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James Goldgeier
Stephen Sestanovich
Charles Kupchan
Jeffrey MankoffThe breakup of the Warsaw Pact and the collapse of the Soviet Union did away with issues that had long challenged Europe and Russia but also created new ones. The centrifugal forces that pulled apart the Soviet Union left in its place fifteen newly independent states. The 1990 reunification of Germany anticipated the unification of Europe itself. But the seemingly unstoppable momentum toward European unity hit a major roadblock in mid-2005, when voters in France and the Netherlands voted down a proposed European Union (EU) constitution. Their emphatic rejection silenced, at least temporarily, most talk of further European convergence.
Featured Projects
November 1, 1997—Present
| Staff: | Charles A. Kupchan, Senior Fellow for Europe Studies |
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July 1, 2001—Present
| Staff: | Charles A. Kupchan, Senior Fellow for Europe Studies |
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The first book generated by this study group was The End of the American Era: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Geopolitics of the Twenty-first Century, by Charles A. Kupchan, the project director. The study group played a key role in providing feedback on the book during the drafting of the manuscript. The book addresses how the United States can manage peacefully the transition to a world of multiple centers of power.
The current phase of the study group focuses on understanding the sources of stable peace – how groupings of countries can form lasting partnerships and eliminate geopolitical competition. A book on this topic, along with several articles, will be the main published product. The book will examine a number of historical case studies of rapprochement, security communities and unions, exploring how zones of peace form and when and why they sometimes unravel. The book will draw policy conclusions relevant to preserving current zones of peace – such as the Atlantic community – as well as building new ones – such as in East Asia.
The Contending Paradigms Study Group is made possible through the generosity of John McCloy.
October 1, 2001—Present
| Director: | Stephen Sestanovich, George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies |
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The Kennan Roundtable is an on-going series of meetings that focus on the major policy questions posed by changing U.S. relationships with Russia and the former Soviet states of Eurasia. Whether measured by the near-alliance between Presidents Bush and Putin, the establishment of bases in Central Asia, or Ukraine's decision to seek NATO membership, there has been significant enhancement of these relationships since September 11. Understanding their durability and direction is the principal aim.
Meetings examine areas of expanding cooperation, such as Moscow's unfolding energy strategy and the security of sensitive nuclear materials. We will also look at emerging areas of discord. In the case of Russia, these include the tensions associated with its recurrent pressures on Georgia; in the case of Ukraine and Central Asia, the continuing emphasis placed by U.S. policy on democratization and human rights.
October 1, 2001—Present
| Directors: | Robert H. Legvold Stephen Sestanovich, George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies |
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The war on terrorism opened a huge opportunity to put Russian-American relations on a different and more constructive long-term footing. This was the subject of the Council on Foreign Relations-Harriman Institute Roundtable in 2001-2002.
In 2002-2003, the project directors focused the group more closely on an area that seemed poised for new progress under President Putin: Russia's integration into the international economy. Sessions have addressed the question of a Russian-American energy "alliance"; Russian accession to the WTO and relations with the European Union; and the domestic political backdrop of Putin's strategy. A session held in early May assessed the impact of Iraq on Russian-American relations and Russian foreign policy more broadly.
In 2003-2004, sessions focused on the coming Russian election cycle (Putin faced re-election in March), while using the occasion to examine how Russian developments have and have not met expectations since 1991.
The roundtable's current focus is on the evolution of Russian domestic politics in the wake of President Putin's re-election, the YUKOS affair, and the higher priority assigned to democratization by the United States.
September 27, 2005—June 30, 2007
| Staff: | James M. Goldgeier, Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations |
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January 22, 2009—New York, NY
| Director: | Stephen Sestanovich, George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies |
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This symposium was made possible through the generous support of BP.
Symposium Summary Report (PDF, 98K)
February 25, 2009—February 26, 2009 - Washington, DC
| Director: | Charles A. Kupchan, Senior Fellow for Europe Studies |
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This symposium was made possible through the generous support of the European Commission, CFR's Program on International Institutions and Global Governance, and the Robina Foundation.
Symposium Summary Report (85K)
Featured Publications
September 12, 2009
Jeffrey Mankoff argues that the United States should find ways to solve the Iranian nuclear problem without Russia.
August 6, 2009
Stephen Sestanovich discusses Vice President Joseph Biden's recent statements on Russia.
August/September 2009
James M. Goldgeier questions whether Cold War mentalities on the part of Russia and the United States still need to be overcome twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Frontiers of Conflict, Vol. 31 (1) - Spring 2009 Issue
James M. Goldgeier discusses NATO's 60th anniversary.
May 20, 2009
Stephen Sestanovich discusses the Jackson-Vanik amendment and its role in defining American policy toward the Soviet Union.
May 6, 2009
Jeffrey Mankoff argues that "the success of attempts to build a strategic partnership will largely rest with Russia."
April 24, 2009
Stephen Sestanovich argues that the president's ability to overhaul the U.S. foreign policy agenda depends heavily on how the administration deals with Congress.
April 1, 2009
Stephen Sestanovich argues that Europe's initial reactions toward President Obama may be in line with history.
March 25, 2009
Jeffrey Mankoff argues that President Obama's meeting with Dmitry Medvedev during the G-20 summit offers an opportunity for Washington to "recalibrate" its policy toward Russia.
March 22, 2009
James M. Goldgeier argues that while NATO has much to celebrate during its 60th anniversary, it must overcome its inability to operate effectively as a military alliance in Afghanistan in order to be relevant in the 21st century.
March 19, 2009
Issue 12, Spring 2009
Charles Kupchan and Adam Mount argue that the end of Western dominance means a new foreign policy principle is needed to advance international order.
February 2009
Council Special Report No. 43
This report looks at Russia’s rise as an energy power, analyzing its control of supplies and delivery systems and its investments in energy infrastructure across Europe, as well as questions about the potential of its production, recognizing that European dependence on Russian energy will be a reality well into the future and that Europe can increase its energy security only by working with—not against—Russia.
March 2006
Task Force Report No. 57
This report asserts a U.S.-Russia “partnership” is the right long-term goal, but not a realistic prospect over the next few years. This report is also available in Russian.
March 2004
Task Force Report No. 51
In the year that has passed since the war in Iraq, the United States and its European allies have done much to repair their relations. Nonetheless, the end of the Cold War, Europe’s continuing integration, and the new array of threats confronting the West continue to test the strength of the Atlantic partnership. To revitalize the Atlantic alliance, Europe and America must forge new “rules of the road” governing the use of force, adapt the North Atlantic Treaty Organizaton (NATO) to meet today’s threats coming from outside Europe, and launch a major initiative to bring about political and economic reform in the greater Middle East. These are the conclusions of an independent Task Force chaired by former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and former Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence H. Summers.
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
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.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
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