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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.
Scientists say governments need to act with more urgency to keep global warming in check. How much progress is possible at COP28?
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
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
In seventy years, the U.S.-South Korea alliance has evolved from a patron-client relationship to a global comprehensive strategic alliance.
An exploration of the possibilities for enhanced U.S.-ROK cooperation in both traditional and nontraditional spheres.
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?
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's military has recently suffered a string of defeats—but the U.S. government seems unprepared to face the country's potential state collapse.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
John B. Bellinger III
Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law
Alice C. Hill
David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment
Ann Norris
Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy
Christopher M. Tuttle
Senior Fellow and Director of the Renewing America Initiative
Congresses and Parliaments Polls and Public Opinion Elections and Voting
Esther Brimmer
James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance
Bruce Hoffman
Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security
Terrorism and Counterterrorism Wars and Conflict Intelligence
Sebastian Mallaby
Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics
Stephen Biddle
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy
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
Martin S. Indyk
Lowy Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-Middle East Diplomacy
Brad W. Setser
Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow
Catherine Powell
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy
Stephen Sestanovich
George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies
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
Paul B. Stares
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action
Ebenezer Obadare
Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies
Sheila A. Smith
John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies
Matthew P. Goodman
Distinguished Fellow for Global Economic Policy and Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies
Shannon K. O'Neil
Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies
Linda Robinson
Senior Fellow for Women and Foreign Policy
Gideon Rose
Mary and David Boies Distinguished Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy
Wars and Conflict Middle East and North Africa Southeast Asia
Richard Haass
President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations
Jennifer Hillman
Senior Fellow for Trade and International Political Economy
Roger W. Ferguson Jr.
Steven A. Tananbaum Distinguished Fellow for International Economics
Ray Takeyh
Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies
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.
