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Global

Season Two Trailer

Is China exporting its authoritarian model to other countries? Is the “fast fashion” industry accelerating climate change? In season two, Why It Matters explores a new series of issues that are flying under the radar now, but won’t be for long.

Podcast with Gabrielle Sierra March 25, 2020 Why It Matters
Public Health Threats and Pandemics

Global Leadership Is in Quarantine Just When It Is Needed Most

Contrasting the current pandemic with past crises underscores U.S. President Donald J. Trump's abdication of global leadership.

Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick March 23, 2020 The Internationalist
Immigration and Migration

How Should the World Respond to the Coming Wave of Climate Migrants?

Nations should use existing international institutions, instruments, and laws to protect and assist vulnerable populations, while mobilizing foreign aid to help communities in the developing world absorb the coming wave of environmental migrants.

Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick March 16, 2020 The Internationalist

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

The World Health Organization

Since its postwar founding, the UN agency has garnered both praise and criticism for its response to international public health crises, including a new coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors March 12, 2020
Democracy

With the United States Backsliding, Who Will Defend Democracy in the World?

A new Freedom House report finds that India and the United States were among the foremost contributors last year to democratic backslide and that global freedom continues to decline.

Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick March 9, 2020 The Internationalist
Global Commons

A Responsibility to Protect the Earth? Reframing Sovereignty in the Anthropocene

Protecting the biosphere requires new conceptions of sovereign obligation.

Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick March 2, 2020 The Internationalist
Technology and Innovation

Dimming the Sky

As climate change accelerates, some scientists are researching ways to alter our climate to slow down warming. But the method, called solar geoengineering, comes with some serious risks.

Podcast with Gabrielle Sierra, David Keith, Shuchi Talati and Gernot Wagner February 12, 2020 Why It Matters
Global

Women’s Power Index

Find out where women around the world wield political power—and why it matters.

by Rachel B. Vogelstein and Alexandra Bro January 30, 2020 Women and Foreign Policy Program
Global

World Economic Update

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.

Event with Heidi Crebo-Rediker, Susan Lund and Adam Posen January 23, 2020 World Economic Update
Nuclear Energy

New Year’s Special: 2020 Hindsight

At the start of the new year, the Why It Matters team takes a look at some of the best interview segments that didn’t make it into the episodes.

Podcast with Gabrielle Sierra, Alexandra Bell, Richard K. Betts, Elizabeth C. Economy, Stewart M. Patrick, Paul Scharre, Megan Smith and Abigail Stowe-Thurston January 1, 2020 Why It Matters
Global

Ten World Figures Who Died in 2019

I wrote yesterday about ten Americans who died in 2019 who shaped U.S. foreign policy during their lifetimes. But Americans are not the only ones who influence world affairs. Below are ten world figu…

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 31, 2019 The Water's Edge
Global

Ten American Foreign Policy Notables Who Died in 2019

Year’s end is a time for taking stock, counting successes, and assessing failures. It is also time for remembering those who are no longer with us. Here are ten Americans who died in 2019 who through…

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 30, 2019 The Water's Edge
Global

Ten Most Significant World Events in 2019

If you are feeling a bit exhausted as 2019 comes to a close, you aren’t alone. It has been a busy year on the world scene. A seemingly unending parade of summits, crises, and protests have dominated …

Blog Post by James M. Lindsay December 23, 2019 The Water's Edge
Global

2019 Hot Spots: The Year in Eleven Maps

CFR showcases eleven maps that help explain the events that grabbed the world’s attention in the past year.

by Claire Felter December 16, 2019
World Trade Organization (WTO)

What’s Next for the WTO?

With President Trump skeptical of the WTO’s usefulness and Doha negotiations stalled, the future of global trade rules is in doubt.

Backgrounder by James McBride and Andrew Chatzky December 10, 2019