Thirty years after the Three Mile Accident and the collapse of U.S. public support for nuclear power plants, nuclear energy verged on a renaissance as fuel prices and electricity demand skyrocketed, and Congress appeared close to taxing carbon emissions, and new government incentives were expected to reduce the high cost of building reactors. Over the past few years nuclear energy investment in the United States has decreased, but several nuclear power plants should come online within the next decade. Have the steep costs and fear of nuclear proliferation slowed the resurgence of nuclear power as a viable alternative energy? This call will examine the landscape for nuclear energy, and look a number of agreements and issues including the U.K.-France agreement to establish joint nuclear research centers, India's company liability legislation, and Iran and North Korea and the impact of sanctions on their nuclear ambitions and on business. How will China and other emerging markets' continued investments in nuclear energy and technology innovation impact global energy security? What are implications for U.S. energy security? Is the nuclear energy renaissance once hailed as a solution to global energy security still feasible?

On Friday, January 15, Tunisia's prime minister declared that he had taken over from President Zine el Abidine ben Ali on an interim basis, after weeks of deadly riots against unemployment and corruption. This call will focus on what brought about the first overthrow in the region in the name of democracy, implications for U.S. foreign policy, the contagion effect on Algeria and Egypt, and the future of Tunisia.

For related materials, please see the CFR.org First Take by Steven Cook, and Elliott Abrams' post on his new blog, "Pressure Points," on the crisis in Tunisia.

Please join Martin Wolf and Richard N. Haass in discussing prospects for the global economy, with an emphasis on the crisis in the eurozone.

In the wake of the October 31 run-off election for Brazil's next president, please join Julia Sweig and Sergio Galvis in discussing the political, economic, and foreign policy implications of the results in light of Brazil's emergence as a world power.

According to a new Council Special Report (CSR), the United States is being out maneuvered in the international forums that will determine who controls the Internet in the twenty-first century. U.S. interests lie in the continuation of a single, open, globally interconnected network for the free exchange of ideas and the conduct of economic activity. Criminal and nation-state actors are threatening that paradigm, exploiting fundamental weaknesses in the architecture of the Internet. Join Robert Knake, author of, “Promoting Cybersecurity Through Internet Governance,” in discussing the steps the United States can take to develop both the technical and legal mechanisms to address security concerns in cyberspace while maintaining the vision of a single, open, and global Internet.

As the fallout from Greece's debt crisis continues to roil the international financial markets, Germany and France call for debt reform in the Eurozone, and Britain faces an uncertain political future, questions about Europe's political and economic future linger. Is the recent €750 billion pledge to aid weak states in the Eurozone sufficient to forestall crises in other susceptible states, such as Spain and Italy, or is it too mechanically complicated to be effective? What do the recent crisis and the political and social reactions suggest about Europe's politics and power, as well as its ability to manage the economic diversity of the member states? Please join CFR experts Charles Kupchan and Marc Levinson as they share their insights on this formative moment for Europe.

As the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs drafts and discusses a companion bill to the House financial regulatory reform legislation that passed in December, 2009 on a 223-202 party line vote, many financial regulators have publically suggested that the policy options under debate-including the Volcker Rule barring proprietary trading at certain financial institutions, bank size limitations, and the resolution authority-will create an uneven financial playing field for the United States. They suggest that such actions may adversely affect the global competitiveness of the American financial services industry without solving the underlying risks that contributed to the crisis. What steps, if any, should Washington take to reform capital reserves, bank size, and accounting? Should international standards and guidelines be created? What would an ideal multilateral solution look like and where do Washington policy makers stand on international harmonization efforts?

India, the third largest economy in Asia after Japan and China, saw its fastest growth rate in eighteen months during the quarter ending in September, 2009 and India's overall 7.9 percent growth for the year far exceeded industry and specialist forecasts of 6.3 percent. With growth expected to top 8 percent in 2010, India's sustained economic recovery is helping to pull the global economy out of the worst recession in recent history and is positioning India as an economic powerhouse in South Asia and internationally. However, as India continues its recovery, it faces rising food prices and mounting inflationary pressures. Analysts predict that India will see inflation jump from 1.3 to nearly 8 percent by the end of the coming fiscal year; and food prices, long an issue of concern in the rural areas, are up 15.6 percent over the previous year, contributing to social unrest. As India considers raising interest rates and cutting stimulus spending sooner than it had planned, how will it manage contractionary fiscal and monetary policy while sustaining growth and creating jobs for its 1.1 billion citizens, including 600 million people under the age of 25? How will India address the persistent lack of infrastructure and economic development outside its western and southern regions? Join Jahangir X. Aziz, chief economist for JP Morgan India, and Dipak Dasgupta, lead economist for Indi and South Asia at the World Bank, and they discuss these and other challenges India faces in its recovery from recession.

This call will be part of the2009-2010 "Recovering from Recession" conference call series, which examines regions and countries experiencing economic, political, and social shifts and developments exacerbated by or resulting from the global financial crisis. Drawing on experts from the United States and from the regions under discussion, these calls will address the factors influencing recovery and the impact of economic shifts on politics and policy.

The "View from Abroad" series examines global issues and their impact on the business and policy communities from the non-U.S. perspective. In this View from Abroad conference call, we will examine how the international community views U.S. financial regulatory reform efforts, particularly the Financial Stability Improvement Act legislation currently under debate in the U.S. Senate. How do the other major developed economies expect that new U.S. policies will affect the landscape of international finance? What regulatory reform efforts are underway in other financial centers around the world and how do U.S. actions correspond? What, if any, are the implications for the major developed economies? What impact do regulatory reform efforts have on business, and competition for talent? Join Adrian Blundell-Wignall and Olivier Girard in discussing these and other questions.

This call will be part of the 2009-2010 "Recovering from Recession" conference call series, which examines regions and countries experiencing economic, political, and social shifts and developments exacerbated by or resulting from the global financial crisis.  Drawing on experts from the United States and from the regions under discussion, these calls will address the factors influencing recovery and the impact of economic shifts on politics and policy.

As Asia's economic and strategic weight has grown, Asians have sought to build multilateral frameworks capable of effectively channeling the region's energies. But for more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as proposals multiply and the region organizes itself into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. Join Evan A. Feigenbaum, co-author of a new Council Special Report, The United States in the New Asia, and Kevin G. Nealer, an advisor to this report, in discussing Asia's regional architecture and what it means for the United States, both for its strategic interests and the competitiveness of American firms.

Speakers: Eduardo Cavallo,  Research Economist, Inter-American Development Bank 
Joaquin Vial, Chief Economist, South America, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA)
Lisa M. Schineller, Director, Sovereign Ratings, Standard and Poor's

Presider: Teresa Ressel, Chief Executive Officer, UBS Securities LLC

The International Monetary Fund and others are predicting that Latin America will fully emerge from recession in 2010. However, recovery in the region is not homogenous across countries, nor is it clear how positive economic developments in certain countries are affecting the larger region. What does Latin America's economic emergence from recession portend for politics and power in the region, and between the region and the United States, and for international business? Please join Joaquín Vial and Lisa Schineller for a discussion on the nuanced reality facing Latin America as it emerges from the economic downturn. 

This call will be part of the 2009-2010 "Recovering from Recession" conference call series, which examines regions and countries experiencing economic, political, and social shifts and developments exacerbated by or resulting from the global financial crisis.  Drawing on experts from the United States and from the regions under discussion, these calls will address the factors influencing recovery and the impact of economic shifts on politics and policy.

Financial reform legislation has been discussed and debated since the onset of the global financial crisis more than a year ago. Even without broad-based agreement on several of the more contentious facets of regulatory reform, including how to regulate the $450 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market and the proposed Consumer Protection Agency, the House Financial Services Committee is moving to craft a reform package that will go to the House floor in November. Please join Jeanne Roslanowick and Larry Lavender, senior committee staffers from the majority and minority, respectively, for a friendly debate about the proposed regulation, its impact on business, and its effects on the global marketplace.

The global financial crisis has revealed many vulnerabilities in the international financial system. China has been notably outspoken in its desire to see a new international monetary system that is not centered around the dollar to ostensibly create international stability, as well to protect the value of China's dollar assets. Along with the recent depreciation of the dollar, rumors have emerged of oil-exporting countries wanting to denominate oil using a basket of currencies. What is the short and long-term future of the dollar as the de facto international currency? Is there any alternative? And how will the stimulus and any further growth of the U.S. budget deficit impact global imbalances? Join Marc Levinson in discussing these issues.

Before the onset of the global financial crisis, countries in the Middle East had begun to deregulate various sectors and industries as part of their economic development strategies. During the past year, as in many other countries, governments throughout the Middle East have been evaluating domestic financial regulations and oversight structures. Michael Essex and Ahmed Saeed offer current, on-the-ground perspectives on regulatory reform discussions and policies, and the impact on business and investment and economic growth in the region. Join them in discussing financial regulatory reform in the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Directed by CFR Senior Fellow Edward Alden, the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force on U.S. immigration policy contends that America has reaped tremendous benefits from opening its doors to immigrants, as well as to students, skilled employees, and others who may only live in the country for shorter periods of time. But it warns that "the continued inability of the United States to develop and enforce a workable system of immigration laws threatens to undermine these achievements." The group urges Congress and the Obama administration to move ahead with immigration reform legislation that achieves three critical goals: a more efficient legal immigration system that responds to labor market needs and enhances U.S. competitiveness; a strong enforcement regime that secures U.S. borders and ends the hiring of unauthorized workers; and a program of earned legalization that offers an opportunity for many illegal immigrants to earn the right to remain in America. Join Edward Alden and Robert H. McCooey, Jr. in discussing the recommendations by the Independent Task Force for a new comprehensive reform effort for the Obama administration.

Rhetoric in Washington often focuses on areas where energy security and climate change, two increasingly prominent elements of U.S. domestic and foreign policy, align. Many important decisions, though, will require difficult tradeoffs between them. The Canadian oil sands-a massive but emissions-intensive source of oil-presents policymakers with precisely such a challenge. Unfettered production in the oil sands would increase greenhouse gas emissions but strengthen U.S. energy security with a supply of oil from a friendly and stable neighbor. Sharply curtailed oil sands operations would harm U.S. energy security but cut emissions. Join Michael A. Levi in discussing his recommendations on how to balance energy and climate change concerns.

**Please note the special time.

Mohamed A. El-Erian is CEO and Co-CIO of  PIMCO, the global investment management firm. He previously served as President and CEO of Harvard Management Company and member of the faculty of Harvard Business School. El-Erian earned a B.A. in economics from Cambridge University and doctorate and master's degrees in economics from Oxford University. He spent 15 years at the International Monetary Fund before moving to the private sector in 1998 where he was a managing director at Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup in London. He joined PIMCO initially in 1999. El-Erian has served on several boards and committees, including the IMF's Committee of Eminent Persons, and the International Center for Research on Women. He was also a member of the U.S. Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee. He is currently a board member of Cambridge in America, the NBER and the Peterson Institute for International Economics.  He chairs Microsoft's Investment Advisory Committee. El-Erian has written widely on global economic and financial issues, including as a frequent contributor to the Financial Times and Newsweek. His recent book, "When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change," was  a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, and won the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book award for 2008.

This invitation is not transferable. Council meetings are only open to members unless otherwise noted.

Few international challenges pose as many complicated questions as the issue of piracy off the Somali coast. NATO's capture and subsequent release of pirates for legal reasons demonstrated the difficulties for responses by an international force. Citing sharia law, the Somali government recently called for the death penalty for pirates, yet the government lacks territorial control and the ability to bring pirates to justice. While the United States has called for an end to piracy and for the seizure of assets, questions about enforcement and the role of U.S. foreign policy towards Somalia add to the quandary of what exactly the international community can do to protect civilians and important maritime routes. Why has piracy flourished off the Somali coast and what are future trends? How, if at all, can the Somali government be engaged in solutions? What has been the impact of U.S. foreign policy on the situation? What role, if any, can or should the private sector play in addressing piracy? Join Bronwyn Bruton and Jeroen Meijer in discussing the causes of piracy in the region and examining the options before the Obama administration and the international community going forward.

The "Window on Washington" Conference Call series will examine current international issues in the nation's capital and what they mean for business. The calls will cover Congress, the administration, and other major players in Washington, drawing speakers from not only these groups, but also journalists and others who know the issues and Washington better than anyone else. Please join us in this series of calls to look at issues from Washington's perspective.

A new report from the Council on Foreign Relations, Lessons of the Financial Crisis, calls for major economic reforms, both to avoid fueling excessive corporate and individual borrowing in the future and to make the financial system much more resilient in the face of falling asset prices. The report also argues that the United States in particular, given that it effectively sets monetary and credit conditions for a significant portion of the global economy, needs to put in place policies that can better discourage, recognize, and curtail a credit boom, and ensure that systemically important financial institutions can withstand its unwinding. Join the author of this report, Benn Steil, in discussing his specific recommendations for reforming the international financial architecture, bank capital standards, borrower screening and monitoring, corporate and individual taxation regimes, over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets infrastructure, corporate governance, and monetary policy.

The Lessons of the Financial Crisis Council Special Report can be accessed here.

Richard Katz argues that the financial crisis of 2008 is not a replay of Japan's "lost decade" of the 1990s. Rather, he believes that the current crisis is the result of correctable policy mistakes rather than deep structural flaws in the economy. Join him in discussing comparisons between the two crises and the lessons learned for the U.S. from the Japanese banking crisis.

Richard Katz is Editor of The Oriental Economist Alert, a semi-weekly newsletter about Japan, and a special correspondent at Weekly Toyo Keizai, a leading Japanese business weekly. Mr. Katz is the author of two well-received books on Japan, Japan: The System That Soured (M.E. Sharpe, 1998) and Japanese Phoenix: The Long Road to Economic Revival (M.E. Sharpe, 2002). In the March-April 2009 issue of Foreign Affairs, he wrote an essay, "The Japan Fallacy" arguing that America would not suffer a Japan-like "lost decade," and he testified before the Congressional Oversight Panel on the lessons for the U.S. from Japan's banking crisis. Mr. Katz received his M.A. in Economics from New York University in 1996.

Richard Katz's article in Foreign Affairs can be accessed here.