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Below you will find a chronological list of current Council research projects. You can search by issue or region by selecting the appropriate category. In addition to this sorting control, you can search for specific subjects within the alphabetical, regional, and issue categories by choosing from the selections in the drop-down menu below.
Each project page contains the name of the project director, a description of the project, a list of meetings it has held, and any related publications, transcripts, or videos.
January 1, 2005—June 30, 2007
| Staff: | Walter Russell Mead, Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy |
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Walter Russell Mead is examining the emergence of a middle class in several developing economies and studying the implication of this new force for American foreign policy. The project compares the political role that the middle class played in promoting democracy during the process of industrialization in the West with the role the middle class is playing today in promoting democracy in the Third World.
January 1, 2005—Present
| Staff: | Elliot Schrage, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Business and Foreign Policy |
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This study will test the hypothesis that an incentive-based policy is more effective in promoting market economies and democratic politics than an approach in which Washington relies on the ostensibly transformative effects of civil society, regime change in Iraq, regional peace, or the willingness of Arab leaders to pursue reform.
March 1, 2005—Present
| Staff: | Henry Siegman, Former Senior Fellow and Director for the U.S./Middle East Project, Council on Foreign Relations |
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The U.S./Middle East Project initiated consultations among leading policy institutions in the Arab world, Europe and the United States and assisted them in the formation of an international consortium that will focus on issues associated with democratization and regional reform. The purpose of this network is to mobilize the Arab research capacity in support of reform in the Arab World that is realistic and home grown. The U.S./Middle East Project continues to serve as consultant to this initiative in coordination with four European policy institutes and provides support as needed. Financial oversight of the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI) was assigned to the Center for European Reform in May 2005. In September 2005, Dr. Bassma Kodmani was made full-time director for the program. From October 24-25, 2005, the Secretariat of the Arab Reform Initiative convened in Cairo to discuss the organization's work plan for 2006. Dr. Kodmani anticipates publication of several topical and country studies in the coming year. In addition, ARI will co-sponsor two conferences in 2006 focusing on comparative experiences in democratic transition and security sector reform in the Arab world, respectively. The Arab Reform Initiative's website is now accessible to the public [in both English and Arabic] at http://www.arab-reform.net/ and ARI publications are now regularly disseminated to International Board members, key policymakers, policy professionals, academics and members of civil society throughout the Middle East, United States and Europe.
January 1, 2005—Present
In this book, the author analyzes how the U.S. ought to manage immigration, taking into account politics, sociology, economics, and international relations. He calls for a benign attitude toward illegal immigration, a policy stance he supports even in the wake of September 11.
Expected publication date: Spring 2006
July 2005—March 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Author: | Barnett R. Rubin |
November 2005—November 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Director: | Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies |
| Author: | Richard Lapper |
November 2005—March 2006
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Author: | Blair A. King |
July 1, 2005—Present
January 1, 2005—Present
| Director: | Manuel Hinds, Former Salvadoran Finance Minister |
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This project will lead to a book where the author will examine the desirability of dollarization for emerging market economies, the possible contributions to international financial stability it could bring, and suggest ways the U.S. can help foreign governments address political objections they may face in trying to implement this policy.
September 27, 2005—June 30, 2007
| Staff: | James M. Goldgeier, Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations |
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March 1, 2005—April 1, 2006
| Staff: | Benn Steil, Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics |
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Made possible by the generosity of Bernard L. Schwartz, this roundtable series explores issues that affect the competitiveness of the U.S. economy. Meetings have addressed issues such as the sustainability of the U.S. current account deficit, the effectiveness of the WTO dispute settlement process, and intellectual property rights.
January 2005—Present
| Author: | Jagdish N. Bhagwati, Senior Fellow for International Economics |
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This project will result in a pamphlet examining current immigration reform attempts in the context of past immigration law reform.
January 2005—Present
| Author: | Jagdish N. Bhagwati, Senior Fellow for International Economics |
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This project will result in a book analyzing how the U.S. ought to manage immigration, taking into account policies, sociology, economics, and international relations. He calls for a benign attitude toward illegal immigration, even in the wake of September 11.
June 1, 2005—Present
| Staff: | Charles D. Ferguson, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow for Science and Technology |
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As of July 2008, the Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation Roundtable series is sponsored by CFR's program on international institutions and global governance and made possible by the generous support of the Robina Foundation.
June 2005—Present
| Staff: | William L. Nash, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program |
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| Chairs: | Vincent A. Mai, AEA Investors LLC Frank G. Wisner, External Affairs, AIG Inc. |
May 1, 2005—Present
| Director: | Adam Segal, Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies |
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This series assesses innovation and technological entrepreneurship in Asia, evaluates the impact of emerging technological capabilities on American economic, political, and military power, and recommends policies designed to ensure continued U.S. technological superiority.
February 1, 2005—Present
July 1, 2005—Present
| Staff: | Steven A. Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies |
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January 1, 2005—Present
This series has been made possible by the generous support of the Population Resource Center.
January 2005—Present
| Staff: | Stephen E. Flynn, Ira A. Lipman Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and National Security Studies |
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Prompted by the critical security challenges facing our country, and the growing need to fully engage the private sector in meeting these challenges, the Council is sponsoring the Roundtable Series on the Role of the Private Sector in Homeland Security. The series is directed by Dr. Stephen Flynn, the Council's Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies. The aim of the Roundtable is to vigorously address some of the pressing issues highlighted in Flynn's recently released book, America the Vulnerable, How Our Government is Failing to Protect Us from Terrorism.
The design of the initiative is a sustained dialogue between homeland security experts and a small high-level group of decision makers from the private sector. Bringing these two groups together, the Council hopes to promote a forum for frank discussion leading to valuable insights into difficult security issues and the pursuit of solutions in the context of our present political and economic environment.
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:
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Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
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