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ACADEMIC MODULES
Academic Modules—featuring teaching notes by the authors of CFR publications—are designed to assist educators in creating or supplementing a course syllabus. The modules are customized packages built around a primary CFR text, such as a book or report, and include teaching notes; additional readings; video, audio, and transcripts of CFR meetings; Foreign Affairs articles; and other online resources. Use of these modules is free of charge. They may be used in part or in their entirety.
November 4, 2009
This academic module features teaching notes by Jeffrey Mankoff, author of the Council Special Report Eurasian Energy Security, along with additional resources to supplement the text. In this report, Dr. Mankoff examines Russia's rise as an energy power and suggests that Europe can increase its energy security by working with--not against--Russia going forward.
November 2, 2009
This module features teaching notes by CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi, author of Deterring State Sponsorship of Nuclear Terrorism, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this Council Special 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 to improve nuclear security.
October 8, 2009
This academic module features teaching notes by author Ashley S. Deeks for the Council Special Report Avoiding Transfers to Torture, along with additional resources to supplement the text. In this report, Ms. Deeks addresses the dilemma that occurs when the United States obtains assurances that released detainees will not be tortured by their home countries upon return, guarantees that are an important tool for dealing with dangerous suspects.
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Strategy, National Security and Defense, Wars and Warfare, Democracy and Human Rights, International Law, Terrorism, Terrorism and the Law
October 7, 2009
This module features teaching notes by Independent Consultant for International Development and Foreign Policy Anthony W. Gambino, author of Congo: Securing Peace, Sustaining Progress, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Council Special Report addresses the country’s social, economic, and security challenges and recommends two priorities for U.S. policy: combating insecurity in the east and promoting sustainable development.
See more in Democratic Rep. of Congo
September 18, 2009
These teaching notes, by author and CFR President Richard N. Haass, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the CFR Book War of Necessity, War of Choice: A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars. In this book, Dr. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made, what it should seek, and how it should be pursued.
September 9, 2009
This module features teaching notes by CFR Senior Fellow and Director of CFR's Center for Preventative Action Paul B. Stares, coauthor of Preparing for Sudden Change in North Korea, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Council Special Report addresses the foreign policy challenge of how the United States and its allies can prepare for the possibility of sudden and destabilizing change in North Korea.
See more in North Korea, International Peace and Security
August 20, 2009
These teaching notes, by author and CFR Adjunct Fellow Jeffrey Mankoff, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the CFR Book Russian Foreign Policy. In this book, Dr. Mankoff analyzes Russia’s interactions with major global actors and concludes that today’s Russia is more interested in restoring what its leaders consider to be its rightful place among the world’s major powers rather than in directly challenging the West.
August 20, 2009
These teaching notes, by author and CFR Senior Fellow Daniel Markey, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the Council Special Report Securing Pakistan's Tribal Belt. In this report, Dr. Markey analyzes the unique challenges of the region and argues that the United States must work with Islamabad to confront security threats and improve governance and economic opportunity in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
August 12, 2009
This module features teaching notes by CFR Senior Fellow Edward Alden, author of The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this book, Mr. Alden examines the complicated interplay between the United States' need for homeland security and economic openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
See more in United States, Immigration
May 5, 2009
These teaching notes, by author and CFR Adjunct Fellow Jeffrey Mankoff, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the Council Special Report Eurasian Energy Security. In this report, Dr. Mankoff examines the role of Russia and the post-Soviet states of the Caspian Basin as suppliers of energy to European consumers and discusses strategies for Europe to manage its oil dependence.
May 5, 2009
These teaching notes, by author Steven Pifer, feature discussion questions and additional projects for educators to supplement the Council Special Report Averting Crisis in Ukraine. In this report, Mr. Pifer examines the internal frictions and foreign policy challenges facing Ukraine. The report recommends that the United States restore bilateral dialogue with Ukraine, reduce Ukrainian vulnerabilities to Russian pressure, and encourage NATO-Ukraine relations.
April 14, 2009
This module features teaching notes by Mona Yacoubian, coauthor of the Council Special Report Dealing with Damascus, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this report, Mona Yacoubian and Scott Lasensky argue that the U.S. approach of isolating and undermining the Syrian regime has largely failed. The authors suggest that diplomatic engagement with Syria would be a more effective means of accomplishing U.S. goals in the region.
See more in Syria
March 13, 2009
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
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
February 19, 2009
These teaching notes, by author Ashley S. Deeks, feature discussion questions and additional projects for the Council Special Report Avoiding Transfers to Torture. In this report, Ms. Deeks addresses the dilemma that occurs when the United States obtains assurances that released detainees will not be tortured by their home countries upon return. She concludes that despite problems associated with their use, assurances are an important tool for dealing with dangerous suspects.
January 21, 2009
This module features teaching notes for Reforming U.S. Patent Policy: Getting the Incentives Right by author Keith E. Maskus, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Council Special Report acknowledges the importance of patent protection for innovation but also warns against blind adherence to the mantra that more protection will necessarily produce more innovation.
See more in Trade, International Organizations
January 5, 2009
This module features teaching notes for Living with Hugo: U.S. Policy Toward Hugo Chávez's Venezuela, by author Richard Lapper, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Council Special Report proposes a new strategic framework for U.S. policy toward Venezuela.
See more in Venezuela, U.S. Strategy and Politics
December 22, 2008
This module features teaching notes for Climate Change and National Security: An Agenda for Action by author Joshua Busby, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Council Special Report proposes a portfolio of feasible and affordable policy options to reduce the vulnerability of the United States and other countries to the predictable effects of climate change.
See more in National Security and Defense, Climate Change
December 17, 2008
This module features teaching notes for Planning for Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe by author and CFR Adjunct Fellow Michelle D. Gavin, along with other resources to supplement the text. This Council Special Report argues that by leading an international process to plan for the eventual departure of Zimbabwe's President Mugabe, the United States can increase the likelihood that change will bring constructive reform instead of conflict and state collapse.
December 10, 2008
This module features teaching notes by Noah Feldman, author of The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, along with other resources to supplement the text. This CFR book provides a sweeping history of the traditional Islamic constitution—its noble beginnings, its downfall, and the renewed promise it could hold for Muslims and Westerners alike.
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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
The report of this bipartisan Task Force of distinguished leaders and experts represents a strong consensus on the importance of repairing America's immigration policy. It makes the case that maintaining America's political and economic leadership depends on attracting talented and hard-working immigrants, and on securing the country's borders in a smart, effective, and humane way.
This report finds that nuclear weapons will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term, and makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force, prevent nuclear terrorism, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
About Independent Task Forces at CFR
Complete list of Task Force reports
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
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