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Expert Bio
Robert McMahon has covered foreign affairs since 1990, writing for the Associated Press, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and CFR.org. As managing editor of CFR’s Digital Content department, McMahon oversees publishing of daily news-related content on CFR.org, supervising an editorial team that produces Backgrounders, In Briefs, long-form interactives, videos, and other multimedia content. He coordinates with CFR fellows to produce web-only publications. McMahon also contributes analysis and background reporting to the website and cohosts the weekly podcast The World Next Week with Senior Fellow Carla Anne Robbins. Under his guidance, CFR.org has garnered multiple media citations, including Emmy, Overseas Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, Webby, and Online News Association awards.
Prior to joining CFR.org, McMahon held senior editorial positions at RFE/RL, including as news director in Prague, Czech Republic, where he was a founding editor of RFE/RL’s website, and as a UN correspondent. He has written extensively on democracy promotion, public diplomacy, human rights, UN peacekeeping, and nation-building. He is a contributing writer to the Foreign Service Journal. McMahon has a master’s degree in international relations from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
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A Kremlin crackdown on independent media is walling off Russians from the truth about the country’s widely condemned invasion of Ukraine, but Western-funded media outlets are ramping up efforts to circumvent censors.
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President Biden has vowed to diversify the top ranks of government agencies. The small and shrinking number of senior Black diplomats, in particular, could undermine U.S. foreign policy goals.
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The summit will feature the highest-profile talks in years on the war between Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists, but the parties will have to bridge major divides to find a permanent end to the conflict.
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Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and Disarmament
The 1986 meeting in Iceland between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was like none other. It offers helpful context for a potential U.S.-North Korea arms control summit. -
The United States should follow targeted strikes in Syria with intensified global efforts to nullify the regime’s chemical weapons capabilities.
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The circumstances surrounding the attack on a former Russian spy in England leave little doubt that Russia was the culprit and cast a lengthening shadow over the global regime to stop chemical weapons.
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Pope Francis will use his upcoming high-level visits to the U.S. and UN to press the concerns of the poor and marginalized, says expert Kenneth Himes.
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King Abdullah’s succession plan for Saudi Arabia’s aging leadership may be his most important legacy at a time of multiple crises in the Middle East, says expert Rachel Bronson.
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Any comprehensive deal on Iran’s nuclear program would require intrusive international inspections. Expert Christopher Bidwell surveys the technical and political challenges.
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While the UN climate summit will not deliver binding commitments to cut carbon emissions, real action on climate policy is occurring on the domestic front, says CFR’s Michael Levi.
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The downing of a Malaysian passenger jet over eastern Ukraine requires an international inquiry as well as ongoing pressure to stop arming separatists in the region, says expert Steven Pifer.
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This video is part of the Council on Foreign Relations’ InfoGuide Presentation, "The Sunni-Shia Divide."
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The 1944 Bretton Woods conference ensured a leading role for Washington in the global financial system but also contributed to present-day problems that will be difficult to fix, says CFR’s Benn Steil.
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The history of frozen conflicts in some of Russia’s neighboring areas signals trouble for Ukraine’s efforts to reintegrate its secessionist regions, says expert Charles E. King.
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Ukraine faces descent into prolonged civil conflict unless a political deal can be forged among ruling party moderates, oligarchs, and opposition leaders, says expert Adrian Karatnycky.
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Growing public and diplomatic dismay over U.S. surveillance helped drive an independent panel’s calls for sweeping reforms, says CFR’s Matthew Waxman.
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Al Jazeera America arrives on the U.S. cable TV scene in a bid to win goodwill and market share through an increasingly rare news-heavy format, says expert William Youmans.
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Global support for the "responsibility to protect" doctrine weakened after the UN-endorsed no-fly zone that helped topple Libya’s regime, and debate continues over the threshold for mounting armed humanitarian interventions, explains this Backgrounder.
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Global monitors say Iran’s human rights situation is poor and unlikely to improve amid a climate of political uncertainty and growing external pressures. But activists urge continued international scrutiny of Iran’s violations.
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The election of pope to lead the world’s one billion Catholics stirs debate over the spiritual authority of the pontiff and the church’s role in the world.
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Despite its booming economy, Mexico continues to struggle with alarmingly high levels of violence linked to drugs and organized crime. This video primer examines the crisis and explores policy options for Mexico and the United States.
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The argument for sustained U.S. diplomatic engagement with Havana has never been more compelling, says CFR’s Julia Sweig.
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The quest by Palestinian officials for statehood recognition could have major repercussions for the Mideast peace process. This Backgrounder outlines the potential impact of the UN vote.