Council on Foreign Relations

Alessandro Della Valle/Reuters

A ‘Victory Plan’ for Ukraine?

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan is unlikely to be implemented because Ukraine’s Western allies will be reluctant to make the new aid commitments he asks for.

Expert Brief by Max Boot October 21, 2024

Ukraine Must Turn the Tide Before It Can Negotiate

via Foreign Affairs October 22, 2024

Ukraine

How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine?

Nine charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

Article by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow September 27, 2024

BRICS

Brazil

A Bigger BRICS Group

Maxim Shipenkov/Reuters

As both old and new members of the group gather in Russia this week, its expansion comes with divisions among its members on how to set the stage for a revised world order.

Backgrounder by Mariel Ferragamo October 18, 2024

Grand Strategy

The Case for Multipolar Pluralism

Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Stephen Heintz August 20, 2024 The President’s Inbox

The Battle for the BRICS

via Foreign Affairs September 24, 2024

Israel-Hamas War

What Sinwar’s Death Means

Despite some raised expectations, the killing in Gaza of formidable Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is not likely to hasten a formal cease-fire, nor end Israeli efforts to eliminate the group responsible for the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Expert Brief by Steven A. Cook October 18, 2024

Sinwar Is Dead. Hamas Is Very Much Alive.

with Steven A. Cook via Foreign Policy October 18, 2024

Israel

Missile Defense: How Vulnerable Is Israel to Iran’s Attacks?

Israel and its allies have successfully defended against Iran’s missile attacks thus far, but it has required an extraordinary level of cooperation, and the challenge is likely to only get harder if the conflict escalates.

Expert Brief by Jonathan Panter October 16, 2024

Economics

Watch Janet Yellen’s Economic Outlook Speech

with Emily J. Blanchard, Matthew Goodman, David R. Malpass, Elizabeth Rosenthal, Janet Yellen, Michael Froman and Rebecca Patterson October 17, 2024

United States

The Time Is Right for Ally-Shoring

As the global economy realigns, the next U.S. president should formalize a liberal economic bloc of allied countries to stand up against authoritarian rivals.

Article by John Austin and Elaine Dezenski October 15, 2024 RealEcon

United States

Election 2024: Donald Trump Has Vowed to Raise Tariffs. Can He?

Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This week: Congress is empowered to set tariff policy, but it has delegated much of its authority to the president.

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay September 20, 2024 The Water's Edge

Taiwan

The Taiwan Challenge

Oriana Mastro, a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at CFR, sit down with James M. Lindsay to discuss U.S. policy toward Taiwan in light of talk that China might seek to compel the island’s reunification with the mainland. This episode is the fifth in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2024 presidential election and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay, Oriana Skylar Mastro and David Sacks October 15, 2024 The President’s Inbox

Taiwan

U.S. Military Support for Taiwan in Five Charts

Taiwan has been a top buyer of U.S. military equipment for decades, but the island is waiting on a significant backlog of weapon deliveries that defense experts say are urgently needed to deter China.

Article by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow September 25, 2024

Taiwan

Would Trump Abandon Taiwan?

Taiwan must contend not just with the prospect of a second Trump presidency, but with a broader U.S. shift towards weaker regional engagement.

Blog Post by David Sacks October 16, 2024 Asia Unbound

CFR presents a wealth of resources to help understand what’s at stake for foreign policy in the U.S. presidential race.

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Events
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Election 2024

CFR-Brookings Institution Election 2024 Virtual Public Event: Technology and Electoral Dynamics

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Program collaborated to convene an expert discussion that examined the role of technology and electoral dynamics in the 2024 election. As part of a series of virtual events convened by CFR and Brookings in the lead-up to Election Day, the conversation examined how the perception of technology is influencing electoral credibility; cybersecurity and election integrity; and what is at stake for safeguarding our democratic processes in an era of disinformation. The series is a part of Election 2024, a CFR initiative focused on exploring the United States’ role in the world, how international affairs issues affect voters, and the foreign policy issues at stake in November, and Election ’24: Issues at Stake, a Brookings initiative aimed to bring public attention to consequential policy issues confronting voters and policymakers in the run up to the 2024 election. Both projects are made possible in part by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Webinar with Kat Duffy, Elaine C. Kamarck and Marcus Mabry October 2, 2024 Election 2024 Events

United States

CFR-Franklin & Marshall College Election 2024 U.S. Foreign Policy Public Forum

Join us for an in-depth, nonpartisan conversation on America’s role in the world and the foreign policy issues at stake in the 2024 election, including trade and immigration, Russia and Ukraine, U.S.-China relations, and the Middle East. Panelists with distinguished careers in government, business, and academia will discuss the trade-offs presented by different policy options both locally and globally and provide context on the international issues, choices, and challenges facing the next president. The event is free and open to all, so we hope you will share this public registration link with your colleagues and friends. Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in an interactive discussion on how U.S. foreign policy decisions impact the trajectory of global affairs and your community. To learn more about the foreign policy issues at play in the 2024 campaign, explore CFR’s Election 2024 hub for candidates’ stances and expert analysis on international challenges facing the United States. The CFR Election 2024 initiative is made possible in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Event with Steven A. Cook, Evelyn N. Farkas, Ivan Kanapathy, Shannon K. O'Neil, Elise Labott, Barbara K. Altmann and Michael Froman October 22, 2024 Election 2024 Events

Climate Change

Securing the Future: Navigating the Nexus of Climate and Defense

Panelists discuss the intersection of climate change and national security, the emerging challenges for defense, and how the U.S. military is adapting to address these evolving threats.Please note there is no virtual component to this meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website

Event with Meredith Berger, Sherri Goodman, Varun Sivaram and Raj Kumar October 21, 2024

Election 2024

CFR-GVSU Election 2024 U.S. Foreign Policy Public Forum

We will livestream this conversation here. You can register to attend in person at the GVSU Hauenstein Center website. Join us for an in-depth, nonpartisan conversation on America’s role in the world and the foreign policy issues at stake in the 2024 election, including international trade and national security, the U.S.-China relationship, and U.S. engagement in global conflicts. Panelists with distinguished careers in government, business, and academia will discuss the trade-offs presented by different policy options both locally and globally and provide context on the international issues, choices, and challenges facing the next president. The forum will also be livestreamed and posted to CFR.org after the fact.

Event with Michael Froman, Kori Schake, Rajiv J. Shah, Lingling Wei and Megan Rydecki October 21, 2024 Election 2024 Events

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Experts in the News

Max Boot

Boot: Killing of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar Is a Significant Symbolic Victory for Israel

Via Washington Post Live October 18, 2024

Heidi E. Crebo-Rediker

Crebo-Rediker: The United States Is Getting Older and We Need Immigration

Via Bloomberg October 14, 2024

David Sacks

Sacks: The United States Has a Large Economic Stake in Deterring Chinese Aggression in the Taiwan Strait

Via Voice of America October 14, 2024

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Sudan

Crisis in Sudan: War, Famine, and a Failing Global Response

Photo Essay by Mariel Ferragamo and Sabine Baumgartner

Sudan’s civil conflict has ground on for nearly eighteen months, stirring little outside attention. It now faces the world’s worst famine in forty years.

Terrorism and Counterterrorism Guantánamo Bay: Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Controversy

Article by Jonathan Masters

Immigration and Migration Europe’s Migration Dilemma

Immersive_article_layout by Kali Robinson, Diana Roy and Sabine Baumgartner

Immigration and Migration Crossing the Darién Gap: Migrants Risk Death on the Journey to the U.S.

Immersive_article_layout by Diana Roy and Sabine Baumgartner

Tarah Wheeler

Senior Fellow for Global Cyber Policy

Cybersecurity Privacy Grand Strategy

Supporting American Small Businesses Against Foreign Threats

Article June 10, 2024 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

John B. Bellinger III

Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law

International Law Treaties and Agreements Sanctions

The 10th Annual Breyer Lecture: US, the West, and International Law in an Age of Strategic Competition

Offsite Via Brookings Institution April 5, 2024

Brad W. Setser

Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow

International Economic Policy Capital Flows Economics

The Surprising Resilience of Globalization: An Examination of Claims of Economic Fragmentation

Blog Post October 16, 2024 Follow the Money

Featured Publications

Religion

If You Will It

Hundreds of thousands of young Jews have drifted away from the American Jewish community and many more may follow. This book explains to Jewish parents, donors, and organizations how Jewish education, Jewish summer camping, and time spent in Israel can revive and strengthen Jewish identity.

Book by Elliott Abrams October 8, 2024 Middle East Program

United States

Reagan

Son of the Midwest, movie star, and mesmerizing politician—America’s fortieth president comes to three-dimensional life in this gripping and profoundly revisionist biography.

Book by Max Boot September 10, 2024

Asia

Lost Decade

Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine evaluate the limitations of the Pivot to Asia and offer a compelling vision for the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific.

Book by Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine June 11, 2024 Asia Program

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Events
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Experts in the News

Explainers

Expert Spotlight

Featured Publications