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Russia’s threat to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus has raised the specter of a new nuclear standoff with the United States and its allies in Europe.
The nuclear arms race was perhaps the most alarming feature of the Cold War competition between the United States and Soviet Union. Over the decades, the two sides signed various arms control agreements as a means to manage their rivalry and limit the risk of nuclear war. However, deep fissures have reemerged in the U.S.-Russia relationship in recent years, raising once again the specter of a nuclear arms race.
Africa
The recent flurry of U.S. diplomacy in Africa demonstrates that this is a critical moment for cultivating new relations on the continent.
As the Democratic Republic of Congo’s decades-long struggle with insecurity heats up, increased regional military engagement heightens risks.
Defense and Security
However, Pillar II of the AUKUS—which promises cooperation on AI, hypersonics, quantum computing and other advanced technologies—could significantly strengthen the U.S. position in the Asia Pacific.
United States
Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children have been arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border each year, sparking debate over how to respond. How is the Joe Biden administration handling it?
The Biden administration’s proposed immigration policy aims to curb migrant flows to the United States amid record border crossings. What will it do, and how does it compare to the Trump years?
Israel
The Israeli debate on judicial reform involves issues unique to that country's political system, but also raises questions that every democracy must address. What are the proper powers of courts and of elected institutions in democratic systems of government?
Martin S. Indyk, the Lowy distinguished fellow in U.S.-Middle East diplomacy at the Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the consequences of Benjamin Netanyahu’s return as Israel’s prime minister.
Events
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco discusses how the Department of Justice is countering new and evolving threats to the rule of law posed by hostile nation states, from transnational repression to foreign malign influence.
This meeting is part of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy.
Panelists discuss lessons learned from the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, including the circumstances that led to Operation Iraqi Freedom and whether it was a necessary war, as well as the ramifications of the resulting war for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
The Lessons From History Series uses historical analysis as a critical tool for understanding modern foreign policy challenges by hearing from practitioners who played an important role in a consequential historical event or from experts and historians. This series is made possible through the generous support of David M. Rubenstein.
Former officials involved in the negotiations discuss the landmark 1998 Good Friday Agreement (or Belfast Agreement), lessons for the ongoing peace process, enduring sectarian tensions, and the future of Northern Ireland.
The Lessons From History Series uses historical analysis as a critical tool for understanding modern foreign policy challenges by hearing from practitioners who played an important role in a consequential historical event or from experts and historians. This series is made possible through the generous support of David M. Rubenstein.
Expert Spotlight
Paul B. Stares
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action
Matthew C. Waxman
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Law and Foreign Policy
Martin S. Indyk
Lowy Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-Middle East Diplomacy
Zongyuan Zoe Liu
Fellow for International Political Economy
Sheila A. Smith
John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies
Ray Takeyh
Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies
Stephen Biddle
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy
Linda Robinson
Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy
Roger W. Ferguson Jr.
Steven A. Tananbaum Distinguished Fellow for International Economics
Matthias Matthijs
Senior Fellow for Europe
Europe European Union NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
John B. Bellinger III
Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law
Catherine Powell
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy
Max Boot
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies
Brad W. Setser
Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow
Scott A. Snyder
Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy
Robert D. Blackwill
Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy
Shannon K. O'Neil
Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies
Jennifer Hillman
Senior Fellow for Trade and International Political Economy
Alice C. Hill
David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment
Ann Norris
Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy
Sebastian Mallaby
Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics
Christopher M. Tuttle
Senior Fellow and Director of the Renewing America Initiative
Congresses and Parliaments Polls and Public Opinion Elections and Voting
Benn Steil
Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics
Stephen Sestanovich
George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies
Explainers
How New Tobacco Laws Could Narrow the Racial Gap on Cancer
This interactive examines how nationwide bans on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, as proposed by the Biden administration on April 28, 2022, could help shrink the racial gap on U.S. lung cancer death rates.
Experts in the News
Featured Publications
A provocative guide to how we must reenvision citizenship if American democracy is to survive.
Shannon K. O’Neil offers a powerful case for why regionalization, not globalization, has been the biggest economic trend of the last forty years.
Joshua Kurlantzick analyzes China's attempts to become a media, information, and influence superpower, seeking for the first time to shape the domestic politics, local media, and information environments of the United States, East Asia, parts of Europe, and the broader world.