Election 2024
Adam Gray/Reuters

United States

Contrasting Foreign Policy Visions
Tuesday’s presidential debate likely didn’t change the course of the race, but it did showcase opposing visions of where the United States is and where it needs to go, particularly with foreign policy.

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay September 13, 2024 The Water's Edge

Election 2024

The Trump-Harris Debate Ignored Asia—That’s Bad News
The U.S. presidential election neglected to discuss Asia, one of the most pivotal regions to U.S. foreign policy.

Blog Post by Joshua Kurlantzick September 11, 2024 Asia Unbound

United States

The Presidential Debate: Foreign Policy Issue Guide
Presidential nominees Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are set to debate for the first time. These resources offer background and analysis on the foreign policy issues facing the candidates.

Article by Noah Berman and Diana Roy September 6, 2024

U.S.

Terrorism and Counterterrorism

Preventing Election Violence

Marco Bello/Reuters
A second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump yesterday has spurred new warnings of the increased risk of political violence around November’s vote.

Contingency Planning Memorandum by Jacob Ware April 17, 2024 Center for Preventive Action

United States

How to Avoid a Spiral of Political Violence in America Link

via Foreign Affairs August 8, 2024

Election 2024

A Test for U.S. Democracy
After a shooting that injured former President Donald Trump and killed a spectator at a campaign rally, leaders of both parties must unite behind efforts to calm and stabilize the political climate.

Expert Brief by Jacob Ware July 14, 2024 National Security and Defense Program

China

China

China’s Role in Combating the Illegal Fentanyl Trade
Those seeking to profit from fentanyl and governments seeking to control its supply are locked in a never-ending competition, with each new countermeasure spurring further innovation to circumvent it.

Expert Brief by Zongyuan Zoe Liu September 12, 2024

Drug Policy

America’s Fentanyl Epidemic: The China Connection

Podcast
Over the past few years, a new threat has emerged as a leading cause of death in the United States: fentanyl. Yet even as the drug wreaks havoc on Americans lives, preventing its flow into the United States is complicated, partially because of the supply’s overseas origins, which is often China. What is China’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis?

Podcast with Gabrielle Sierra, Thomas J. Bollyky, Zongyuan Zoe Liu and Shannon K. O'Neil October 25, 2023 Why It Matters

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Fentanyl and the U.S. Opioid Epidemic
Opioid addiction has become one of the United States’ biggest killers, endangering public health, the economy, and national security. But closing the floodgates on fentanyl poses a significant foreign policy challenge.

Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista and Mariel Ferragamo December 22, 2023

United States

Japan

The Nippon Steel Deal Conundrum
A decision by President Biden to block Nippon Steel’s purchase of U.S. Steel would not be good policy or good politics.

Article by Matthew P. Goodman September 11, 2024 RealEcon

United States

Why Biden Wants to Block the Nippon-U.S. Steel Deal
U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to block the Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel, raising questions about the administration’s economic and foreign policy priorities.  

In Brief by Noah Berman September 6, 2024

United States

What Happens When Foreign Investment Becomes a Security Risk?
The United States and other Western countries are reevaluating their foreign investment regulations amid an uptick in Chinese interest in strategic sectors.

Backgrounder by Jonathan Masters, James McBride and Noah Berman January 3, 2023 Renewing America

History

United States

Ronald Reagan’s Foreign Policy Legacy

Podcast
Max Boot, the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at CFR and a columnist for The Washington Post, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ronald Reagan’s life and his impact on U.S. foreign policy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Max Boot September 10, 2024 The President’s Inbox

United States

Ronald Reagan: His Life and Legend
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

Max Boot

United States

Reagan Didn’t Win the Cold War Link

with Max Boot via Foreign Affairs September 6, 2024

hub1
CFR presents a wealth of resources to help understand what’s at stake for foreign policy in the U.S. presidential race.
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Events
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Nigeria

A Conversation With Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar of Nigeria
Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar of Nigeria discusses emerging issues in the sub-region and across the continent, including Nigeria's foreign policy initiatives and challenges to economic and regional security amid ongoing geopolitical turmoil. 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. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website, and the discussion will be livestreamed through CFR.org.

Virtual Event with Yusuf M. Tuggar and Ebenezer Obadare September 18, 2024

United States

CFR Fellows' Book Launch Series: Reagan—His Life and Legend by Max Boot
From best-selling biographer Max Boot comes this revelatory portrait, a decade in the making, of the actor-turned-politician whose telegenic leadership ushered in a transformative conservative era in American politics. Despite his fame as a Hollywood star and television host, Reagan remained a man of profound contradictions, even to those closest to him. Never resorting to either hagiography or hit job, Reagan charts his epic journey from Depression-era America to “Morning in America.” Providing fresh insight into “trickle-down economics,” the Cold War’s end, the Iran-Contra affair, and so much more, this definitive biography is as compelling a presidential biography as any in recent decades. The CFR Fellows’ Book Launch series highlights new books by CFR fellows. Please note that members will receive an offer to claim a complimentary copy of this book.  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. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid meeting will be posted on the CFR website.

Virtual Event with Max Boot and James M. Lindsay September 16, 2024

United States

C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics With Lael Brainard

Play
Lael Brainard, White House National Economic Advisor, shares an updated assessment of the U.S. recovery. 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 and U.S. monetary policy. This meeting series is presented by RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership, a CFR initiative of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

Virtual Event with Lael Brainard, Blair W. Effron and Matthew P. Goodman September 16, 2024

United States

A Conversation With U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Play
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield discusses the future of multilateralism and U.S. commitments to reforming the United Nations Security Council to be more inclusive, representative, and legitimate. 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. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.  

Virtual Event with Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Elise Labott September 12, 2024

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Experts in the News

Max Boot
Link

Boot: Ronald Reagan's Genius Was His Ability to Put His Campaign Rhetoric Aside to Do What Worked

Via CBS Mornings September 7, 2024

Michael B.G. Froman
Link

Froman: Foreign Policy May Play More of a Role Than Traditionally in This Election

Via Bloomberg Voternomics September 3, 2024

Rush Doshi
Link

Doshi: The Biden and Harris Administration Has Perhaps the Most Robust Indo-Pacific Agenda in Decades

Via CNBC Squawk Box Asia August 21, 2024

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Explainers

9/11
How 9/11 Reshaped Foreign Policy
9/11
How 9/11 Reshaped Foreign Policy
Timeline by James McBride
The events of September 11, 2001, set in motion sweeping changes to U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism practices, launched two major wars, and altered Americans’ daily routines.
Guantánamo Bay: Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Controversy
Terrorism and Counterterrorism Guantánamo Bay: Twenty Years of Counterterrorism and Controversy
Article by Jonathan Masters
Europe’s Migration Dilemma
Immigration and Migration Europe’s Migration Dilemma
Immersive_article_layout by Kali Robinson, Diana Roy and Sabine Baumgartner
Crossing the Darién Gap: Migrants Risk Death on the Journey to the U.S.
Immigration and Migration Crossing the Darién Gap: Migrants Risk Death on the Journey to the U.S.
Immersive_article_layout by Diana Roy and Sabine Baumgartner
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Expert Spotlight

Luciana L. Borio
Luciana L. Borio

Senior Fellow for Global Health

Public Health Threats and Pandemics Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines Biotechnology

David Sacks
David Sacks

Fellow for Asia Studies

Asia China Taiwan

Esther Brimmer
Esther Brimmer

James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance

Global Governance International Organizations Space

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Featured Publications

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

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

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