With oil supplies tight, regions most vulnerable to oil supply disruptions present a significant economic concern, particularly threats to the Strait of Hormuz and unrest in Nigeria, explains this Backgrounder.
The sentencing of former Ukraine prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko reflects her rivalry with President Viktor Yanukovych and could affect Ukraine's eurozone bid, says New York Times Moscow bureau chief Ellen Barry.
Arch Puddington discusses the growing list of governments that are using the criminal justice system to punish former leaders, including Ukraine which recently sentenced former prime minister Yuliya Tymoshenko.
A deal to extend the stay of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea in exchange for up to $40 billion worth of gas discounts stops Ukraine's drift toward NATO, but political-military integration with Russia is not in the interests of the nation.
Despite fears to the contrary, the apparent presidential victory of Viktor Yanukovych in some ways bolsters the democratic gains of Ukraine's Orange Revolution, says Steven Pifer.
The results of Ukraine's presidential election, which will go to a runoff on February 7, show unhappiness with Viktor Yushchenko's government, but are also a mark of Ukraine's independence.
This academic module features teaching notes by Steven Pifer, author of the Council Special Report Averting Crisis in Ukraine, along with additional resources to supplement the text. In this report, Ambassador Pifer examines current issues facing Ukraine, including its geostrategic relevance; the social, political, and economic relationship between Russia and Ukraine; the question of NATO membership; and the possibilities for integration into the West.
This winter marks the fifth anniversary of Ukraine's Orange Revolution, when over one million citizens took to the streets of Kiev and succeeded in overturning the results of that country's presidential election. Steve York's documentary, Orange Revolution, follows the contest between opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko and his adversary Viktor Yanukovych, capturing the iconic images that defined the election and ensuing protests.
Here, after a screening of Orange Revolution, Peter Ackerman, David J. Kramer and Steve York discuss the significance of the Orange Revolution for Ukraine and nonviolent democracy movements elsewhere.
Veteran Eurasia expert Steven Pifer says Vice President Joseph Biden's trip to Ukraine and Georgia was meant to balance President Barack Obama's Moscow summit earlier in the month, but in both countries, Biden had to convey tough messages.
This Center for Preventive Action Contingency Planning Memorandum examines how crisis scenarios between Ukraine and Russia could unfold, the implications for the United States, and the steps the U.S. government might take both to reduce the prospects of a crisis and manage it should it occur.
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.
2011 Corporate Conference: Recaps and Highlights
To encourage the free flow of conversation, the 2011 Corporate Conference was entirely not-for-attribution; however, several conference speakers joined us for sideline interviews further exploring their areas of expertise.
Former Treasury secretary Robert E. Rubin and Nobel Laureate economist Michael Spence on the global economic outlook.
Foreign Affairs editor Gideon Rose and Edward Morse on energy geopolitics.
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
An authoritative and accessible look at what countries must do to build durable and prosperous democracies—and what the United States and others can do to help. More
Through an in-depth analysis of modern Mexico, Shannon O'Neil provides a roadmap for the United States' greatest overlooked foreign policy challenge of our time—relations with its southern neighbor. More