Council on Foreign Relations

Stringer/Reuters

Myanmar’s Protests: Optimism and Fear

The prospect of a severe military crackdown looms as protesters continue to organize massive demonstrations against this month’s coup.

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

Kurds

Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images

Syria

Kurdish Women and the Fight Against the Islamic State

How did an all-women militia of Syrian Kurds end up on the front lines against the Islamic State? This episode of The President’s Inbox recounts the tale.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Gayle Tzemach Lemmon February 16, 2021 The President's Inbox

Kurds

Timeline: The Kurds’ Quest for Independence

The Kurds are one of the world’s largest peoples without a state, making up sizable minorities in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Their century-old quest for independence is marked by marginalization and persecution.

Timeline by Hagit Ariav February 22, 2021

Turkey

Global Conflict Tracker: Turkey and Armed Kurdish Groups

with Center for Preventive Action June 16, 2018

Taiwan

Asia

Why a Cross-Strait Crisis Will Be Averted in 2021

Blog Post by David Sacks February 18, 2021 Asia Unbound

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

Taiwan

Unpacking China-Taiwan Relations

Differences over Taiwan’s status fuel tensions between the island and mainland, yet cross-strait economic ties continue to deepen.

Backgrounder by Eleanor Albert January 22, 2020

United States

Bringing More Diversity to U.S. Diplomacy

President Biden has vowed to diversify the top ranks of government agencies. The small and shrinking number of senior Black diplomats, in particular, could undermine U.S. foreign policy goals.

In Brief by Robert McMahon February 18, 2021

United States

Revitalizing the State Department and American Diplomacy

Talent flight, institutional stagnation, and ever-evolving policy challenges such as COVID-19 overwhelm a beleaguered State Department. American diplomacy requires serious changes, starting with institutional reform.

Council Special Report by Uzra Zeya and Jon Finer November 10, 2020

How to Save the State Department

with William J. Burns and Linda Thomas-Greenfield via Foreign Affairs September 23, 2020

Hong Kong

How China Stole Hong Kong’s Chance at Democracy

Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong in recent years, dimming hopes that the financial center will ever become a full democracy.

Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland and Eleanor Albert February 17, 2021

Hong Kong

Podcast: Hong Kong Under China’s National Security Law

Victoria Tin-bor Hui, associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the new national security law China has imposed on Hong Kong.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Victoria Tin-bor Hui July 14, 2020 The President's Inbox

What Fast Track for Asylum Seekers From Hong Kong?

via Foreign Affairs July 30, 2020

Immigration

United States

A Change at the Border

President Biden is adopting a different approach than his predecessor to an increasing number of migrants who are arriving at the southern border after fleeing hardship in their home countries.

In Brief by Shannon K. O'Neil February 17, 2021 Latin America Studies Program

United States

Breaking Down Biden’s Immigration Actions

Abbreviations are a fixture of U.S. immigration policy. CFR explains some of the most commonly referenced agencies, policies, and programs, and what President Biden is doing about them.

In Brief by Amelia Cheatham February 16, 2021

Immigration

CFR Event: Migrants and the U.S. Southern Border

Panelists discuss the humanitarian concerns facing migrants at the U.S. southern border, including how the pandemic is affecting refugees and asylum seekers, and the future of immigration under the new administration. The Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture was established by CFR and the family of Arthur C. Helton, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who died in the August 2003 bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad. The Lecture addresses pressing issues in the broad field of human rights and humanitarian concerns.

Virtual Event with Alfredo Corchado, Will Hurd and Elora Mukherjee February 1, 2021 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture

Events
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Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Virtual Roundtable: Can Social Bonds Help Save the World?

Virtual Event with Maud Le Moine and Maya Shah February 19, 2021

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Lost Generation? Impact of COVID-19 on Children's Learning and Beyond

Virtual Event with Joshua Barocas and Robert Jenkins February 18, 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

Diplomacy and International Institutions

The Future of U.S. Diplomacy

Panelists discuss how diplomacy can be used to advance U.S. interests, and the function and responsibilities of ambassadors and embassies abroad.

Virtual Event with Jendayi E. Frazer, Robert D. Kaplan and Thomas R. Pickering February 18, 2021

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Robert D. Blackwill

Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy

U.S. Foreign Policy Europe and Eurasia Russia

The End of World Order and American Foreign Policy

Council Special Report May 28, 2020 U.S. Foreign Policy Program

Shannon K. O'Neil

Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies

Americas Latin America NAFTA

America’s Supply Chains Are Foreign Policy Now

Via Foreign Policy February 16, 2021

Jamille Bigio

Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy

Women and Women's Rights Peacekeeping Conflict Prevention

The Threat of Human Trafficking to National Security, Economic Growth, and Sustainable Development

Blog Post February 1, 2021 Women Around the World

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 Uighurs 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 Uighurs 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 Uighurs.

Experts in the News

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

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Lemmon: The Women Who Fought to Hand ISIS Its First Battlefield Loss

Via ABC's Good Morning America February 15, 2021

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Featured Publications

China

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

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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