All authority flows from Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, who has reinvigorated the Worker’s Party of Korea as the core political organ and reclaimed power from elite factions.
Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Afghanistan
Wakil Koshar/AFP/Getty Images
Civilian casualties reach record highs as U.S. and Afghan forces continue an enduring battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State. Explore the war in Afghanistan with CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker.
Panelists look at America's longest war and examine strategies for how to bring it to an end.
Nuclear Weapons
Nearly all nuclear weapon states, as a matter of policy, remain ready to use their weapons without having first suffered a nuclear attack.
Central America
Violence and rampant crime have driven asylum seekers from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the United States, which is seeking to help address the root causes.
The Trump administration has taken away legal status for hundreds of thousands of migrants, most of whom have lived in the United States for more than fifteen years.
Trade
U.S. competition with China continues to intensify, but rather than adopting a strategy of containment, the United States should respond by reinforcing its relationships with allies and leveraging China's desire for stability to discourage disruptive behavior.
CFR on the Record
Michel Barnier discusses the state of the Brexit negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union, what is at stake, and what needs to be achieved by the 2019 deadline.
Panelists discuss implications of the GDPR for U.S. businesses and the future of federal privacy regulation in the United States.
Panelists discuss the rise of cyberattacks over the past decade and how the development and dissemination of cyber weapons have changed the nature of modern geopolitical conflict.
As the United Kingdom moves closer to an exit from the European Union, questions remain about how Brexit will influence Britain’s role on the world stage.
Expert Spotlight
Explainers
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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.
North Korea
Another Breakdown in U.S.-North Korea Diplomacy?
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.
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.
Kurds
The Time of the Kurds
The Kurds are one of the world's largest peoples without a state, making up sizable minorities in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Their history is marked by marginalization and persecution.
Trade
How Are Trade Disputes Resolved?
Dispute resolution mechanisms have become increasingly controversial as countries grapple with their implications for sovereignty, domestic regulation, and the enforcement of international obligations.
Experts in the News
Featured Publications
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.
Solar energy is the world’s cheapest and fastest-growing power source, but its rise is in danger of stalling. Varun Sivaram argues that realizing solar's potential will require innovation—creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems.
The award-winning author of The Battle of Bretton Woods reveals the gripping history behind the Marshall Plan—told with verve, insight, and resonance for today.