Diplomacy and International Institutions

  • United States
    A Conversation With USAID Administrator Samantha Power: Building Economic Resilience and Advancing Economic Statecraft
    In response to new fractures and flashpoints in the global economy and heightened strategic competition, the United States and countries around the world are recalibrating their approaches to economic policy. This includes the U.S. government prioritizing economic statecraft  – including affirmative measures that bring mutual economic and security benefits to the United States and our international partners. Building on decades of work supporting inclusive economic growth, USAID is now accelerating its efforts to strengthen economic resilience in low- and middle-income countries to increase debt sustainability, create jobs, and connect with U.S. and allies’ critical supply chains. Please join us for a conversation with USAID Administrator Samantha Power and CFR President Michael Froman on USAID’s policy and programmatic efforts to meet the moment for U.S. economic and national security interests by delivering responsive development cooperation and a strengthened U.S. value proposition for low- and middle-income countries.   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. This meeting is presented by RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership and is made possible by the generous support of the Amy Falls and Hartley Rogers Foundation.
  • South Korea
    Turmoil in South Korea, French Government Collapses, Syrian Rebels Reignite Conflict, and More
    Podcast
    Impeachment looms for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose declaration of martial law spurred mass protests; French lawmakers passed the first no-confidence vote in more than sixty years, as the country is set to mark the the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral; Syrian rebels continue a surprise offensive against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime after seizing the cities of Aleppo and Hama; and U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump threatens 100 percent tariffs on BRICS nations.
  • Kenya
    Rescuing Haiti from Gang Rule
    To save Haiti, the United States needs to lead from the front.

Experts in this Topic

Esther Brimmer
Esther Brimmer

James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance

Rush Doshi Headshot
Rush Doshi

C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative

Matt Goodman CFR pic
Matthew P. Goodman

Distinguished Fellow, Director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, and Director of the CFR RealEcon Initiative

Jonathan Hillman Headshot
Jonathan E. Hillman

Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics

Ed Husain Headshot
Ed Husain

Senior Fellow

Kenneth I. Juster

Distinguished Fellow

Shuxian Luo

Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow

Inu Manak

Fellow for Trade Policy

  • Israel
    U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts
    Israel has long been the leading recipient of U.S. foreign aid, including military assistance. That aid has come under heightened scrutiny amid Israel’s conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.
  • Iran
    Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
    The IRGC is one of the most powerful organizations in Iran, conceived as the principal defender of the 1979 revolution, and now a critical link to Islamist militant groups violently opposed to Israel and the United States.
  • United States
    Trump’s Foreign Policy Moments
    Donald Trump’s first presidential term marked a sharp departure from previous approaches to U.S. leadership in areas such as diplomacy and trade. Here are major foreign policy moments from his four years in office.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
    What Does Africa Really Want?
    The continent’s case for “global restructuring” is muddled.
  • Brazil
    What Is the BRICS Group and Why Is It Expanding?
    As BRICS grows in both membership and global sway, its expansion comes with divisions among its members old and new on how to set the stage for a revised world order.
  • Human Rights
    Thailand's Chance to Send the Right Signal
    The world is sleepwalking through Thailand’s growing denial of fundamental human rights, like freedom of expression. The country’s rights violations are aimed at shielding its centuries-old monarchy from domestic criticism–and they are trampling a vibrant pro-democracy movement. A wake-up moment will occur soon this month when the United Nations General Assembly decides whether to elect the country to a three-year seat on the Human Rights Council, despite Thailand’s cascading decline in human rights protections and democratic freedoms. In Thailand, democracy is being decapitated with the delegitimization of major political parties. The government aggressively cracks down on the press. Freedom House this year ranks Thailand as barely “Partly Free” on political rights and civil liberties and “Not Free” on internet freedom. A particular source of concern is Thailand’s long-standing law (lèse-majesté) that makes it a criminal offense to “defame, insult or threaten members of the royal family.” Compliant courts enforce prison sentences of three to fifteen years under the law. Between mid-2020 and mid-2024, a total of 272 individuals, including a 14-year-old girl, were charged in 303 cases under the law. On the broader scale of rights deprivation, a total of 1,956 people were politically prosecuted in 1,302 cases. Several months ago I joined with the Clooney Foundation for Justice to report on a courageous Thai woman, Netiporn “Bung” Sanaesangkhom, who died in detention following her 65-day hunger strike protesting the lèse-majesté law and the six criminal cases against her. Her “crime” for which she was in jail? Organizing a peaceful and informal poll in February 2022 that sought the public’s views on whether motorcades carrying members of the royal family were an inconvenience to the public. Thailand’s Lèse-majesté Law The world has acknowledged the regressive character and enforcement of Thailand’s lèse-majesté law, which has unique standing for its brutality among the club of monarchies. Anyone can file a charge against anyone for violation of the lèse-majesté law.  Several years ago, the Human Rights Council examined civil, political, and other human rights in Thailand during its Universal Periodic Review of the country. Seventeen nations requested that Thailand review or reform its lèse-majesté law. Instead of heeding these appeals, Thailand has been doubling down in defiance of the Human Rights Council, on which the United States still sits. The courts in cases brought using the lèse-majesté law have repeatedly rejected defendants’ efforts either to explain that their speeches were criticisms of the institution of the monarchy, not the person of the monarch, which should be a defense to liability. Alternately, defendants have argued that they should be allowed to prove the truth of statements they might make about the King himself, which, again, should shield defendants from being found guilty under the law, as it does not purport, on its face, to criminalize true statements. Instead, the courts twist themselves into knots to convict defendants—or at least keep the threat of conviction alive so that defendants have to worry about going back to jail if they speak out. Pro-monarchy activists have also taken to filing cases across the country, on the theory that online speech can be seen anywhere in the country, making it even more difficult for protesters to defend themselves in areas lacking adequate legal representation. How Thailand Should Move Forward The ball is on Thailand’s field. Unfortunately, Thailand’s Constitutional Court recently dissolved the Move Forward Party which was making such significant strides to strengthen democratic governance of the country. The country’s ruling elite, who thrive under the protection afforded to their interests by the lèse-majesté law, should signal new respect for the human rights of their own people. The first and best option would be repeal of the lèse-majesté law, which the UN has repeatedly found to be inconsistent with international standards. Thailand is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which codifies such international standards as freedom of expression, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to freedom of association. The Covenant also codifies due process rights for those charged with crimes. Repeal of the lèse-majesté law, however, currently appears unlikely. In the meantime, as a second best option, the government should back an amnesty bill currently stalled in the Thai Parliament that is aimed at delivering amnesty to political prisoners, including alleged offenders of the lèse-majesté law. Third, the authorities also could aim to loosen enforcement of the lèse-majesté law to levels at least comparable to the period of 2018 to 2020. This could include dismissing the charges against a large number of those currently charged and, in many of those cases, detained under the lèse-majesté law. Fourth, Thailand also could separate criminal defamation of the King—the ostensible rationale of the lèse-majesté law—from (what should be) lawful commentary about the place of the monarchy in the Constitution and how public policy should be crafted. Fifth, the government could take up recommendations made by the United States and Austria for minor reform of the lèse-majesté law to the effect of eliminating a mandatory minimum sentence under the law and ensuring children do not face charges. Finally, Thai authorities could de-couple enforcement of the country’s overbroad Computer Crime Act from lèse-majesté infractions online. This is the moment for a strong signal to be sent by Thailand as it stands for election to the United Nations body charged with protecting human rights.
  • Ukraine
    How Much U.S. Aid Is Going to Ukraine?
    Nine charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.
  • Iran
    Iran’s President Signaled Interest in Engagement at the UN. Does It Matter?
    Masoud Pezeshkian’s UN speech and meetings generated interest on Iran’s potential return to a nuclear deal, but there is little chance of softening Iranian diplomacy on conflicts with Israel.
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    The United Nations General Assembly Votes to Remove Jews from Jerusalem's Old City
    The most recent UN General Assembly resolution on Israel and the Palestinians is a radical strike at Israel and would push Jews out of the Old City of Jerusalem.