Thomas Mukoya/Reuters

Climate Change

COP28 has kicked off with tough negotiations on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This Backgrounder explores what global climate agreements have yielded to date.

Climate Change

Scientists say governments need to act with more urgency to keep global warming in check. How much progress is possible at COP28?

Climate Change

In Dubai, leaders should focus their attention on policy solutions for vulnerable regions where climate change is amplifying the consequences of armed conflict and compounding failures of governance.

 

Foreign Policy

United States

The coming year marks a decade since the Russian seizure of Crimea and seventy-five years since NATO’s founding. This rundown offers ten big dates to look out for.

 

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

The alliance is bolstering its military deterrent in Europe amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has expanded to include Finland.
South Korea

South Korea

In seventy years, the U.S.-South Korea alliance has evolved from a patron-client relationship to a global comprehensive strategic alliance.

Security Alliances

An exploration of the possibilities for enhanced U.S.-ROK cooperation in both traditional and nontraditional spheres.

 

Netherlands

Netherlands

Far-right candidate Geert Wilders emerged as the biggest political force in Dutch politics in November’s general elections. What does his win mean for the Netherlands and Europe?

 

Poland

After nearly a decade in power, Poland’s dominant Law and Justice Party fell short of a new mandate in 2023. A new multi-party coalition government is likely to draw closer to the European Union.
Myanmar

Myanmar

Myanmar's military has recently suffered a string of defeats—but the U.S. government seems unprepared to face the country's potential state collapse.

 

Myanmar

The 2021 coup returned Myanmar to military rule and shattered hopes for democratic progress in a Southeast Asian country beset by decades of conflict and repressive regimes.
International Law

Ukraine

The authors, including a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, UN Undersecretary-General for Legal Affairs, Founding Chief Prosecutor of the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the inaugural U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues, urge the imperative of prosecuting alleged Russian crimes of aggression in Ukraine, and present two practical options for doing so.

Ukraine

Countries including the United States are ramping up calls for war crimes investigations following an apparent massacre in the Ukrainian city of Bucha. Could Russian leaders be brought to justice under international law?

 

Events

Economics

The 2023 Stephen C. Freidheim Symposium on Global Economics will discuss international economic leadership. This symposium is presented by the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies and is made possible through the generous support of Council board member Stephen C. Freidheim.

Education

Jenny Lee, vice president for Arizona International, dean of international education, and professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona, leads the conversation on U.S. international academic collaboration and how U.S.-China tensions are affecting higher education.

Intelligence

Panelists discuss their distinguished careers in intelligence and offer advice to young professionals interested in or already pursuing a career in the intelligence space, as well as the challenges confronting the field on federal and local levels.

Expert Spotlight

Shannon K. O'Neil
Shannon K. O'Neil

Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies

Trade Supply Chains Democracy

Kenneth S. Rogoff

The Age of Inflation

Alice C. Hill
Alice C. Hill

David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment

Climate Change Infrastructure Food and Water Security

The 1 Percent for Climate

Daniel Kurtz-Phelan
Daniel Kurtz-Phelan

Editor, Foreign Affairs; Peter G. Peterson Chair

China U.S. Foreign Policy

Immigration Before Automation

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

Israel-Hamas War: The Regional Ripple Effects

Bruce Hoffman
Bruce Hoffman

Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Terrorism and Counterterrorism Wars and Conflict Intelligence

Thomas Graham

Getting Russia Right: Thomas Graham

Stephen Biddle

Ukraine and the Future of Offensive Maneuver

Catherine Powell
Catherine Powell

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy

Women and Women's Rights Human Rights Gender

Robert E. Rubin
Robert E. Rubin

Chairman Emeritus; Former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury

Jerome A. Cohen
Jerome A. Cohen

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies

China Asia International Law

Manjari Chatterjee Miller
Manjari Chatterjee Miller

Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

India Asia China

Paul B. Stares
Paul B. Stares

General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action

Conflict Prevention Wars and Conflict Defense and Security

Martin S. Indyk
Martin S. Indyk

Lowy Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-Middle East Diplomacy

Middle East and North Africa Israel Egypt

What Kissinger Didn't Understand

Kenneth I. Juster

Reischauer Memorial Lecture: Japan-India Relations: Vital to the Indo-Pacific

Michelle Gavin
Michelle Gavin

Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies

Botswana South Africa Zimbabwe

Matthew P. Goodman
Matthew P. Goodman

Distinguished Fellow for Global Economic Policy and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

Economics Diplomacy and International Institutions Asia

Virtual Media Briefing: Previewing APEC and the Biden-Xi Meeting

Liana Fix

A Containment Strategy for Ukraine

Ray Takeyh
Ray Takeyh

Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies

Iran Iran Nuclear Agreement Persian Gulf

The Real Reason Iran Hates Israel

Thomas J. Bollyky
Thomas J. Bollyky

Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development and Director of the Global Health Program

Health Trade Development

Michael Froman
Michael Froman

President, Council on Foreign Relations

Trade Globalization Economics

Henri J. Barkey
Henri J. Barkey

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies

Middle East and North Africa Turkey Kurds

Tom Frieden

Taking Stock of COVID-19 (With Dr. Tom Frieden)

John B. Bellinger III
John B. Bellinger III

Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law

International Law Treaties and Agreements Sanctions

Ian Johnson
Ian Johnson

Stephen A. Schwarzman Senior Fellow for China Studies

China Civil Society Democracy

Benn Steil
Benn Steil

Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics

International Finance Financial Markets Economics

The Fed Is Tightening More Than It Says

Yanzhong Huang
Yanzhong Huang

Senior Fellow for Global Health

China Health Asia

José Miguel Vivanco
José Miguel Vivanco

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Human Rights

Human Rights International Law Americas

Gideon Rose
Gideon Rose

Mary and David Boies Distinguished Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy

Wars and Conflict Middle East and North Africa Southeast Asia

What Oppenheimer Left Out

Explainers

Tracking China’s Control of Overseas Ports
This interactive map tracks China’s growing maritime influence through investments in strategic overseas ports, plotting port location alongside information on Chinese ownership and military usability.

Featured Publications

South Korea

Russia

Thomas Graham offers a practical vision of U.S.-Russia relations.

China

A sweeping portrait from the 1940s to the 2020s of one of humanity’s great battles of memory against forgetting, including some of China’s best-known public intellectuals.