Council on Foreign Relations

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A Realist Reset for U.S.-Saudi Relations

U.S. interests argue for maintaining ties to Saudi Arabia despite clear evidence that the crown prince approved the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

by Richard N. Haass March 1, 2021

Middle East and North Africa

How Saudi Arabia Gets Away With Murder

Investors flocking to Riyadh’s “Davos in the Desert” prove that nobody knows what accountability for Mohammed bin Salman would even mean.

by Steven A. Cook February 25, 2021 Middle East Program

Election 2020

Podcast: Should the U.S. Rethink Its Relationship With Saudi Arabia?

In this episode of our special Election 2020 series of The President’s Inbox, Yasmine Farouk and Bernard Haykel join host James M. Lindsay to discuss U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay, Yasmine Farouk and Bernard Haykel January 28, 2020 The President's Inbox

Mexico

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Mexico

Drugs, Crime, and the Cartels

Violence continues to rage in Mexico more than a decade after the country launched a crackdown on drug cartels.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors February 26, 2021

Mexico Could Become the World’s Largest Legal Marijuana Market

via Hill February 25, 2021

Americas

Lopez Obrador Is Stoking Corruption, Not Fighting It

His shady associates and wrongheaded policies are making a bad problem worse.

Blog Post by Shannon K. O'Neil February 5, 2020 Latin America's Moment

Nigeria

Nigeria’s Internal Security Problem

Blog Post by Nkasi Wodu February 26, 2021 Africa in Transition

Nigeria

What’s Behind the Recent Student Abductions in Nigeria?

Abductions of hundreds of students in northwestern Nigeria are the latest examples of a common tactic among criminal and jihadi groups, underscoring that Boko Haram is far from the government’s only problem in the north.

In Brief by John Campbell December 30, 2020

Nigeria

Nigeria Security Tracker

The Council on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker is an effort to catalog and map political violence based on a weekly survey of Nigerian and international press. The data presented includes violent incidents related to political, economic, and social grievances directed at the state or other affiliated groups (or, conversely, the state employing violence to respond to those incidents.)

Tracker by John Campbell February 2, 2021 Africa Program

Iran

Iran Nuclear Agreement

Does the Iran Deal Have a Future?

The fate of the arms control agreement is in serious doubt following the United States’ withdrawal and Iran’s noncompliance, but some see an opening for renewed diplomacy in 2021.

Backgrounder by Kali Robinson February 25, 2021

Iran

Biden and Iran: Two Questions

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams February 24, 2021 Pressure Points

Middle East and North Africa

The Real Regional Problem With the Iran Deal

via Foreign Affairs February 23, 2021

Japan

Japan’s Military Upgrades

Prime Minister Suga will keep working to upgrade Japan’s military amid increasing pressures from China, North Korea, and Russia.

In Brief by Sheila A. Smith February 24, 2021

Japan Is the New Leader of Asia’s Liberal Order

via Foreign Affairs February 24, 2021

Japan

The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance

The alliance with Japan has been the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in East Asia for decades, but new challenges from China, North Korea, and within the alliance itself raise questions about its future.

Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland and Beina Xu August 22, 2019

Myanmar

Southeast Asia

Myanmar’s Protests: Optimism and Fear

Blog Post by Joshua Kurlantzick February 22, 2021 Asia Unbound

Myanmar

Myanmar’s Troubled History

The military’s recent coup and ongoing violent campaign against the Rohingya minority group have dashed hopes for democratic progress in Myanmar.

Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland February 9, 2021

Southeast Asia

Regional Implications of the Coup

by Joshua Kurlantzick February 12, 2021

Events
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Transition 2021

Transition 2021 Series: A Gathering Storm—The Future of U.S.-North Korea Policy

Our panelists discuss the future of the U.S. relationship with North Korea under the Biden administration, including the country’s nuclear capabilities and ambitions, and China’s role in the peninsula. The Transition 2021 series examines the major issues confronting the administration in the foreign policy arena.

Virtual Event with Victor D. Cha, Duyeon Kim and Stephanie T. Kleine-Ahlbrandt February 25, 2021 Transition 2021

Yemen

A Conversation With Senator Chris Murphy

Senator Chris Murphy discusses the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Persian Gulf, the status of American support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and the foreign policy priorities for the 117th Congress.

Virtual Event with Chris Murphy February 23, 2021

Iran

CFR Fellows' Book Launch Series Guest Event With Ray Takeyh

Ray Takeyh discusses his new book, The Last Shah. Offering a new view of one of America's most important and widely misunderstood relationships, The Last Shah significantly revises our understanding of the United States and Iran's complex and difficult history. The CFR Fellows’ Book Launch series highlights new books by CFR fellows.

Virtual Event with Ray Takeyh February 4, 2021 CFR Fellows' Book Launch

Russia

Transition 2021 Series: How to Deal With Russia

Panelists discuss U.S. - Russia relations, including issues such as Ukraine, cybersecurity, and the domestic political outlook in both countries. The Transition 2021 series examines the major issues confronting the administration in the foreign policy arena.

Virtual Event with Fiona Hill, Stephen Sestanovich and Alexander R. Vershbow February 22, 2021 Transition 2021

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Farah Pandith

Adjunct Senior Fellow

Radicalization and Extremism Terrorism and Counterterrorism U.S. Foreign Policy

How We Win

Book March 12, 2019 Middle East Program

James M. Lindsay

Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair

United States Politics and Government Polls and Public Opinion

The Empty Throne

Book October 16, 2018 U.S. Foreign Policy Program

Bruce Hoffman

Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Terrorism and Counterterrorism Wars and Conflict Intelligence

«Boog» in Blut

Via Aufbau October 2, 2020

The Arab Spring at Ten Years: What’s the Legacy of the Uprisings?

Rising Hunger: Facing a Food-Insecure World

The Coronavirus Pandemic, With Tom Bollyky

China’s Repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang

Middle East and North Africa The Arab Spring at Ten Years: What’s the Legacy of the Uprisings?

Ten years on, the lives of people in Arab Spring countries have improved in certain aspects but worsened in others. CFR.org visualizes the changes in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen.

Food and Water Security Rising Hunger: Facing a Food-Insecure World

Global food insecurity has surged amid the coronavirus pandemic, threatening to worsen humanitarian crises and spur further mass migration.

Public Health Threats and Pandemics The Coronavirus Pandemic, With Tom Bollyky

Thomas J. Bollyky, director of CFR’s Global Health program and senior fellow for global health, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the World Health Organization’s newly declared pandemic, COVID-19.

Conflict Prevention Conflicts to Watch in 2021

In CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey, U.S. foreign policy experts assess the likelihood and impact of thirty potential conflicts that could emerge or escalate in the coming year.

China China’s Repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang

More than a million Muslims have been arbitrarily detained in China’s Xinjiang region. The reeducation camps are just one part of the government’s crackdown on Uyghurs.

Experts in the News

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Lemmon: How a Small but Powerful Band of Women Led the Fight Against ISIS

Via PBS NewsHour February 22, 2021

Gideon Rose

Rose: U.S.-China Relations Will Be the Greatest Challenge for the Next Decade

Via Bloomberg Surveillance February 17, 2021

Yanzhong Huang

Huang: China Wants to Send Vaccines Abroad to Achieve Multiple Foreign Policy Objectives

Via France24 February 16, 2021

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Featured Publications

China

The United States, China, and Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War

To preserve peace in the Taiwan Strait, Robert D. Blackwill and Philip Zelikow propose the United States make clear that it will not change Taiwan’s status, yet will work with allies to plan for Chinese aggression and help Taiwan defend itself.

Council Special Report by Robert D. Blackwill and Philip Zelikow February 11, 2021 U.S. Foreign Policy Program

Iran

The Last Shah

Ray Takeyh provides new interpretations of many key events—including the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq and the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini—significantly revising our understanding of the United States' and Iran’s complex and difficult history.

Book by Ray Takeyh January 26, 2021

Nigeria

Nigeria and the Nation-State

Former Ambassador John Campbell illustrates the history and importance of Nigeria, a country too often overlooked by the West.

Book by John Campbell December 1, 2020

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Explainers

Experts in the News

Featured Publications

Events
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