Council of Councils
Think Global Health
The protests in Iran could have a sweeping effect in a region already jolted by historic changes over the past year. Four CFR fellows assess how Israel, the Gulf States, Lebanon, and Turkey view the developing movement.
UGC/Associated Press
The regime is facing one of its largest protest movements in years. Tehran has shut down internet and telephone communications as the demonstrations grow more violent.
Foreign Policy
CFR asked Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations members to rate the U.S. foreign policy decisions that have shaped the United States and the world.
The world continues to grow more violent and disorderly. According to CFR’s annual conflict risk assessment, American foreign policy experts are acutely concerned about conflict-related threats to U.S. national security and international stability that are likely to emerge or intensify in 2026. In this report, surveyed experts rate global conflicts by their likelihood and potential harm to U.S. interests and, for the first time, identify opportunities for preventive action.
What major trends will shape world events in the year ahead? Five CFR experts weigh in.
U.S. Foreign Policy
Trump returned to office propelled by a seemingly isolationist promise, but the U.S. capture of Maduro illustrates the White House’s growing fondness for military intervention—revealing a striking strategic incoherence.
CFR President Michael Froman analyzes the global implications of the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and how Greenland could be the next major test of the viability of the postwar order.
Since returning to office, Trump has steadily expanded his use of military force abroad. Many of his actions mirror those of previous administrations, but diverge from the president’s past opposition to foreign military commitments.
Venezuela
President Trump has set his sights on Venezuelan oil, but there are many economic and political obstacles to significantly ramping up the country’s oil production.
Four CFR experts review the capture of the Venezuelan leader and examine the challenges and uncertainty that the United States, Venezuela, and the region could face.
The capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has drawn a range of reactions from around the world. But experts say the country’s future is uncertain.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Six CFR fellows examine the challenges that lie ahead, reviewing how governance, adoption, and geopolitical competition will shape artificial intelligence and society’s engagement with this new technology.
To secure a strategic advantage, the DoD must manage the tension between vendor hype and extreme alarmism regarding AI adoption.
Defense Budget
In the context of global threats to the United States, a long overdue defense modernization bill, and the ambitions of Trump’s signature defense priorities, perhaps the budget request should have been expected.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth launched enterprising Pentagon reforms that prioritize speed in acquiring new military capabilities, but this ambitious proposal is at risk of running into the same bureaucratic obstacles that have plagued past efforts.
Trump’s signature legislation will push defense spending past $1 trillion, with new funding for innovation and other capabilities. But those investments are at risk of becoming one-off acquisitions without sustained follow-on funding.
Strategic Initiatives
Securing Ukraine’s Future
Timely, informed analysis and practical policy recommendations for both the public and policymakers.
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action
Events
Exiled Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi discusses his perspective on the durability of the Islamic Republic regime, his framework for democratic transition, and the role of the international community in shaping Iran’s future.
Please note there is no virtual component to the meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
Panelists explore opportunities for the United States to develop and deploy emerging energy technologies to better compete with China and other global rivals, as well as discuss pragmatic ways to expand federal investment in energy innovation and maximize its impact.
For those attending virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question-and-answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register.
This meeting is presented in partnership with CFR’s Climate Realism Initiative.
John C. Williams of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York discusses monetary policy and the economic outlook for the year ahead.
The C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics brings the world’s foremost economic policymakers and scholars to address members on current topics in international economics. This meeting series is presented by the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.
Panelists discuss the role of nuclear energy in emerging economies, including its potential to reduce energy poverty and lower emissions, and consider the key challenges facing its adoption.
Please note there is no virtual component to the meeting.
Explainers
The Extent of Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis
More than two years into the civil war in Sudan, about twelve million people have been forcibly displaced. Yet experts say the country’s devastating humanitarian crisis is still not getting the international attention it deserves.
Expert Spotlight
Sebastian Mallaby
Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics
Max Boot
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies
Featured Publications
An approachable guide to the political, social, and demographic changes happening in Africa and why they matter for the rest of the world.
David J. Scheffer and Mark S. Ellis provide an introduction to the UN Charter and make the case that it is the most important secular document in the world.
Few Americans have done more than Jerome A. Cohen to advance the rule of law in East Asia. The founder of the study of Chinese law in the United States and a tireless advocate for human rights, Cohen has been a scholar, teacher, lawyer, and activist for more than sixty years. Moving among the United States, China, and Taiwan, he has encouraged legal reforms, promoted economic cooperation, mentored law students—including a future president of Taiwan—and brokered international crises.
In this compelling, conversational memoir, Cohen recounts a dramatic life of striving for a better world from Washington, DC, to Beijing, offering vital first-hand insights from the study and practice of Sino-American relations. In the early 1960s, when Americans were not permitted to enter China, he met with émigrés in Hong Kong and interviewed them on Chinese criminal procedure. After economic reform under Deng Xiaoping, Cohen’s knowledge of Chinese law took on a new importance as foreign companies began to pursue business opportunities. Helping China develop and reconstruct its legal system, he made an influential case for the roles of Western law and lawyers. Cohen helped break political barriers in both China and Taiwan, and he was instrumental in securing the release of political prisoners in several countries. Sharing these experiences and many others, this book tells the full story of an unparalleled career bridging East and West.