Michelle Kurilla

CFR Staff

Michelle Kurilla

Research Associate to the President

Michelle Kurilla is a research associate to the President at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Before joining CFR, she worked as a news executive editor, training director, and reporter at The Harvard Crimson. She received her BA in government and English literature from Harvard University.

United States

The President’s Inbox Recap: America’s New Cold Wars

The post-Cold War era is over and a dangerous new era of great power competition has begun.

by Michelle Kurilla May 23, 2024 The Water's Edge
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Impact of AI on Warfare

Artificial intelligence will transform how wars are fought.

by Michelle Kurilla May 16, 2024 The Water's Edge
Grand Strategy

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Case for Liberal Internationalism

The liberal international order is more resilient than its critics recognize.

by Michelle Kurilla May 9, 2024 The Water's Edge
China

The President’s Inbox Recap: A Second China Shock

A surge in Chinese manufacturing exports is threatening jobs in many countries, not just the United States.

by Michelle Kurilla May 2, 2024 The Water's Edge
United States

What Is the CHIPS Act?

Extraordinary U.S. government incentives are proving popular with many large chipmakers, but it is too early to tell how much of the semiconductor industry can be lured back to the United States.

by Michelle Kurilla April 29, 2024
Ukraine

The President’s Inbox Recap: Russia, Ukraine, and Global Instability

The war in Ukraine reflects collisions in Russia-Ukraine relations, Europe-Russia relations, and U.S.-Russia relations.

by Michelle Kurilla April 18, 2024 The Water's Edge
Nuclear Weapons

The President’s Inbox Recap: Confronting the Nuclear Threat

The world has entered a new and dangerous nuclear age.

by Michelle Kurilla March 28, 2024 The Water's Edge
Grand Strategy

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Case for U.S. Retrenchment Overseas

Proponents of retrenchment want the United States to do less overseas.

by Michelle Kurilla March 27, 2024 The Water's Edge
United States

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Crisis at the U.S. Southern Border

The U.S. immigration system needs comprehensive reform.

by Michelle Kurilla March 19, 2024 The Water's Edge
Global

The President’s Inbox Recap: International Women’s Day

Adolescence is one of the most formative periods in a girl’s life.

by Michelle Kurilla March 13, 2024 The Water's Edge
Development

The President’s Inbox Recap: Combating Global Poverty

Economic development work is aimed at long-term change in the world’s poorest countries.

by Michelle Kurilla March 12, 2024 The Water's Edge
Ukraine

The President’s Inbox Recap: Year Three of the Ukraine War

February 24 marked the beginning of the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

by Michelle Kurilla March 5, 2024 The Water's Edge
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The President’s Inbox Recap: Governance of Artificial Intelligence

The United States is behind its peers when it comes to regulating artificial intelligence (AI).

by Michelle Kurilla March 4, 2024 The Water's Edge
Political History and Theory

The President’s Inbox Recap: Henry Wallace and the Origins of the Cold War

The post-World War II era would have looked very different had Henry Wallace become president.

by Michelle Kurilla February 2, 2024 The Water's Edge
Supply Chains

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Houthi Threat to Red Sea Shipping

Attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea pose significant challenges for the global economy.

by Michelle Kurilla January 22, 2024 The Water's Edge
Elections and Voting

The President’s Inbox Recap: Taiwan’s Presidential Election

Taiwan’s presidential election may increase U.S.-China tensions.

by Michelle Kurilla January 12, 2024 The Water's Edge
United States

The President’s Inbox Recap: Far-Right Terrorism

Far-right extremist violence threatens American democracy.

by Michelle Kurilla January 4, 2024 The Water's Edge
Ukraine

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Future of the War in Ukraine

Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive failed to produce the big breakthrough that Kyiv and its supporters hoped for.

by Michelle Kurilla December 27, 2023 The Water's Edge
United States

Year End Q&A Special, With Shannon O’Neil

Shannon O’Neil, vice president, deputy director of Studies, and Nelson and David Rockefeller senior fellow for Latin America Studies at CFR, sits down with James M. Lindsay to answer questions submitted by listeners to The President’s Inbox.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Shannon K. O'Neil December 26, 2023 The President’s Inbox
South Korea

The President’s Inbox Recap: The U.S.-South Korea Alliance

Developments at home and abroad are testing U.S.-South Korea relations.

by Michelle Kurilla December 15, 2023 The Water's Edge
Globalization

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Anti-Globalization Backlash

Anti-globalism sentiment is on the rise.

by Michelle Kurilla November 30, 2023 The Water's Edge
China

The President's Inbox Recap: The APEC Summit

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines at the 2023 APEC summit in San Francisco.

by Michelle Kurilla November 16, 2023 The Water's Edge
China

The President’s Inbox Recap: Demography and World Power

A country’s demography can expand or constrain its policy options.

by Michelle Kurilla November 8, 2023 The Water's Edge
China

Prized Panda Diplomats Return to Beijing

The National Zoo’s giant pandas will return to China by mid-November.

by Michelle Kurilla and Abi McGowan October 27, 2023 Asia Unbound
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The President’s Inbox Recap: The Israel-Hamas War

Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel threatens regional stability and security.

by Michelle Kurilla October 13, 2023 The Water's Edge
Russia

The President’s Inbox Recap: Getting Russia Right

The early post-Cold War promise of a U.S.-Russia partnership never materialized.

by Michelle Kurilla October 6, 2023 The Water's Edge
China

The President’s Inbox Recap: China’s Underground Historians

Chinese filmmakers, journalists, and artists are challenging the Chinese Communist Party’s version of history.

by Michelle Kurilla September 29, 2023 The Water's Edge
Ukraine

The President’s Inbox Recap: Ukraine’s 2023 Counteroffensive

The war in Ukraine grinds on with no end in sight.

by Michelle Kurilla September 22, 2023 The Water's Edge
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The President’s Inbox Recap: AI’s Impact on the 2024 U.S. Elections

Expect the weaponization of artificial intelligence to further stress American democracy.

by Michelle Kurilla September 16, 2023 The Water's Edge
European Union

The President’s Inbox Recap: Europe’s Geoeconomic Revolution

Europe is following the lead of China and the United States in using economic tools for geopolitical purposes.

by Michelle Kurilla September 8, 2023 The Water's Edge
China

The President’s Inbox Recap: China’s Nuclear Forces

China continues to expand its nuclear arsenal.

by Michelle Kurilla August 29, 2023 The Water's Edge
Israel

The President’s Inbox Recap: Israeli-Saudi Peace Deal

A peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia could help stabilize the region.

by Michelle Kurilla August 25, 2023 The Water's Edge
China

The President’s Inbox Recap: China’s Economic Downturn

Chinese economic growth has slowed dramatically as the country’s economic woes multiply.

by Michelle Kurilla August 23, 2023 The Water's Edge
Ukraine

The President’s Inbox Recap: Global Food Insecurity

Russia’s decision to leave the Black Sea grain deal raises fresh fears about food shortages in the world’s poorest countries.

by Michelle Kurilla August 10, 2023 The Water's Edge
Latin America

The President’s Inbox Recap: Latin America’s Crime Surge

Latin America is facing a post-pandemic crime wave.

by Michelle Kurilla August 3, 2023 The Water's Edge

United States

What Is Temporary Protected Status?

Temporary Protected Status has long been used as a humanitarian solution for migrants who are unable to return home safely. President Trump’s renewed efforts to scale back such programs have further fueled the debate over the immigration policy’s use and scope.

by Diana Roy and Claire Klobucista June 30, 2025

Sudan

What Is the Extent of Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis?

More than two years into the civil war in Sudan, at least twelve million people have been forcibly displaced, but experts say the country’s devastating humanitarian crisis is still not getting the international attention it deserves.

by Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy June 26, 2025

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

What Is NATO?

The alliance continues to bolster its military deterrent in Europe amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and has expanded its membership in recent years.

by Jonathan Masters June 24, 2025

Top Stories on CFR