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EXPERT BRIEFS
CFR scholars provide expert analysis and commentary on international issues.
November 16, 2009
China's breathtaking economic growth and massive imbalances with the United States have given rise to some myths about the nature of the two powers' relationship that can impede sound policymaking, writes CFR's Steven Dunaway.
See more in United States, China, Economics
November 10, 2009
China has benefited enormously from Western-dominated global structures, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick, and Washington now expects it to contribute more significantly to world order.
See more in China, International Peace and Security, Diplomacy, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 5, 2009
The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago marked a triumph of the U.S. strategy of containment. But U.S. policymakers have been struggling to establish new guidelines for confronting the world's complex challenges.
See more in United States, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Foreign Policy History
October 15, 2009
The annual rotation of non-permanent members to the UN Security Council this year is likely to present difficulties for U.S. interests, including containing nuclear proliferation, writes CFR's Kara C. McDonald.
See more in International Organizations, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 13, 2009
China's continued impressive growth is by no means assured, writes CFR's Steven Dunaway. Without basic changes to its economic model, including rule of law reforms, it could face considerable struggles, he says.
See more in China, Economic Development, Trade
September 22, 2009
Surveys during the past decade show consistent support among Americans for the UN's role in the world order but also worry about its dysfunctions. CFR's Stewart Patrick says President Barack Obama should echo these sentiments in his UN address.
See more in United States, International Organizations, Diplomacy
Updated: September 21, 2009
President Obama's first appearance before the UN General Assembly is an opportunity to reassert U.S. leadership at the world body on issues from nonproliferation to peacekeeping, writes CFR's Stewart Patrick.
See more in United States, International Organizations, Diplomacy
September 10, 2009
New York City has developed a sophisticated local and global counterterrorism program since the 9/11 attacks, writes CFR's Lydia Khalil. Now the NYPD must determine from where the next terrorism threat will likely emerge and how best to deploy its resources to address it.
See more in United States, Counterterrorism
August 30, 2009
Electoral politics in Japan have been upended with the defeat of the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party. CFR's Sheila Smith says the rise of the Democratic Party of Japan could test the U.S.-Japan alliance and advises U.S. policymakers to focus on economic and energy-related cooperation.
August 6, 2009
CFR's Bronwyn Bruton says the U.S.-Ethiopia security partnership is undermining U.S. counterterror goals in Somalia. If the United States hopes to play a constructive role in Somalia, it must address democracy backsliding in Ethiopia, she says.
See more in Ethiopia, Somalia, International Peace and Security
July 16, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to India with an opportunity to further improve a relationship that has been transformed over the last decade, says CFR's Evan Feigenbaum, until recently the deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for U.S. relations with India.
See more in India, Diplomacy, U.S. Strategy and Politics
Updated: June 27, 2009
The main U.S. bill on confronting climate change should adjust the way it proposes cushioning some vulnerable U.S. industries to avoid stirring protectionist fears, writes CFR's Michael Levi.
See more in United States, Economics, Energy/Environment
June 19, 2009
In the next military budget Congress must provide funding for a wholesale shift toward counterinsurgency to win two wars. At the same time, policymakers must be mindful of the need for another transformation to anticipate future wars.
See more in United States, Defense Policy & Budget, Counterterrorism
June 10, 2009
Northeast Asian regional security talks appear increasingly doomed since North Korea's latest missile and nuclear tests. CFR's Sheila Smith argues the talks are worth reviving.
See more in North Korea, Proliferation
June 5, 2009
CFR's George Gavrilis urges U.S. officials to build a partnership with Iran in Afghanistan to help stabilize Kabul, and possibly plant the seeds for broader rapprochement.
See more in Afghanistan, Iran
May 13, 2009
The election of the United States to the much criticized UN Human Rights Council must be used by Washington to help revive the UN's entire rights architecture, writes CFR's Kara McDonald.
See more in Human Rights, International Organizations
April 10, 2009
CFR International Affairs Fellow Brian P. Klein says that China's stimulus will not have a significant short-term impact on Japan's ailing economy.
See more in China, Japan, Financial Crises
April 7, 2009
Overfishing and environmental strain have put U.S. oceans in serious trouble. CFR's Scott Borgerson says a new report by the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative lays out a blueprint for better marine management.
See more in United States, Energy/Environment
Updated: April 7, 2009
CFR Senior Fellow Steven A. Cook argues that in an era of diminished resources for the United States, Turkey can play a critical and constructive role in the Middle East.
See more in Turkey, Middle East, International Peace and Security
March 30, 2009
President Obama's first major overseas summits are shadowed by disputes with European allies over stimulus plans and commitment to the Afghan war. He should seize the opportunity to appeal for a strong Europe and a strong NATO.
See more in Afghanistan, Europe/Russia, NATO
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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.
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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.
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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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