Panama
Arnulfo Franco/AFP/Getty Images

Panama

Who Controls the Panama Canal?
Panama has owned and administered the canal for nearly three decades. President Trump wants to change that to counter China’s economic influence in Latin America.

Article by Diana Roy January 24, 2025

China

China’s Growing Role in Latin America
For more than two decades, China has developed close economic and security ties with many Latin American countries, including Brazil and Venezuela. But Beijing’s growing sway in the region has raised concerns in Washington and beyond.

Backgrounder by Diana Roy January 10, 2025

United States

Trump Sets His Sights on Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal
Each Friday, I examine what is happening with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition to the White House. This week: Trump’s talk of reclaiming the Panama Canal, acquiring Greenland, and incorporating Canada undermines U.S. interests.

Post by James M. Lindsay December 27, 2024 The Water's Edge

International Economics

Foreign Policy

Reflections From Davos

Yves Herman/Reuters
The focus of this year’s World Economic Forum was on emerging economies, but the political and economic weight of the United States remained a topic of conversation.

Article by Michael Froman January 24, 2025

United States

Remarks by President Trump at the World Economic Forum Link

via White House January 23, 2025

United States

Trump Addresses Davos, Gaza Navigates Cease-Fire, 2025 Elections Loom, and More

Podcast
In this live series finale, Bob and Carla discuss the most pressing international news stories with special guest Deborah Amos. President Donald Trump virtually attends the annual Davos summit where he will address corporate and government leaders just three days after his inauguration; the next phase of hostage and prisoner swaps is due as part of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal; a tightly controlled presidential election in Belarus kicks off a new year of consequential elections around the globe; and TikTok is revived in the United States—for now— after President Trump forestalled the app’s initial ban.   This episode was originally produced live on January 21, 2025.

Podcast with Robert McMahon, Carla Anne Robbins and Deborah Amos January 23, 2025 The World Next Week

Ukraine

Ukraine

How to Settle the Russia-Ukraine War

To bring Russia to the negotiating table and end the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin needs to believe time is no longer on his side. Here's what the Trump administration needs to do to make that happen.

Article by Thomas Graham January 22, 2025

 

The Cold War Putin Wants Link

via Foreign Affairs January 23, 2025

Ukraine

How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine?
Nine charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

Article by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow September 27, 2024

Trade

United States

Navigating North American Trade
President Trump has threatened new tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico. His trade plans threaten the future of the United States’ largest free trade agreement.

Expert Brief by Shannon K. O'Neil and Julia Huesa January 17, 2025

RealEcon

Trump Will Be His Own Trade Czar
Expect chaos as an unpredictable president uses trade threats to pursue whatever unrelated issue he wishes.

Article by Edward Alden December 18, 2024 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

United States

Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy Positions: Trade Link

via Council on Foreign Relations January 17, 2025

Immigration

United States

Trump Begins Immigration Crackdown
Immigration has been an important element of U.S. economic and cultural vitality since the country’s founding. This interactive timeline outlines the evolution of U.S. immigration policy after World War II.

Timeline by Brianna Lee and Diana Roy January 21, 2025 Renewing America

United States

Trump’s Immigration Policy

Podcast
Edward Alden, senior fellow at CFR and co-author of When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Trump's proposed immigration policies and their likely effects on the economy. This episode is the ninth and final episode in a special TPI series on the U.S. 2025 presidential transition and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Edward Alden January 14, 2025 The President’s Inbox

United States

How the U.S. Asylum Process Works
Record numbers of migrants seeking to cross the southern U.S. border are challenging the Joe Biden administration’s attempts to restore asylum protections. Here’s how the asylum process works.

Backgrounder by Diana Roy June 4, 2024 Renewing America

Immigration

Trump’s Foreign Policy Positions: Immigration Link

via Council on Foreign Relations January 21, 2025

Transition 2025

Donald Trump

What to Expect From Trump’s Executive Orders
President-elect Trump has promised to commence his new term with an expansive array of executive actions, some of which could have immediate effects on U.S. foreign policy.  

In Brief by Jonathan Masters and Diana Roy January 17, 2025

United States

U.S. Foreign Policy on the Eve of Disruption
Each Friday, I examine what is happening with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition to the White House. This week: Donald Trump has vowed to remake U.S. foreign policy and has assembled a team that will help him do it.  

Post by James M. Lindsay January 17, 2025 The Water's Edge

United States

CFR Fellow Roundup: What to Expect From Trump 2.0 on Foreign Policy Link

via YouTube January 17, 2025

Events
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Political Transitions

Transition 2025 Series: Tariffs and Trade

Play
Panelists discuss the potential impacts of President-elect Trump’s proposed trade policies on global supply chains and analyze shifts in U.S. trade policy over the last eight years. This meeting is part of CFR's Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration.

Virtual Event with Heather Hurlburt, Dennis C. Shea, Benn Steil, Patrick J. Toomey and Ana Swanson January 23, 2025

United States

The World Next Week: Final Episode Live Podcast Taping

Play
Please join us for a live taping of The World Next Week podcast. Hosted by Robert McMahon, Carla Anne Robbins, and their guest co-host, Deborah Amos, this special taping and livestream will serve as the show’s series finale after over seventeen years on air.  The World Next Week brings journalists’ perspectives to the critical and intriguing stories developing around the globe—from Kyiv, to Pyongyang, to Capitol Hill, to Cannes. TWNW’s hosts have years of experience covering international and Washington news. Before joining CFR, Robert McMahon, managing editor of digital content, reported for the Associated Press and was news director for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague. Carla Anne Robbins, a senior fellow and faculty director of the MIA Program at Baruch College’s Marxe School, was deputy editorial page editor at the New York Times and chief diplomatic correspondent at the Wall Street Journal.        

Event January 21, 2025

Economics

The Economic Outlook for 2025

Play
Panelists discuss the global economic outlook for 2025, including the challenges facing central banks worldwide, prospects for growth in emerging markets, and the economic priorities of an incoming Trump administration. 

Virtual Event with Ira Kalish, Elijah Oliveros-Rosen, Anna Wong and Sandra Lawson January 21, 2025

Sudan

War in Sudan: A Conversation With U.S. Special Envoy Tom Perriello

Play
Special Envoy Tom Perriello discusses the ongoing civil war in Sudan, the resulting humanitarian crisis, and the Biden administration’s designation of genocide by the Rapid Support Forces. Please note there is no Zoom component to the meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.  

Event with Thomas Perriello and Reuben E. Brigety II January 16, 2025

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Experts in the News

Michael B.G. Froman
Link

Froman: Trump’s Tariffs Have Limited Use As Revenue Raisers

Via Bloomberg January 17, 2025

Steven A. Cook
Link

Cook: Israel-Hamas Cease-Fire Brings Fragile Reprieve

Via Bloomberg Surveillance January 16, 2025

Heidi E. Crebo-Rediker
Link

Crebo-Rediker: Trump’s Tariff Regime Will Be a Bumpy Road

Via Yahoo Finance's Catalysts January 13, 2025

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Explainers

Immigration
Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Immigration
Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Photo Essay by Will Freeman, Steven Holmes and Sabine Baumgartner
Migrants and displaced people from across the world are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in droves. More than half come from six Latin American countries, where worsening violence, poverty, and other factors are pushing them to leave.
How Geography, Race, and Income Shape U.S. Life Expectancy
Health How Geography, Race, and Income Shape U.S. Life Expectancy
Article by Thomas J. Bollyky, Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, Ali H. Mokdad and Chloe Searchinger
Crisis in Sudan: War, Famine, and a Failing Global Response
Sudan Crisis in Sudan: War, Famine, and a Failing Global Response
Immersive_article_layout by Mariel Ferragamo and Sabine Baumgartner
Guantánamo Bay: Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Controversy
Terrorism and Counterterrorism Guantánamo Bay: Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Controversy
Article by Jonathan Masters
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Expert Spotlight

Steven A. Cook
Steven A. Cook

Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Director of the International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars

Middle East and North Africa Turkey Arab Spring

Israelis and Palestinians Both Lost Their Futures

Offsite Via Foreign Policy January 24, 2025

Liana Fix
Liana Fix

Fellow for Europe

European Union Germany Europe and Eurasia

Linda Robinson
Linda Robinson

Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy

Women and Women's Rights Middle East and North Africa Conflict Prevention

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Featured Publications

Religion

If You Will It
Hundreds of thousands of young Jews have drifted away from the American Jewish community and many more may follow. This book explains to Jewish parents, donors, and organizations how Jewish education, Jewish summer camping, and time spent in Israel can revive and strengthen Jewish identity.

Book by Elliott Abrams October 8, 2024 Middle East Program

United States

Reagan
Son of the Midwest, movie star, and mesmerizing politician—America’s fortieth president comes to three-dimensional life in this gripping and profoundly revisionist biography.

Book by Max Boot September 10, 2024

Asia

Lost Decade

Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine evaluate the limitations of the Pivot to Asia and offer a compelling vision for the future of U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific.

Book by Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine June 11, 2024 Asia Program

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