The Russian and Chinese veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to violence in Syria calls into question the viability of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine and poses a dilemma for the Obama administration, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.
The Pentagon's plan for an end to U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2013 has drawn familiar battle lines in the public debate over the proper endgame for the war.
Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says Western economies and capabilities are more inextricably linked than ever and warns against a policy shift away from U.S. security and interests in Europe.
Ambassador David Scheffer and former State Department legal adviser John Bellinger discuss how international justice over the last two decades has affected international politics, including the U.S. role in assisting local war crimes prosecutions in Libya and elsewhere.
A UN Security Council resolution calling for Syria's President Assad to step down faces stiff Russian opposition. Expert Andrew Tabler examines Russia's motives, Syria's internal fissures, and the prospects for ongoing violence.
Charles A. Kupchan argues that unless the growing gap between governance and governed is resolved, the EU may be headed for fragmentation, if not outright dissolution.
Speakers: John B. Bellinger III and David J. Scheffer Presider: Jeffrey Toobin
Ambassador David Scheffer and former State Department legal adviser John Bellinger discuss how international justice over the last two decades has affected international politics, including the U.S. role in assisting local war crimes prosecutions in Libya and elsewhere.
Speakers: John B. Bellinger III and David J. Scheffer Presider: Jeffrey Toobin
Ambassador David Scheffer and former State Department legal adviser John Bellinger discuss how international justice over the last two decades has affected international politics, including the U.S. role in assisting local war crimes prosecutions in Libya and elsewhere.
Authors: Jerome A. Cohen and Jared Genser South China Morning Post
Jerome A. Cohen and Jared Genser argue that the case of detained Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng demonstrates how far the Chinese government will go to suppress legitimate criticism by its citizens.
Founded as a loose confederation of states in 1945, the Arab League has struggled to overcome dysfunction and disunity among its members. The Arab revolts of 2011 offer the League a new opportunity to pursue necessary reforms, increase legitimacy, and prove its relevance.
Targeted killings have become a central component of U.S. counterterrorism operations around the globe. Despite pointed criticism over transparency and accountability issues, analysts say the controversial practice seems likely to expand in the future.
Speaker: Joseph Torsella Presider: Celina B. Realuyo
The United Nations is facing a growing range of transnational challenges in a time of increasingly scarce resources. Ambassador Joseph Torsella, U.S. representative to the United Nations for management and reform, discusses the U.S. role in working toward a more effective and efficient United Nations.
Speaker: Joseph Torsella Presider: Celina B. Realuyo
The United Nations is facing a growing range of transnational challenges in a time of increasingly scarce resources. Ambassador Joseph Torsella, U.S. representative to the United Nations for management and reform, discusses the U.S. role in working toward a more effective and efficient United Nations.
The Robina Foundation has awarded the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) a five-year, $10.3 million grant to expand its activities on international cooperation. This award is one of the largest operating grants in CFR's history and will support its International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) Program.
Speaker: Joseph Torsella Presider: Celina B. Realuyo
The United Nations is facing a growing range of transnational challenges in a time of increasingly scarce resources. Ambassador Joseph Torsella, U.S. representative to the United Nations for management and reform, discusses the U.S. role in working toward a more effective and efficient United Nations.
Colonel Gregory K. James, USA; Colonel Larry Holcomb, USMC; and Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF argue that the success of Operation ODYSSEY DAWN, despite its complexity, validates joint planning processes, joint education foundations, joint training opportunities, and joint exercises.
Micah Zenko says requests for humanitarian intervention by foreign governments and peoples happen all the time, and he examines why some requests are granted while others are ignored.
The interactive Global Governance Monitor tracks, maps, and evaluates multilateral efforts to address today's global challenges.
CFR Experts Guide
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
Gause posits that, though the Arab Awakening has caused tensions in Saudi-American relations, the two countries do not face a crisis and still have significant mutual interests that should be prioritized.
The authors assess the strengths and weaknesses of international institutions and provide a set of practical recommendations for how the United States can strengthen the global architecture for preventive action by partnering with those organizations.
A leading Middle East scholar pens this "good introduction to the Saudi paradox of social change and political stability and an invaluable guide to the challenges the country faces." More