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What is the Council on Foreign Relations? When and why was it formed?
The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership
organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for
its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. Founded in 1921, the Council takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.
What does the Council do?
The Council’s main activities, as summarized in our Mission Statement:
What is CFR.org's mission?
CFR.org seeks to raise the level of foreign policy awareness by offering timely, unbiased, and in-depth coverage of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs to anyone interested. A staff of journalists and researchers, led by executive editor Michael Moran, produces timely analysis, expert interviews, and Backgrounders to help explain the international issues of the day. This website's original editorial content is integrally linked to the rich intellectual inquiries and reports produced by other CFR departments. What's more, the CFR.org staff casts its net beyond CFR itself, compiling the best of what is available from other sources of analysis, opinion, speeches, transcripts, and source documents. Such up-to-date, objective coverage reaches a growing daily audience and is aimed at contributing quality and perspective to the foreign policy debate
How is the Council managed? Who is in charge?
The Council is incorporated under New York State law. Its Board of Directors provides overall direction, and the president leads the daily operations.
Carla A. Hills, chair and chief executive officer of Hills & Company and former U.S. trade representative, and Robert E. Rubin, director and chairman of the executive committee of Citigroup and former secretary of the Treasury, are co-chairmen of the Council’s Board of Directors. Richard E. Salomon, chairman of Mecox Ventures, is vice chair. Richard N. Haass, a former senior government official, is president.
Who are the members of the Council?
There are three kinds of Council membership: life members, term members, and corporate members. The Council’s approximately 4,300 life members are divided almost equally among New York, Washington, DC, and the rest of the nation. They are leaders in government, business, finance, media, academia, and a wide range of nonprofit organizations. Term members must be between the ages of 30 and 36; term memberships are limited to five years and can lead to life memberships. Corporate memberships engage senior executives from leading international firms in the activities and work of the Council.
Why are senior government officials, members of the U.S. Congress, journalists, and corporate executives members of the Council?
Membership in the Council can represent both the recognition of exceptional achievement in a career involving international affairs, as well as the promise of one. It is important to avoid reversing the causal order in this question. The Council does not “anoint” government officials, nor advance the careers of those in other fields; it does exert great effort to attract individuals who have displayed significant dedication, expertise, and success in professions concerning American foreign policy and world affairs, and also to encourage them to help in our mission by participating in our meetings and other activities.
How are individuals selected for membership?
Every candidate for membership must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident with an application for citizenship pending. Candidates are formally proposed in writing by one member and seconded by a minimum of three other individuals. Letters of support from members (as opposed to non-members) are strongly encouraged. Quality, diversity, and balance are the key objectives sought by the Council in the composition of its membership. The roster of members is listed in the published version of the annual report. To request a published version of the annual report, email the Council’s Communications Department at communications@CFR.org. Click here for more information about member-selection procedures.
Who finances the Council?
The Council is supported by a wide range of individuals and institutional donors. Specifically, the Council’s largest donations come from corporate, foundation, and individual endowment gifts and grants. Member donations constitute "The Annual Fund," which is in addition to annual dues. A list of donors appears in the annual report.
Is the Council on Foreign Relations part of the U.S. government, the United Nations, or organizations such as the Royal Institute for International Affairs and the Trilateral Commission?
No, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization. The following studies thoroughly examine the Council’s history:
Is the Council on Foreign Relations a secret organization?
No. From the start, the Council has published the results of its study groups and task forces, as well as an annual report. In addition, Council fellows and members often write books, magazine and journal articles, and opinion pieces that appear in newspapers like the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times; work by fellows is posted on CFR.org, as is a wealth of information about the workings of the Council.
What is a “Council meeting?”
The Council holds various member events throughout the year that fall under the general rubric of “meetings.” A meeting may feature a single speaker—for example, a U.S. government official, a foreign dignitary, or the author or a new book—and a moderator. The speaker may give a speech on a foreign-policy topic or engage in a conversation with the moderator. Alternatively, a meeting may feature a panel of experts and a moderator who examine an issue. Council meetings typically last one hour, including a period set aside for questions from the audience.
Why are some Council meetings on the record and others are are held on a not-for-attribution basis?
Many Council meetings are held on a not-for-attribution basis to encourage frankness among participants who may be hesitant to express new or developing ideas if they feared that they would be publicized. An increasing number of Council meetings—nearly 50 percent—are conducted on an on-the-record basis, with meeting transcripts posted on the Council’s website, CFR.org.
How can I get access to Council meetings?
Only Council members can attend meetings. However, accounts of on-the-record Council meetings are available in four formats on CFR.org: transcripts, webcasts, videos, and audio streams.
How can I make a contribution to the Council?
The Council is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and is publicly supported as described in 509(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Council’s IRS identification number is 13-1628168. Contributions payable to the Council on Foreign Relations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. To donate to the Council's annual fund online, please click here.
For more information about ways you can support the Council, please contact:
Betsy R. Gude, Deputy Director of Development
Tel: +1-212-434-9788
Fax: +1-212-434-9862
Email: bgude@CFR.org
The Council offers a variety of email newsletters about up-to-date CFR.org material on what’s happening around the world.
Enter your email address,and click 'Go' to subscribe.
Council Experts are based in the Council’s New York and Washington offices. Each expert's bio page contains his or her contact information, professional and educational history, links to publications and current research, a downloadable one-page biographical narrative, and a high-definition photo.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of the sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world.
Complete list of CFR Books.
If you wish to receive a printed copy of one of our annual reports, please email your request to publications@cfr.org or call +1-212-434-9665.
Be sure to include your complete mailing address, phone number, and the year of the annual report that you wish to receive.
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
