Despite natural disasters, major-power tensions, and political upheaval, there were bright spots in which international cooperation spurred progress.
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U.S. Foreign Policy
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On trade, diplomacy, and immigration, the Trump administration has pursued policies markedly different from those of its predecessors.
2018
In 2018, CFR once again hosted high-level discussions of global affairs, from U.S. election security to the Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry to the artificial intelligence race.
Panelists discuss potential and ongoing crises that may erupt or escalate in 2019, as well as their global political implications, and explore the results of the 2019 Preventive Priorities Survey, conducted by CFR’s Center for Preventive Action.
Panelists discuss how rural America has been affected by recent tariffs and intermittent trade wars with U.S. trading partners, and the implications for global trade and the U.S. economy.
Syria
The U.S. withdrawal from Syria removes the main obstacle to a Turkish campaign to eradicate Syrian Kurdish forces and could lead to a more dangerous phase of Syria’s civil war.
DRC
A long-awaited election in the Democratic Republic of Congo offers hope for the country’s first democratic transition, but a contested result could incite turmoil.
Over the past two decades, the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have experienced fighting that has killed more than five million people. As the eastern Congo struggles to overcome years of regional war, its hard-won progress remains at risk.
Test your knowledge of the DRC, from its independence from Belgium to its still-simmering conflict in the east.
CFR on the Record
Christine Lagarde discusses the economic implications of gender inequality under the law and outline policy recommendations to accelerate women’s economic participation.
Kristalina Georgieva, Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank, discusses legal and regulatory disparities in access to and usage of formal financial institutions and highlight how well designed digital tools can promote the financial inclusion of women.
Panelists discuss current political and economic policies in Russia, and how Russia’s domestic affairs influence its foreign policy.
CFR hosts a screening of 82 Names: Syria, Please Don't Forget Us, a documentary film co-produced with the United Sates Holocaust Memorial Museum and Maziar Bahari, that traces the journey of Mansour Omari, a survivor of torture and imprisonment in Syria.
Expert Spotlight
International Affairs Fellow
Middle East and North Africa Terrorism and Counterterrorism Banking
Mary and David Boies Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy
Middle East and North Africa Europe and Eurasia U.S. Foreign Policy
Explainers
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Human Trafficking
The Scourge of Modern Slavery
Slavery, long banned and universally condemned, persists in many corners of the world, victimizing tens of millions of people.
Iran
Who Runs Iran?
Who calls the shots in Iran on economic policy, security, and responding to domestic calls for reform? A look at the government's organization chart indicates how complicated the answer is.
North Korea
North Korean Nuclear Negotiations: A Brief History
Nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea have proceeded in fits and starts across three decades and have failed to halt the advance of the North’s atomic weapons program.
Israel
The Stakes in Jerusalem
President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocate the embassy there could inspire protest and set back the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Trade
Dealing With Disputes
With President Trump taking aim at existing trade agreements, countries are increasingly grappling with dispute resolution mechanisms and their implications for global trading rules.
Experts in the News
Featured Publications
American diplomacy is in shambles under Trump, but beneath the daily chaos is an erosion of the postwar order that is even more dangerous.
Public Health Threats and Pandemics
Global health expert Thomas J. Bollyky explores the paradox in our fight against infectious disease: the world is getting healthier in ways that should make us worry.
The Third Revolution argues that Xi Jinping’s dual-reform trajectories—a more authoritarian system at home and a more ambitious foreign policy abroad—provide Beijing with new levers of influence that the United States must learn to exploit to protect its own interests.