Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan member organization, think tank, and publisher. Skiptomaincontent MiddleEast OzanKose/AFP/GettyImages MiddleEastandNorthAfrica HowIsraelandTurkeyBenefitFromRestoringRelations ThereopeningofdiplomatictieswithIsraelisthelatestmoveinTurkey’sregionalrapprochement.Withit,Ankaraaimstobolsternationalsecurityanditswaveringeconomy. InBrief byStevenA.Cook August23,2022 MiddleEastandNorthAfrica Turkey’sGrowingForeignPolicyAmbitions Turkey’sgeographyandmembershipinNATOhavelonggiventhecountryaninfluentialvoiceinforeignpolicy,buttheassertivepoliciesofPresidentErdoganhavecomplicateditsrole. Backgrounder byKaliRobinson August24,2022   TurkeyandIsraelMoveOnFromYearsofTension Link viaReuters August17,2022 PublicHealthThreats InfectiousDiseases WhyPolioIsStillaProblem AaronChown/PAImages/GettyImages NewcasesintheUnitedStatesandIsraelunderscoretheriskthat,untilitiseradicatedglobally,poliocanmakeacomebackinanypartoftheworld. Backgrounder byClaireKlobucistaandDanielleRenwick August22,2022   NewPolioCasesHighlighttheUrgencyofEradication Link with JohnE.Lange viaThinkGlobalHealth August16,2022 PublicHealthThreatsandPandemics MajorEpidemicsoftheModernEra Formorethanacentury,countrieshavewrestledwithhowtoimproveinternationalcooperationinthefaceofmajoroutbreaksofinfectiousdiseases.TheCOVID-19pandemic,whichbroughttheworldtoanearhaltin2020andhaskilledmorethansixmillionpeople,underscorestheurgency. Timeline byClaireKlobucista July25,2022 Afghanistan Afghanistan AYearUndertheTaliban TheTalibanreturnedtopowerinAfghanistanin2021,twentyyearsaftertheirousterbyU.S.troops.Undertheirharshrule,theyhavecrackeddownonwomen’srightsandneglectedbasicservices. Backgrounder byLindsayMaizland August17,2022 Afghanistan TheU.S.HoldsLimitedInfluenceintheTaliban’sAfghanistan AyearaftertheU.S.withdrawal,halfofAfghanistan’spopulationfacesafoodemergency,andtheTalibanregimeactswithcrueltyandindifference. InBrief byMaxBoot August16,2022 NationalSecurityandDefenseProgram AfghanistanWar TheU.S.WarinAfghanistan TheTalibansurgedbacktopower twodecadesafterU.S.-ledforcestoppledtheirregimeinwhatledtotheUnitedStates’longestwar. Timeline byZacharyLaubandLindsayMaizland September27,2021 Ukraine Russia Putin’sDilemma Podcast StephenSestanovich,GeorgeF.KennanseniorfellowforRussianandEurasianstudiesatCFRandKathrynandShelbyCullomDavisprofessorofinternationaldiplomacyatColumbiaUniversity’sSchoolofInternationalandPublicAffairs,sitsdownwithJamesM.LindsaytodiscussthecurrentcourseofthewarinUkraineandthepotentialforadiplomaticsettlementtoendthefighting. Podcast withJamesM.LindsayandStephenSestanovich August16,2022 ThePresident’sInbox   Russia’sRepeatFailures Link viaForeignAffairs August15,2022 Ukraine Ukraine:ConflictattheCrossroadsofEuropeandRussia Ukraine’sWestwarddriftsinceindependencehasbeencounteredbythesometimesviolenttugofRussia,feltmostrecentlywithPutin’s2022invasion. Backgrounder byJonathanMasters April1,2022 KoreanPeninsula SouthKorea SouthKorea’sAudaciousInitiative ThereareatleastthreereasonswhytheNorthKoreansarelikelytorejectSouthKoreanPresidentYoonSuk-yeol's"audacious"initiativeoutlinedinhisLiberationDayspeech.  BlogPost byScottA.Snyder August18,2022 AsiaUnbound   SouthKoreaOffersNorthEconomicBenefitsforDenuclearization Link viaAssociatedPress August15,2022 KoreanPeninsula NorthKorea’sMilitaryCapabilities NorthKoreahasembarkedonanacceleratedbuildupofnuclearweaponsandthemodernizationofitsalreadylargeconventionalforce. Backgrounder byCFR.orgEditors June28,2022 Pollution ClimateChange TakingonPlastics TheUnitedNationsisfast-trackingdiscussionsthataimtoforgeaninternationalagreementtocurbplasticwaste,oneofthemostpervasiveandhazardousenvironmentalpollutants. InBrief byEmilyLieberman August16,2022 China ChinaDoesn’tWantYourTrash Podcast Foryears,Chinaprocessedmorethanhalfoftheworld’splasticrecycling.Then,in2018,itstopped.Thingshavegottenmessysincethen. Podcast withGabrielleSierra,ElizabethC.EconomyandKateO'Neill November6,2019 WhyItMatters   TheEmergingHealthCrisisofMicroplastic Debris Link viaThinkGlobalHealth July27,2022 Events ViewAll HealthPolicyandInitiatives GunViolence,PublicHealth,andtheSaferCommunitiesAct Play Webinar withVinGuptaandJonasOransky August9,2022 StateandLocalWebinars HumanTrafficking StrengtheningAccountabilityandDemocraticInstitutionsintheFightAgainstHumanTrafficking Play Webinar withVictoriaAyerandSarahE.Mendelson August4,2022 WomenandForeignPolicyProgram HumanRights VirtualRoundtable:TheImplicationsoftheDobbsRulingonHumanRightsatHomeandAbroad Play WithitsjudgmentinDobbsv.JacksonWomen’sHealthOrganization,theU.S.SupremeCourteliminatedtheconstitutionalrighttoabortion.StrikingdownthelandmarkRoev.Wadedecisionprovidesstategovernmentswithnewfoundpowertoenactandenforcelawsthatcurtailabortionaccess.Theconsequencesoftherulingwillreverberatebeyondaccesstoabortiontoaffectwomen’sequality,bodilyautonomy,healthcare,democracy,criminaljustice,andU.S.credibilitytoinfluencetheprotectionofinternationalhumanrights. Ourspeakers—ReemAlsalem,UNspecialrapporteuronviolenceagainstwomen,itscausesandconsequences,andJulieC.Suk,professoroflawatFordhamUniversitySchoolofLaw—discusswhattherulingmeansfordemocracyandhumanrightsintheUnitedStatesanditsimplicationsbeyondU.S.borders. VirtualEvent withReemAlsalemandJulieSuk July21,2022 RenewingAmerica LGBTQ+ AConversationWithU.S.SpecialEnvoyJessicaStern Play U.S.SpecialEnvoyJessicaSterndiscussestheglobalstateofLGBTQI+rights,findingsfromthereleaseofthefirstannualInteragencyReportontheImplementationofthePresidentialMemorandumonAdvancingtheHumanRightsofLGBTQI+PersonsAroundtheWorld,andtheimportanceofU.S.leadershipinadvancingtheserights.   VirtualEvent withJessicaStern July21,2022 RenewingAmerica ViewAll ExpertSpotlight RayTakeyh HasibJ.SabbaghSeniorFellowforMiddleEastStudies Iran IranNuclearAgreement PersianGulf Tehran,theDayAfter Offsite ViaNationalReview August15,2022 Link CarlMinzner SeniorFellowForChinaStudies China Asia RuleofLaw China’sDoomedFightAgainstDemographicDecline Offsite ViaForeignAffairs May3,2022 Link JoshuaKurlantzick SeniorFellowforSoutheastAsia SoutheastAsia Asia Democracy MarcosJrdisappointinganti-Chinaanalysts Offsite ViaAsiaTimes August11,2022 Link CarlaAnneRobbins SeniorFellow DefenseandSecurity Cuba KoreanPeninsula Where'stheStrategy? Offsite ViaAmericanPurpose July29,2022 Link JeromeA.Cohen AdjunctSeniorFellowforAsiaStudies China Asia InternationalLaw TheComplexitiesofChina’sStruggleForJustice Offsite ViaTheDiplomat May12,2022 Link KennethS.Rogoff SeniorFellowforEconomics InternationalEconomics MonetaryPolicy DigitalCurrencies CorporateVirtualRoundtable:CentralBankDigitalCurrenciesandtheFutureofFinance Event July30,2020 Play GideonRose MaryandDavidBoiesDistinguishedFellowinU.S.ForeignPolicy WarsandConflict MiddleEastandNorthAfrica SoutheastAsia WhereWillAmericanHistoryGoNext? BlogPost July8,2022 RenewingAmerica StephenBiddle AdjunctSeniorFellowforDefensePolicy DefenseandSecurity WarsandConflict MilitaryOperations NonstateWarfare—NewinPaperback Book April6,2021 NationalSecurityandDefenseProgram RobertD.Blackwill HenryA.KissingerSeniorFellowforU.S.ForeignPolicy U.S.ForeignPolicy EuropeandEurasia Russia UkraineWarTestsBoundariesofChina,RussiaAlliance:Experts Offsite ViaNewsweek April15,2022 Link MaxBoot JeaneJ.KirkpatrickSeniorFellowforNationalSecurityStudies U.S.ForeignPolicy DefenseandSecurity MilitaryHistory Boot:Kyiv’s‘ThousandBeeSting’StrategyIsCostingRussiaDearly Offsite ViaWashingtonPost August17,2022 Link MatthewC.Waxman AdjunctSeniorFellowforLawandForeignPolicy InternationalLaw Cybersecurity U.S.ForeignPolicy RememberingtheSelectiveDraftLawCases Offsite ViaLawfare January7,2022 Link AliceC.Hill DavidM.RubensteinSeniorFellowforEnergyandtheEnvironment ClimateChange Infrastructure FoodandWaterSecurity Hill:ThisSummerShowsAmericaMustPrioritizeClimateResilience Offsite ViaHill August22,2022 Link CatherinePowell AdjunctSeniorFellowforWomenandForeignPolicy WomenandWomen'sRights HumanRights Gender GenderandPowerinanAgeofDisinformation:AConversationWithMaryAnneFranks BlogPost July6,2022 NetPolitics DavidSacks ResearchFellow Asia China Taiwan China’sexportmarketa‘realvulnerability’forTaiwan Offsite ViaYahooFinance August18,2022 Link RichardK.Betts AdjunctSeniorFellowforNationalSecurityStudies DefenseandSecurity Intelligence MilitaryOperations TheBigRedButton Podcast October23,2019 Play RobertMcMahon ManagingEditor RussiaIsCensoringNewsontheWarinUkraine.ForeignMediaAreTryingtoGetAroundThat. InBrief March18,2022 EbenezerObadare DouglasDillonSeniorFellowforAfricaStudies Nigeria Sub-SaharanAfrica Religion IsWesternPolicyonMigrationHoldingAfricaBack? BlogPost August23,2022 AfricainTransition CharlesA.Kupchan SeniorFellow EuropeanUnion NATO(NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization) EuropeandEurasia Kupchan:UkrainiansHaveUppedtheAntebyHittingRussianTargetsinCrimea Offsite ViaKCRWRadio August22,2022 Link BradW.Setser WhitneyShepardsonSeniorFellow InternationalEconomicPolicy CapitalFlows Economics DebtDistress:CanEmergingMarketsWithstandRisingCosts? Article July28,2022 GreenbergCenterforGeoeconomicStudies BennSteil SeniorFellowandDirectorofInternationalEconomics InternationalFinance FinancialMarkets Economics DrivenbyFedRateHikes,DollarSurgesonCFRMiniMacIndex BlogPost August8,2022 Geo-Graphics KennethI.Juster DistinguishedFellow India InternationalEconomics U.S.ForeignPolicy It’sTimeforAmericaandIndiatoTalkTrade Offsite ViaForeignAffairs April14,2022 Link DavidP.Fidler SeniorFellowforGlobalHealthandCybersecurity InternationalLaw Cybersecurity Health Geopolitics,GlobalHealth,andtheGroupofSeven Article July28,2022 GlobalHealthProgram JendayiE.Frazer AdjunctSeniorFellowforAfricaStudies Sub-SaharanAfrica U.S.ForeignPolicy PoliticsandGovernment TheFutureofU.S.Diplomacy Event February8,2021 Play JenniferHillman SeniorFellowforTradeandInternationalPoliticalEconomy Trade WorldTradeOrganization(WTO) NAFTA CongressCanAddressCompetitivenessandClimateChange—WithoutBreakingTradeRules Offsite ViaTheHill July19,2022 Link HenriJ.Barkey AdjunctSeniorFellowforMiddleEastStudies MiddleEastandNorthAfrica Turkey Kurds DissentisGettingEvenMoreDangerousinTurkey Offsite ViaWorldPoliticsReview June14,2022 Link GordonM.Goldstein AdjunctSeniorFellow TechnologyandInnovation Cybersecurity U.S.ForeignPolicy America’sNewChallenge:ConfrontingtheCrisisinFoodSecurity BlogPost April22,2021 NetPolitics JamesM.Lindsay SeniorVicePresident,DirectorofStudies,andMauriceR.GreenbergChair UnitedStates PoliticsandGovernment PollsandPublicOpinion Happy232ndBirthdaytotheU.S.CoastGuard! BlogPost August4,2022 TheWater'sEdge StewartM.Patrick JamesH.BingerSeniorFellowinGlobalGovernanceandDirectoroftheInternationalInstitutionsandGlobalGovernanceProgram GlobalGovernance DiplomacyandInternationalInstitutions InternationalOrganizations TheG7,NATO,andtheFutureoftheWest BlogPost June22,2022 TheInternationalist RobertE.Rubin ChairmanEmeritus;FormerSecretaryoftheU.S.Treasury APlantoHelpKidsWithoutIncreasingInflation Offsite ViaNewYorkTimes May2,2022 Link AdamSegal IraA.LipmanChairinEmergingTechnologiesandNationalSecurityandDirectoroftheDigitalandCyberspacePolicyProgram China Cybersecurity Asia CyberWeekinReview:August12,2022 BlogPost August11,2022 NetPolitics JustinMuzinich DistinguishedFellow Economics DiplomacyandInternationalInstitutions Sanctions America’sCryptoConundrum:ProtectingSecurityWithoutCrushingInnovation ViaForeignAffairs October28,2021 Link A.MichaelSpence DistinguishedVisitingFellow Development EmergingMarkets Inequality ABetterBoom:HowtoCapturethePandemic’sProductivityPotential Offsite ViaForeignAffairs June22,2021 Link MatthiasMatthijs SeniorFellowforEurope Europe EuropeanUnion NATO(NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization) HowEuropeSurpassedAmericaintheQuestforEconomicIntegration Offsite ViaForeignAffairs June1,2022 Link DavidJ.Scheffer SeniorFellow HumanitarianIntervention WarsandConflict InternationalLaw Scheffer:NotBeingaPartytotheICCIsInjurioustoU.S.NationalInterest Offsite ViaWBURHere&Now April18,2022 Link YanzhongHuang SeniorFellowforGlobalHealth China Health Asia TheShort-LivedCOVID-19VaccineMandateinBeijing Offsite ViaThinkGlobalHealth July19,2022 Link BruceHoffman ShelbyCullomandKathrynW.DavisSeniorFellowforCounterterrorismandHomelandSecurity TerrorismandCounterterrorism WarsandConflict Intelligence Hoffman:TheThreatofPoliticalAssassinationsMustBeTakenSeriously Offsite ViaWarontheRocks August24,2022 Link WillemH.Buiter AdjunctSeniorFellow Budget,Debt,andDeficits MonetaryPolicy FinancialMarkets HowGreenisThisDebt Offsite ViaExProConsulting December3,2021 Link LauraTaylor-Kale FellowforInnovationandEconomicCompetitiveness Competitiveness IndustrialPolicy TechnologyandInnovation Visualizing2022:TrendstoWatch Article December3,2021 GlobalHealthProgram ChristopherM.Tuttle SeniorFellowandDirectoroftheRenewingAmericaInitiative CongressesandParliaments PollsandPublicOpinion ElectionsandVoting ThePerilsoftheMidterms:ForBothParties,andfortheUnitedStates’PoliticalFuture BlogPost August1,2022 RenewingAmerica ManjariChatterjeeMiller SeniorFellowforIndia,Pakistan,andSouthAsia India Asia China IndiaTurnstoRussianFertilizer,ShowingChallengeofIsolatingMoscow Offsite ViaTheWashingtonPost August4,2022 Link LaurenKahn ResearchFellow DefenseTechnology TechnologyandInnovation DefenseandSecurity AForcefortheFuture Offsite ViaForeignAffairs April19,2022 Link StevenA.Cook EniEnricoMatteiSeniorFellowforMiddleEastandAfricaStudiesandDirectoroftheInternationalAffairsFellowshipforTenuredInternationalRelationsScholars MiddleEastandNorthAfrica Turkey ArabSpring HowIsraelandTurkeyBenefitFromRestoringRelations InBrief August23,2022 SheilaA.Smith JohnE.MerowSeniorFellowforAsia-PacificStudies Japan DefenseandSecurity Asia Smith:FumioKishidaContinuingAbeShinzo'sInvestmentinJapaneseMilitaryCapabilities Offsite ViaNPRMorningEdition July11,2022 Link IanJohnson StephenA.SchwarzmanSeniorFellowforChinaStudies China CivilSociety Democracy HasChinaLostEurope? Offsite ViaForeignAffairs June10,2022 Link LucianaL.Borio SeniorFellowforGlobalHealth PublicHealthThreatsandPandemics PharmaceuticalsandVaccines Biotechnology TheWHODeclarationofMonkeypoxasaGlobalPublicHealthEmergency Offsite ViaJAMANetwork July27,2022 Link TomFrieden SeniorFellowforGlobalHealth Health PublicHealthThreatsandPandemics InitialStrategyofVaccinatingOnlyKnownMonkeypoxContactsWas'DoomedtoFailure'intheUS,ExpertsSay Offsite ViaCNNHealth July30,2022 Link ThomasGraham DistinguishedFellow Russia EuropeandEurasia U.S.ForeignPolicy NATOCountriesSignalResolveatSummit:WhatDoesItMeanforRussia? InBrief June30,2022 EuropeProgram YaschaMounk SeniorFellow Democracy Populism CivilSociety TheDoomSpiralofPerniciousPolarization Offsite ViaTheAtlantic May21,2022 Link ViewAll Explainers ClimateChange ClimateChange AWorldOverheating PhotoEssay by AliceC.Hill,MadelineBabinandSabineBaumgartner Longerandmoreintenseheatwaveshavebecomearegularfeatureoftheworseningclimatecrisis.Seethedamagethey’vecausedandhowgovernmentsareadaptingtounavoidableextremes. Argentina Argentina:ASouthAmericanPowerStrugglesforStability BackgrounderRedesign by DianaRoy Podcast China HyperventilatingOverHypersonics Podcast with GabrielleSierra,AdamMountandLauraGrego EnergyandClimatePolicy HowDoestheU.S.PowerGridWork? BackgrounderRedesign by JamesMcBrideandAnshuSiripurapu ViewAll ExpertsintheNews BruceHoffman Hoffman:TheThreatofPoliticalAssassinationsMustBeTakenSeriously ViaWarontheRocks August24,2022 AliceC.Hill Hill:ThisSummerShowsAmericaMustPrioritizeClimateResilience ViaHill August22,2022 CharlesA.Kupchan Kupchan:UkrainiansHaveUppedtheAntebyHittingRussianTargetsinCrimea ViaKCRWRadio August22,2022 ViewAll FeaturedPublications PoliticalHistoryandTheory TheGreatExperiment—Obama's2022SummerReadingPick YaschaMounkoffersabrilliantbig-picturevisionofthegreatestchallengeofmoderntime—howtobridgethebitterdivideswithindiversedemocraciesenoughforthemtoremainstableandfunctional. Book byYaschaMounk April19,2022 China China’sCollapsingGlobalImage China’sglobalimagehasdeterioratedsignificantlyinthepastfouryears,alienatingleadingdemocraciesanddevelopingcountriesalikewithaggressiveforeignpolicy,economiccoercion,andfalteringsoftpowerpolicies. Report byJoshuaKurlantzick July20,2022 AsiaProgram Cybersecurity ConfrontingRealityinCyberspace TheearlyadvantagestheUnitedStatesheldincyberspacehavelargelydisappearedastheinternethasbecomemorefragmented,lessfree,andmoredangerous.TheUnitedStatesneedsanewforeignpolicyforcyberspacetosecureitseconomicandsecurityinterests.  TaskForceReport byNathanielFick,JamiMiscik,AdamSegal,GordonM.GoldsteinandAnyaSchmemann July12,2022 RenewingAmerica ViewAll