U.S. State Department

  • Mozambique
    Stabilizing Mozambique
    Mozambique faces a host of challenges, from escalating climate crises to an ongoing insurgency in the country's northeast, that the United States can help contain with funding from the Global Fragility Act, writes Emilia Columbo.
  • United States
    Term Member Spotlight: Luke Schleusener
    Play
    In honor of Pride Month, first-year term member Lucas Schleusener, president and co-founder of Out in National Security (ONS), speaks with fellow term member Nayyera Haq, host of SiriusXM Radio. Luke discusses his and ONS's work to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices in the national security community. For those who do not know him yet, in addition to his advocacy work with ONS, Luke is a security fellow at the Truman National Security Project. Before this, he served on the speechwriting staff of Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, and Ash Carter. The Term Member Spotlight Series highlights individuals within the Stephen M. Kellen Term Member Program. Drawing on the enormous amount of talent and expertise within the Council’s Term Member Program, this series features a term member in conversation with a fellow term member discussing their career path, how they got to where they are, the challenges they have faced along the way, and the current work they are doing. We hope this regular series will provide an opportunity for Council term members to better engage and learn from one another, draw upon shared experiences within the group, and connect across geographies.
  • Diplomacy and International Institutions
    Hip-Hop Diplomacy
    Podcast
    Hip-hop is a phenomenon that has captured hearts around the world. Its musical form ranges from party anthems to critical social commentary. But the genre plays another role: it is an influential soft-power tool for the United States. Like its predecessors jazz and rock, hip-hop is utilized by the U.S. State Department to connect with young minds, and its unique ability to inspire goodwill toward the United States offers a significant advantage over adversaries such as China and Russia. How did hip-hop become a go-to diplomatic instrument?  
  • Cybersecurity
    Cyber Week in Review: April 8, 2022
    State Department launches new cyber bureau; Controversy over FBI social media surveillance; Clearview AI seeks new clients; U.S. and allies disrupt Sandworm botnet; Microsoft stops series of Russian cyberattacks.
  • Digital Policy
    Renewing America Series: The U.S. Digital Divide
    Play
    As the United States continues to transition to a knowledge economy, entire regions are being left behind due to the automation of jobs, lack of computers and high-speed internet, and the impossibility for many employees to work from home. Panelists discuss the digital divide, why it poses a problem to U.S. economic strength and competitiveness, and possible solutions for bridging the digital gap.  With its Renewing America initiative, CFR is evaluating nine critical domestic issues that shape the ability of the United States to navigate a demanding, competitive, and dangerous world.
  • International Law
    Move swiftly on Global Criminal Justice Ambassador
    In the final hours prior to the Senate’s recess last month, it was heartening to see many of President Joe Biden’s nominees for ambassadorships confirmed. Lengthy gaps in the leadership of America’s …
  • Cybersecurity
    Cyber Week in Review: October 29, 2021
    REvil forced offline; FTC investigating Facebook; Nobelium attacks again; Blinken announces new cyber czar at State Department; Iranian gas stations hacked; the reemergence of NFTs in China
  • United States
    Colin Powell: An American Life
    Colin Powell’s extraordinary career as a soldier-statesman provides a model for how to live one’s life in the public arena at a time few such models can be found.
  • 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.
  • China
    China-Taiwan Tension Builds, Secretary Blinken’s First Week, and More
    Podcast
    Tension between China and Taiwan builds, Antony Blinken begins his first week as President Biden’s secretary of state, and governments race to procure the COVID-19 vaccine as virus variants emerge.
  • Transition 2021
    Transition 2021 Series: Renewing the U.S. State Department
    Play
    Panelists discuss the future of the U.S Department of State under the next administration, including possible reforms to the agency’s priorities, culture, structure, and workforce. The Transition 2021 series examines the major issues confronting the administration in the foreign policy arena.
  • United States
    Revitalizing the State Department and American Diplomacy
    Talent flight, institutional stagnation, and ever-evolving policy challenges such as COVID-19 overwhelm a beleaguered State Department. American diplomacy requires serious changes, starting with institutional reform.