Events

Each year CFR organizes more than one hundred on-the-record events, conference calls, and podcasts in which senior government officials, global leaders, business executives, and prominent thinkers discuss pressing international issues.  
  • United States

    In its new report, Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action, the CFR Task Force on Space Management Policy analyzes the challenges in low Earth orbit, where the acceleration in human space activity is most evident, and proposes recommendations for a U.S.-led international strategy to govern this increasingly congested and contested space. 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 event will be posted on the CFR website. Members may bring a guest to this event.  
  • Europe

    Panelists discuss transatlantic ties under a second Trump administration, NATO burden-sharing, and the future of European strategic autonomy.  This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration.
  • Trade

    CFR experts provide insights and context around President Donald Trump's announced tariffs and what they mean for North American trade, U.S. alliances, and global competition.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    Tech leader Reid Hoffman shares his insider’s perspective on an AI-powered future and its transformative potential to improve lives and create positive change.  The Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener Annu…
  • Ukraine

    President Donald Trump has indicated his desire to bring a speedy end to the war in Ukraine. How this goal will be accomplished, given the numerous obstacles, remains to be seen. In a series of publications, CFR experts on Ukraine and Russia provide a complementary set of policy recommendations aimed at ensuring Ukraine’s survival and success as an independent state. This meeting is part of the Council Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future and Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security.  
  • Sub-Saharan Africa

    Panelists discuss how a second Trump administration could reshape U.S.-Africa relations, whether security, economic, and diplomatic engagement will deepen or decline, and how to define the U.S. strategic role in the continent while countering China’s growing influence. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. 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 World Economic Update highlights the quarter’s most important and emerging trends. Discussions cover changes in the global marketplace with special emphasis on current economic events and their implications for U.S. policy. This series is presented by the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies and is dedicated to the life and work of the distinguished economist Martin Feldstein. Please note there is no virtual component to the meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid meeting will be posted on the CFR website.  
  • Technology and Innovation

    Varun Sivaram, senior fellow for energy and climate at CFR, discusses the role of new and emerging technology in addressing the challenges posed by climate change and the future of energy policy in t…
  • Political Transitions

    Panelists discuss the potential impacts of President-elect Trump’s proposed trade policies on global supply chains and analyze shifts in U.S. trade policy over the last eight years. This meeting is part of CFR's Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration.
  • United States

    Please join us for a live taping of The World Next Week podcast. Hosted by Robert McMahon, Carla Anne Robbins, and their guest co-host, Deborah Amos, this special taping and livestream will serve as the show’s series finale after over seventeen years on air.  The World Next Week brings journalists’ perspectives to the critical and intriguing stories developing around the globe—from Kyiv, to Pyongyang, to Capitol Hill, to Cannes. TWNW’s hosts have years of experience covering international and Washington news. Before joining CFR, Robert McMahon, managing editor of digital content, reported for the Associated Press and was news director for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague. Carla Anne Robbins, a senior fellow and faculty director of the MIA Program at Baruch College’s Marxe School, was deputy editorial page editor at the New York Times and chief diplomatic correspondent at the Wall Street Journal.        
  • Economics

    Panelists discuss the global economic outlook for 2025, including the challenges facing central banks worldwide, prospects for growth in emerging markets, and the economic priorities of an incoming Trump administration. 
  • China

    Panelists discuss their recently released memoirs, Small Acts of Courage and At the Edge of Empire: A Family's Reckoning with China, highlighting how their personal experiences helped shape their perspectives on democracy, history, identity, and global politics.  Members are encouraged to include their high school- or college-age children or grandchildren in this event. All members are welcome to attend. The conversation portion of this meeting is on the record. The question-and-answer portion of this meeting is not for attribution, meaning that participants are free to make use of the information shared at the meeting but may not attribute any quotes or content to any speakers or participants. Use of personal recording devices and cameras is prohibited. CFR reserves the right to take or use photographs for its own use.  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. The Daughters and Sons meeting series is made possible by generous endowment support from The Marc Haas Foundation and the Stanley S. Shuman Family Foundation.
  • Sudan

    Special Envoy Tom Perriello discusses the ongoing civil war in Sudan, the resulting humanitarian crisis, and the Biden administration’s designation of genocide by the Rapid Support Forces. Please note there is no Zoom component to the meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.  
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

    LABOTT: Thanks, Meaghan. And thanks to everyone for joining. We have a lot of our press colleagues here today, as well as some of our members. So thanks very much for joining us. For our members of t…
  • Center for Preventive Action

    This event will explore the results of the 2025 Preventive Priorities Survey which polls hundreds of foreign policy experts every year to assess thirty ongoing or potential violent conflicts and their likely impact on U.S. interests. The results are available here. Panelists will delve into the global political implications of the conflicts that top the list, as well as ways the Trump administration should handle them. 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.  
  • Public Health Threats and Pandemics

    In When the World Closed Its Doors:The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders, Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman tell the story of how nearly every country in the world shut its borders to respond to the pandemic threat. The book details the enormous human costs of the travel restrictions and argues that governments are becoming overly reliant on borders to address external threats from terrorism to drugs to migration. This wide-angle view of a singular shock to the international systems of travel and migration highlights why those living across borders need better protections and governments more robust guardrails. The CFR Fellows’ Book Launch series highlights new books by CFR fellows.
  • United States

    Join us for two sessions examining President Jimmy Carter's legacy, including his contributions to peace in the Middle East, his efforts to advance global human rights, and the lasting impact of his presidency on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs.  
  • United States

    Panelists discuss careers in defense and security within the U.S. government and the many forms they can take. The CFR Young Professionals Briefing Series provides an opportunity for those early in their careers to engage with CFR. The briefings feature remarks by experts on critical global issues and lessons learned in their careers. These events are intended for individuals who have completed their undergraduate studies and have not yet reached the age of thirty to be eligible for CFR term membership. We are pleased to extend this invitation to you through the recommendation of a CFR member. If you no longer wish to receive these invitations, please let us know by replying to this email.
  • United States

    Lt. General (ret.) H.R. McMaster discusses his new book, At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House, and the geopolitical dynamics that the second Trump Administration will confront. The Distinguished Voices Series focuses particular attention on the contributions made by a prominent individual at a critical juncture in the history of the country or the world.  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.
  • Russia

    The relationship between Russia and the People’s Republic of China continues to dominate headlines, news stories, and conversations in the American foreign policy community. Analysts continue to discuss the quality and depth of the relationship, how it’s perceived around the world, and what, if anything, the United States can do about it. The CFR China Strategy Initiative is pleased to invite members to the inaugural meeting of its China 360 program: a two-part event on China-Russia Relations. Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine, in a keynote session, discuss their new Council Special Report, No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy. Following their insights, CFR experts discuss the view and implications of Beijing and Moscow’s relationship for the rest of the world.
  • Economics

    Brad W. Setser, CFR’s Whitney Shepardson senior fellow, leads the conversation on the influence of tariffs on global trade and the price of U.S. goods, and what to expect from the second Trump admini…
  • United States

    Secretary Antony J. Blinken discusses the administration’s foreign policy and diplomacy, including his focus on rebuilding alliances and partnerships abroad to respond to shared challenges.  
  • Women and Foreign Policy Program

  • Media

    Elise Labott, the 2024-25 Edward R. Murrow press fellow at CFR, discusses the shift away from traditional news sources to social media and the implications of segmenting audiences through outlets suc…