Centennial Speaker Series

Nine Questions for the World

This series, which commemorates CFR's centennial, will feature some of today's biggest thinkers including Margaret MacMillan, Anne Applebaum, Nicholas Stern, Minouche Shafik, Nicholas Eberstadt, Michelle McMurry-Heath, Elizabeth Perry, and Fei-Fei Li.

CFR President Richard Haass will lead conversations on the future of democracy, globalization, climate change, and other issues that will define the century.The series also aired as a podcast called Nine Questions for the World.

 
Presider
Richard N. Haass
President, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, The World: A Brief Introduction

Past Events

Centennial Speaker Series Session 1: What Are the Lessons of History for Our Era?
Margaret MacMillan
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 2: Can Democracy Survive?
Anne E. Applebaum
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 3: Will Climate Change Us Before We Change It?
Nicholas Stern
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 4: Balancing the Role of Government and Markets
Minouche Shafik
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 5: Comparative Demographic Trends & Their Implications
Nicholas Eberstadt
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 6: What Are the Potential Benefits and Risks of Biotechnology?
Michelle T. McMurry-Heath
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 7: Will the 21st Century be China's?
Elizabeth J. Perry
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 8: Will Technology Save Us or Threaten Us?
Fei-Fei Li
Richard Haass
Play
Centennial Speaker Series Session 9: The Future of World Order
Richard Haass
Fareed Zakaria
Play

United Nations

The UN Security Council
The UN Security Council is the premier global body for maintaining international peace and security, but it faces steady calls for reform to better meet twenty-first-century challenges.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors September 9, 2024

United Nations

The Role of the UN Secretary-General
The United Nations’ top leadership position has broad authority to steer the organization’s agenda, but its impact has varied widely since 1946.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors August 29, 2024

United States

Foreign Policy at the U.S. National Political Conventions
Foreign policy issues regularly come to the fore at the national political conventions, especially during periods of global instability. Sometimes the events are marked by bitter disagreements within the parties.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors August 21, 2024

Top Stories on CFR

Japan

Blocking the Nippon Steel Acquisition: Politics Versus Policy
A decision by President Biden to block Nippon Steel’s purchase of U.S. Steel would not be good policy or good politics.

Article by Matthew P. Goodman September 11, 2024 RealEcon

United States

Ronald Reagan on U.S. Global Leadership, with Max Boot

Podcast
Max Boot, the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at CFR and a columnist for The Washington Post, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss Ronald Reagan’s life and his impact on U.S. foreign policy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Max Boot September 10, 2024 The President’s Inbox

Ukraine

From the Ukraine Conflict to a Secure Europe
Thomas Graham argues that cooperation between European member states, as well as U.S. commitment to its allies in the region, can create a freer, more secure, and more prosperous Europe. 

Report by Thomas Graham September 4, 2024 Center for Preventive Action