Unknown via Foreign Affairs January 8, 2026

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The New Imperial Age

with Unknown via Foreign Affairs January 8, 2026

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Iran

The Islamic Republic’s Power Centers
Who calls the shots in Iran on economic policy, security, and domestic calls for reform? A look at the government’s organization chart indicates how complicated the answer is.

by CFR Editors January 9, 2026

Climate Change

Paris to Kyoto: The History of UN Climate Agreements
International efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But experts say countries aren’t doing enough to limit dangerous global warming.

by Lindsay Maizland and Clara Fong January 9, 2026 Renewing America

Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s Freedoms: What China Promised and How It’s Cracking Down
Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong in recent years, dimming hopes that the financial center will ever become a full democracy.

by Lindsay Maizland and Clara Fong December 15, 2025

Top Stories on CFR

Iran

Iran’s Protests and the Internet Blackout That Followed
The regime is facing one of its largest protest movements in years. Tehran has shut down internet and telephone communications as the protests grow more violent.   

by Mariel Ferragamo January 9, 2026

United States

Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Should Not Come as a Surprise
In the context of global threats to the United States, a long overdue defense modernization bill, and the ambitions of Trump’s signature defense priorities, perhaps the budget request should have been expected.

by Erin D. Dumbacher, Michael C. Horowitz and Lauren Kahn January 9, 2026

Conflict Prevention

Conflicts to Watch in 2026
The world continues to grow more violent and disorderly. According to CFR’s annual conflict risk assessment, American foreign policy experts are acutely concerned about conflict-related threats to U.S. national security and international stability that are likely to emerge or intensify in 2026. In this report, surveyed experts rate global conflicts by their likelihood and potential harm to U.S. interests and, for the first time, identify opportunities for preventive action.

by Paul B. Stares December 18, 2025 Center for Preventive Action