Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik/Pool/Reuters

Daily News Brief

President Trump wrote on social media that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” begin negotiations toward a ceasefire and peace deal, after speaking separately with both leaders yesterday.

Europe

Two things emerged clearly from this week’s Copenhagen Democracy Summit, the eighth annual gathering convened by Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Europe

Elections and Voting

Daily News Brief

In a surprise result, a centrist defeated a populist candidate in Romania’s presidential election, while moderates in Portugal and Poland maintained a narrow lead.

Europe

The most populous Eastern European member states in the European Union—Poland and Romania—will hold presidential elections on May 18 that have implications for the state of democracy and EU solidarity with Ukraine.

Asia

Parties that are firm with President Trump are reaping major electoral rewards.
Middle East

Human Rights

The Trump visit to the Gulf showed no understanding of the invaluable asset that support for human rights represents for the United States.

United States

CFR experts discuss President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to the Gulf region, including what the trip could signify for Iran nuclear negotiations, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and U.S. policy in the Middle East. 

Syria

Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria and meet with its new president is a major shift in U.S.-Syria relations, but it may not be an indicator that Syrian refugees should return home any time soon. 
Trade War

Trade

The United States and China narrowly avoided a trade war by agreeing to a ninety-day pause on steep tariffs. The truce is not a bona fide trade deal, but the stage is now set for serious negotiations on a potentially broader and longer-term agreement.

Asia

U.S.-China trade talks in Geneva resulted in a temporary slash of tariff rates, but the ripple effect of this tit-for-tat escalation won’t disappear anytime soon.

United States

The U.S.-UK trade agreement is Trump’s first since his “Liberation Day” tariff announcements. It could be a possible template for other nations seeking a deal, but it could also have major implications for global trading norms. 
Immigration

United States

The Trump administration’s efforts to nullify birthright citizenship for millions of U.S.-born children could overturn a nearly 160-year legal precedent.

United States

Panelists discuss the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including increased deportations, the attempt to end birthright citizenship, and the suspension of refugee admissions, as well as the implications for U.S. national security and foreign policy. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. The Silberstein Family Annual Lecture on Refugee and Migration Policy was established in 2019 through a generous gift from Alan M. Silberstein and the Silberstein family. The lecture provides CFR with an annual forum to explore emerging challenges in refugee and migration policy in the United States and around the world. 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.

United States

Immigration has been an important element of U.S. economic and cultural vitality since the country’s founding. This interactive timeline outlines the evolution of U.S. immigration policy after World War II.
CFR experts provide timely analysis on the trade-offs and costs associated with U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies.

Events

Sudan

Join us for a special screening of Khartoum, followed by a panel discussion on the humanitarian situation in Sudan. The film features five citizens of Khartoum—a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two young bottle collectors—who are forced to leave Sudan for East Africa following the outbreak of war and reenacts their stories of survival and freedom through dreams, revolution, and civil war. The Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture was established by CFR and the family of Arthur C. Helton, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who died in the August 2003 bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad. The Lecture addresses pressing issues in the broad field of human rights and humanitarian concerns. Members may register a guest for this event. Please note there is no virtual component to this meeting. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this in-person meeting will be posted on the CFR website.

United States

The heads of three foreign policy think tanks discuss whether alliances can withstand shifts in U.S. policy, how major allies are adapting their foreign and defense strategies, and what new coalitions might emerge in a changing global security and trade landscape.The Council of Councils (CoC) is an international initiative created by the Council on Foreign Relations to connect leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a dialogue on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation. The CoC is composed of twenty-eight major policy institutes from some of the world’s most influential countries. It is designed to facilitate candid, not-for-attribution dialogue and consensus-building among influential opinion leaders from both established and emerging nations, with the ultimate purpose of injecting the conclusions of its deliberations into high-level foreign policy circles within members’ countries.If you wish to attend 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.

United States

The U.S. military service chiefs discuss the future of American defense strategy, military readiness, and emerging global challenges. The Robert B. McKeon Endowed Series on Military Strategy and Leadership features prominent individuals from the military and intelligence communities. 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.

United States

Senator Brian Schatz discusses the future of funding for U.S. foreign assistance and diplomatic engagement and the ability of the United States to address global challenges. If you wish to attend 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.  

Explainers

Expert Spotlight

Michelle Gavin
Michelle Gavin

Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies

Botswana South Africa Zimbabwe

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

Featured Publications

International Law

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.

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

A detailed exploration of the most sweeping government border closures in human history during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for the future of global mobility.

United States

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.