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October 29, 2024

Lebanon
What Is Hezbollah?

The Iran-backed Shiite militia was considered the most powerful non-state group in the Middle East, but an Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah in 2024 has considerably weakened it.

 A man bearing a Hezbollah flag leads ranks of militants through Beirut’s southern suburb.

October 23, 2024

Climate Change
Understanding the Global Push for Climate Finance

Countries will collectively need to spend trillions of dollars to reach their decarbonization goals and protect the most vulnerable nations from climate disasters, but experts say that current fundin…

A worker cleans the solar panels at the 15MW Sheikh Zayed Solar Power Plant in Nouakchott, on March 21, 2023.

August 7, 2024

United States
The U.S. Immigration Debate

Comprehensive immigration reform has eluded Congress for decades. Presidents have increasingly turned to executive action to reshape asylum and border policy.

Immigrants wait at a U.S. Border Patrol processing center in Lukeville, Arizona.

August 21, 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…

Delegates cheer on the floor of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

July 20, 2024

Olympics
The Economics of Hosting the Olympic Games

The costs of hosting the Olympics have skyrocketed, while the economic benefits are far from clear. The 2024 Paris Olympics could be a test of whether reforms to the process have made hosting a bette…

Workers install the multicolored Olympic rings between the steel beams of the Eiffel tower.

June 24, 2024

Sanctions
What Are Economic Sanctions?

For many policymakers, economic sanctions have become the tool of choice to respond to major geopolitical challenges such as terrorism and conflict.

Protestors hold signs supporting Ukraine and calling for sanctions on Russia

May 14, 2024

Trade
The Contentious U.S.-China Trade Relationship

Trade between the world’s two biggest economies has ballooned in recent decades, bringing significant benefits but also perils that have led to calls to rethink the relationship.

A Chinese technician wearing a facemask is cast in blue light as he works on a solar panel production line.

May 2, 2024

United States
How U.S. Water Infrastructure Works

The sprawling U.S. water system is central to the nation’s economy, but chronic underinvestment, increasing demand, and the consequences of climate change have revealed the system’s weaknesses.  

A deep blue river flows between rust-colored mesas.

June 24, 2024

Diplomacy and International Institutions
What Does the G7 Do?

The Group of Seven (G7) has been a forum to coordinate global policy for fifty years, but experts are increasingly questioning the group’s relevance.

The seven leaders of the G7 countries stand on a stage emblazoned with G7 insignia.

December 4, 2023

Budget, Debt, and Deficits
The U.S. National Debt Dilemma

With the U.S. national debt already exceeding $16 trillion, President Trump’s tax reform and budget deals with Congress have added to the country’s deficits. CFR explores the origins of the national debt, the risks it presents, and the outlook for change.

An exterior view of the U.S. Treasury building from below