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    How the U.S. Patrols Its Borders

    President Trump sent U.S. troops to the border with Mexico to supplement the work of authorities there. President Biden pledges a new approach as pressures mount along the boundary.

    Backgrounder by Amelia Cheatham, Claire Felter and Zachary Laub April 12, 2021

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    Hong Kong’s Freedoms

    Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong in recent years, dimming hopes that the financial center will ever become a full democracy.

    Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland and Eleanor Albert February 17, 2021

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    What Is the World Doing to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines?

    Only a year after the new coronavirus emerged, the first vaccines to protect against it are being administered. But production challenges, vaccine nationalism, and new virus strains are all presenting hurdles.

    Backgrounder by Claire Felter March 1, 2021

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    Nonstate Warfare The Military Methods of Guerillas, Warlords, and Militias

    Stephen Biddle explains how nonstate military strategies overturn traditional perspectives on warfare.

    Book by Stephen Biddle April 6, 2021 National Security and Defense Program

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    School Policy Decisions During COVID-19

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    Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks on the considerations schools face in terms of reopening, taking into account their individual needs as well as public health and CDC recommendations. Jacob Carpenter, education reporter at the Houston Chronicle, discusses best practices for framing stories related to this topic. Carla Anne Robbins, adjunct senior fellow at CFR and former deputy editorial page editor at the New York Times, hosts the webinar.

    Webinar with Jacob Carpenter and Randi Weingarten April 15, 2021 Local Journalists Webinars

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    The 21st Century World: Big Challenges & Big Ideas: What Are the Lessons of History for Our Era?

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    Margaret MacMillan discusses prominent events in history that can help increase our understanding of current events and guide policymaking.  This meeting launches CFR’s new speaker series, The 21st Century World: Big Challenges & Big Ideas, which will feature some of today’s leading thinkers and tackle issues ​that will define this century. The series commemorates CFR’s centennial and will be released as a podcast later this year. 

    Virtual Event with Margaret MacMillan April 13, 2021

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Politics and Government

Democracy

  • Democracy
    Democracy Is Down, but Not Out
    Fewer than 20 percent of the globe’s inhabitants now live in a “free” country today. What might be done to reverse the autocratic tide?
    Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick March 8, 2021 The Internationalist
  • United States
    Biden’s Foreign Policy for the Middle Class Takes Shape
    Biden's first major foreign policy address drew the curtain on the disastrous Trump era, emphasizing the nation’s strength at home determines its success abroad—and vice versa.
    by Stewart M. Patrick February 22, 2021 International Institutions and Global Governance Program
  • Hong Kong
    Hong Kong’s Freedoms: What China Promised and How It’s Cracking Down
    Beijing has tightened its grip on Hong Kong in recent years, dimming hopes that the financial center will ever become a full democracy.
    Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland and Eleanor Albert February 17, 2021
  • Democracy
    Trump Still Casts a Shadow Over Biden’s Pro-Democracy Ambitions
    The rationale behind Biden’s democracy summit is not idealistic but deeply realistic. It reflects a conviction that a world order based on a core of resilient democracies is likely to be a safer, more open, and more prosperous one.
    Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick February 16, 2021 The Internationalist
  • Southeast Asia
    After Trump: Lessons From Other Post-Populist Democracies
    Over the past decade, illiberal populist leaders from across the political spectrum have won elections and taken power in many of the world’s biggest democracies, from the United States to India, the…
    by Joshua Kurlantzick February 12, 2021 Asia Program
  • Myanmar
    Myanmar’s Troubled History: Coups, Military Rule, and Ethnic Conflict
    The military’s recent coup and ongoing violent campaign against the Rohingya minority group have dashed hopes for democratic progress in Myanmar.
    Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland February 9, 2021
  • Southeast Asia
    Can Democracy Rebound After an Illiberal Populist?
    Over the past decade, illiberal populist leaders from across the political spectrum have won elections and taken power in many of the world’s biggest democracies. Once in office, they have often unde…
    Blog Post by Joshua Kurlantzick February 10, 2021 Asia Unbound
  • United States
    Biden’s Foreign Policy Takes Shape
    Biden drew the curtain on the disastrous Trump era, emphasizing the nation’s strength at home determines its success abroad—and vice versa.
    Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick February 8, 2021 The Internationalist
  • Southeast Asia
    Myanmar’s Coup Emblematic of Regional Democracy Failures
    Myanmar’s coup is a disaster for Myanmar, but it also is a signifier of the continuing regression of democracy region-wide in Southeast Asia. The region, which once had made significant progress towa…
    Blog Post by Joshua Kurlantzick February 4, 2021 Asia Unbound
  • Democracy
    After the Capitol Riot, Biden’s Summit for Democracy Is More Needed Than Ever
    Now more than ever, democracy’s champions need to hang together. The Biden administration should approach its proposed Summit for Democracy in the spirit of humility rather than hubris.
    by Stewart M. Patrick February 1, 2021 International Institutions and Global Governance Program
  • Nigeria
    Nigerian Human Rights Activist Omoyele Sowore Released on Bail
    In Nigeria, causation of arrests and release are murky, and the rumor mill operates overtime. Some Nigerians are suggesting that Omoyele Sowore was released because the authorities are aware of the s…
    Blog Post by John Campbell January 27, 2021 Africa in Transition
  • Southeast Asia
    COVID-19 Batters Asia’s Already-Struggling Democracies
    This article was first published in the Japan Times.  Over the past 15 years, democracy across Asia has regressed. Although the region still has strong democracies like South Korea, Japan and Taiw…
    by Joshua Kurlantzick January 20, 2021 Asia Program
  • Tanzania
    Parting of Ways: Secretary Pompeo Announces Sanctions on Tanzania
    Nolan Quinn is a research associate for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa Program. On January 19, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo—on his last full day in the position—announced visa …
    Blog Post by Guest Blogger for Africa in Transition January 20, 2021 Africa in Transition
  • Democracy
    Biden’s Summit for Democracy Is More Needed Than Ever
    The Biden administration should still host its proposed Summit for Democracy provided it approaches it in the spirit of humility rather than hubris.
    Blog Post by Stewart M. Patrick January 19, 2021 The Internationalist
  • Democracy
    Dear America: The Rest of The World is Watching
    Nkasi Wodu is a lawyer, peacebuilding practitioner, and development expert based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. On January 6, a large group of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt t…
    Blog Post by Guest Blogger for John Campbell January 15, 2021 Africa in Transition
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