President Trump's call for more concrete slabs or steel slats to secure the U.S. southern border misunderstands what effective walls have always been: a fusion of people, technology, and physical barriers.
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U.S. troops have been sent to the border with Mexico to supplement the work of Border Patrol agents amid debate over the merits of building a wall.
Afghanistan War
Jonathan Saruk/Getty Images
The United States should avoid a rapid, unconditional exit from Afghanistan but also minimize the costs of staying.
North Korea
Kim’s meetings with Xi are an effort to drive up the price in negotiations with the United States beyond what North Korea would be able to demand on its own.
China is North Korea’s biggest trade partner and arguably has the most leverage on Kim Jong-un’s regime. But while Beijing appears willing to condemn its neighbor’s nuclear developments, analysts say its cautious policies remain focused on stability.
Middle East
The central takeaway from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Cairo speech is that the United States needs to rely more on allies to stabilize the Middle East.
Turkey
Erdogan promises to finish America's fight against the Islamic State, but it's the Kurds that he's out to destroy.
The strategic relationship between the United States and Turkey is over. While Turkey remains formally a NATO ally, it is not a partner of the United States. The United States should not be reluctant to oppose Turkey directly when Ankara undermines U.S. policy.
Find out how much you know about the Kurdish people, from their campaign for statehood to their role in the Syria conflict.
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
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.