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March 19, 2024

Palestinian Territories
Who Governs the Palestinians?

Power in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the so-called Palestinian territories, has been divided among three entities: a governing body called the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, a…

Palestinians wave their national flag as they rally beneath images of President Mahmoud Abbas and his predecessor, Yasser Arafat
Backgrounder by Kali Robinson

February 26, 2024

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the Security Council via video amid Russia’s war.
Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors

December 2, 2008

United States
Robert M. Gates, Defense Secretary

Robert M. Gates, a Cold War veteran selected to remain as defense secretary, has won bipartisan praise for his pragmatism and handling of the Pentagon amid two wars.  

Backgrounder by Robert McMahon

March 26, 2024

Refugees and Displaced Persons
How Does the U.S. Refugee System Work?

The United States has long been a safe haven for refugees from around the world. President Biden is working to expand the country’s resettlement program after the Trump administration made sharp cuts…

Afghan refugees walk through Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on September 2, 2021.
Backgrounder by Diana Roy, Claire Klobucista, and James McBride Renewing America

February 16, 2005

Iraq
IRAQ: Editorial Briefing with Robert C. Orr

This publication is now archived. Robert C. OrrRobert C. Orr the director of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Washington program, was a member of a five-person team sent, at the U.S. government’s re…

Backgrounder

October 27, 2023

Iran Nuclear Agreement
What Is the Iran Nuclear Deal?

The United States’ withdrawal from the arms control agreement has heightened tensions and left the remaining signatories scrambling to keep the deal alive.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, French The foreign ministers of China, France, Germany, the European Union, Iran, the United Kingdom, and the United States pose for a photo at the UN building in Vienna, Austria.
Backgrounder by Kali Robinson

January 17, 2024

Technology and Innovation
The Crypto Question: Bitcoin, Digital Dollars, and the Future of Money

The dizzying rise of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has created new challenges for governments and central banks. Increasing popularity and high levels of market volatility have raised the stakes…

A technician inspects the backside of a bitcoin mining operation in Quebec, Canada.
Backgrounder by Anshu Siripurapu and Noah Berman Renewing America

November 21, 2023

Russia
Russia’s Influence in the Balkans

The Balkans have long been a source of tension between Russia and the West, with Moscow cultivating allies there as the EU and NATO expand into the region. The war in Ukraine could be shifting the ca…

A mural depicting Russian president Vladimir Putin with a text reading kosovo is Serbia on October 22, 2020 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Backgrounder by James McBride