Immigration and Migration
Yara Nardi/Reuters

Immigration and Migration

Europe’s Migration Dilemma
Hundreds of thousands of migrants made the dangerous journey to Europe in 2023, fleeing war, poverty, and natural disasters. The increase in arrivals has fueled support for far-right political parties.

Photo Essay by Kali Robinson, Diana Roy and Sabine Baumgartner May 31, 2024

Immigration and Migration

The Strategic Impact of the Global Movement of People

Play
Foreign policy institute leaders from around the world discuss the dynamics of global migration, including the importance of international cooperation in managing both the documented and undocumented movement of people. The Council of Councils (CoC) is an international initiative created by the Council on Foreign Relations to connect leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a dialogue on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation. The CoC is composed of twenty-eight major policy institutes from some of the world’s most influential countries. It is designed to facilitate candid, not-for-attribution dialogue and consensus-building among influential opinion leaders from both established and emerging nations, with the ultimate purpose of injecting the conclusions of its deliberations into high-level foreign policy circles within members’ countries.

Event with Fonteh Akum, Sergio M. Alcocer, Michael Froman, Stefania Kolarz and Katharine M. Donato May 21, 2024

 

Mediterranean Tragedy: The Deadly Path to Europe’s Shores Link

with Abigail McGowan via Think Global Health December 1, 2023

Middle East

U.S. Foreign Policy

Washington’s Ill-Fated Mideast Ambitions

Romeo Gacad/AFP/Getty Images
U.S.-backed efforts for societal change in the Middle East have had poor results in recent decades. But Washington can still achieve more modest, essential goals in the region.

Expert Brief by Steven A. Cook May 31, 2024

Middle East and North Africa

The End of Ambition
A clear-headed vision for the United States' role in the Middle East that highlights the changing nature of U.S. national interests and the challenges of grand strategizing at a time of profound change in the international order.

Book by Steven A. Cook June 3, 2024 Middle East Program

Palestinian Territories

Who Governs the Palestinians?
Power in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the so-called Palestinian territories, has been divided among three entities: a governing body called the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, and the state of Israel. But as Israel now seeks to destroy Hamas, it is unclear who would administer Gaza instead.

Backgrounder by Kali Robinson May 28, 2024

European Union

European Union

What’s at Stake in the EU Elections?
The European Union’s governing bodies could see a significant shake-up as millions of voters head to the polls across the twenty-seven-member bloc, with consequences for transatlantic ties.

Article by Matthias Matthijs and Caroline Kapp May 31, 2024

 

Ukraine’s Perilous Path to EU Membership Link

via Foreign Affairs May 31, 2024

European Union

How Does the European Union Work?
The European Union has navigated a thicket of external and internal crises in recent years, including mass migration and Brexit. What are the union’s core institutions, and what roles do they play?

Backgrounder by James McBride March 11, 2022

U.S.

Election 2024

Trump’s Conviction and the U.S. Election
Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This Week: Trump’s conviction on thirty-four felony counts takes the U.S. presidential election into uncharted waters.

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay May 31, 2024 The Water's Edge

 

When Leaders Are Lawbreakers Link

via Foreign Affairs May 31, 2024

U.S.

Trump’s Foreign Policy Moments
Donald J. Trump’s presidency marked a profound departure from U.S. leadership in areas such as trade and diplomacy, as well as an across-the-board toughening of immigration policies.

Timeline by Ankit Panda, Rocio Cara Labrador and Amelia Cheatham October 18, 2022

South Africa

South Africa

South Africa’s Landmark Elections

As South Africa concludes a set of historic national elections, questions remain on how its democracy will fare in response to a new set of challenges.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin June 3, 2024 Africa in Transition

South Africa

South Africans Poised to Shake Up Their Governing Status Quo
The provincial and national elections on May 29 come amid waning support for the ruling African National Congress thirty years after South Africa transitioned to democracy.

Expert Brief by Michelle Gavin May 23, 2024 Africa Program

South Africa

Mutual Suspicion Grates U.S.-South Africa Relations
Tensions in the U.S.-South Africa relationship only heighten as both countries head towards national elections. 

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin May 3, 2024 Africa in Transition

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico’s Historic Elections

Podcast
Andrés Rozental, a distinguished retired Mexican diplomat, president of Rozental & Asociados, and the founding president of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the dynamics of Mexico’s upcoming election and its consequences for the Mexican people as well as for U.S.-Mexico relations.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Andrés Rozental May 28, 2024 The President’s Inbox

Mexico

What to Know About Mexico’s Elections
Against a backdrop of widespread violence, a record number of voters will look to elect Mexico’s first woman president in a June election that polls predict will go to Claudia Sheinbaum.

Expert Brief by Shannon K. O'Neil May 24, 2024 Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy

Shannon K. O'Neil

Mexico

A Reset for America and Mexico? Link

with Shannon K. O'Neil via Foreign Affairs May 27, 2024

Events
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U.S.

Digital Diplomacy's New Dawn—Decoding Foreign Disinformation and Fostering Resilience

Play
Liz Allen, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, discusses her role in countering disinformation, combatting foreign malign influence, and fostering a resilient global information space.

Event with Elizabeth M. Allen and Suzanne Nossel May 31, 2024

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Avian Flu Outbreak and Preventing the Next Pandemic

Play
Jennifer Nuzzo, senior fellow senior fellow for global health at CFR, discusses the spread of the avian influenza in poultry and dairy cows in the United States and risks that zoonotic diseases pose …

Webinar with Rick A. Bright, Jennifer Nuzzo and Irina A. Faskianos May 29, 2024 State and Local Webinars

Middle East and North Africa

Oil and National Security: U.S.-Middle East Relations

Play
Steven Cook discusses the modern history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East and how economic interests, including secure access to oil reserves, continue to influence U.S. priorities in the region today. In a preview of his forthcoming book The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East, he provides his vision for the future of U.S.-Middle East relations and what that could mean for U.S. energy security and global trade.  

Virtual Event with Steven A. Cook and Helima Croft May 29, 2024 Middle East Program

Ukraine

Ukraine’s Economic Recovery: Remarks and a Conversation with Penny Pritzker

Play
U.S. Special Representative Penny Pritzker discusses ongoing Ukraine recovery and reconstruction efforts, having just returned from three trips to Ukraine in six weeks, including joining the Secretary of State in mid-May. She outlines U.S. priorities for supporting Ukraine in advance of the Ukraine Recovery Conference on June 11-12 in Berlin.

Event with Penny Pritzker and Michael Froman May 28, 2024

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Experts in the News

Michael B.G. Froman
Link

Froman: There Is a Regional Realignment Going On Amid the Israel-Hamas War

Via CNBC Squawk Box May 29, 2024

Sheila A. Smith
Link

Smith: This Is a Very Difficult Time for China, Japan, and South Korea to Find Common Ground

Via Bloomberg Daybreak Asia May 26, 2024

David J. Scheffer
Link

Scheffer: ICC Warrants Can Diminish an Indicted Individual's Political Power

Via CBS News May 21, 2024

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Explainers

South China Sea
China’s Maritime Disputes
South China Sea
China’s Maritime Disputes
Timeline by Beina Xu, Eleanor Albert, Lindsay Maizland and Clara Fong
Disputes between China and its neighbors, including the Philippines and Vietnam, in the South China Sea have intensified in recent decades. This timeline traces the recent developments.
The Push to Conserve 30 Percent of the Planet: What’s at Stake?
Energy and Environment The Push to Conserve 30 Percent of the Planet: What’s at Stake?
Article by Lindsay Maizland
What Is Avian Flu?
Public Health Threats and Pandemics What Is Avian Flu?
Backgrounder Redesign by Mariel Ferragamo
Why Fentanyl Is a Huge Foreign Policy Problem
U.S. Why Fentanyl Is a Huge Foreign Policy Problem
Article by Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy
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Expert Spotlight

Michael Froman
Michael Froman

President, Council on Foreign Relations

Trade Globalization Economics

Matthew C. Waxman
Matthew C. Waxman

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Law and Foreign Policy

International Law Cybersecurity U.S. Foreign Policy

War Powers Reform: A Skeptical View

Offsite Via The Yale Law Journal March 8, 2024

Joshua Kurlantzick
Joshua Kurlantzick

Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia China Asia

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Featured Publications

Colombia

From Peril to Partnership
Paul J. Angelo provides the first headlining case studies of Plan Colombia and the Mérida Initiative.

Book by Paul J. Angelo March 8, 2024 Latin America Studies Program

Political History and Theory

The World That Wasn’t

A dramatic and powerful new perspective on the political career of Henry Wallace—a perspective that will forever change how we view the making of U.S. and Soviet foreign policy at the dawn of the Cold War.

Book by Benn Steil January 9, 2024 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

Radicalization and Extremism

God, Guns, and Sedition
A riveting exploration of the current state of far-right terrorism in the United States—and recommendations to stop its rise.

Book by Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware January 2, 2024 National Security and Defense Program

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