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January/February 2009
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
International law must find a way to combat modern threats, but it cannot diminish U.S. sovereignty in doing so.
December 18, 2008
Interview
Matthew C. Waxman, a former Pentagon official overseeing detainee affairs, says the controversial camp at Guantanamo Bay should be closed but that doing so will raise several key questions about legal process and the fate of the most dangerous detainees.
See more in United States, Rule of Law
Updated: December 17, 2008
Backgrounder
The Bush administration's approach to the detention and prosecution of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. But the battle continues.
See more in United States, Terrorism and the Law
December 9, 2008
Backgrounder
The United Nations was responsible for establishing universal human rights standards, but its image in recent years has been tarnished by the record of its main body charged with safeguarding rights.
See more in Human Rights, International Law, International Organizations
November 14, 2008
Essential Documents
Speech
See more in United States, International Law
October 24, 2008
Must Read
A paper examining the International Criminal Court (ICC) and assessing how the next president of the United States could more constructively engage with the ICC in accordance with the Rome Statute.
See more in United States, International Law
October 17, 2008
Transcript
Session Three of a Council on Foreign Relations Symposium on International Law and Justice: Evolving Norms and U.S. Responses.
See more in Sudan, International Law, Humanitarian Intervention
October 17, 2008
Transcript
Session Two of a Council on Foreign Relations Symposium on International Law and Justice: Evolving Norms and U.S. Responses.
See more in Rwanda, Sudan, Kosovo, International Law, Humanitarian Intervention
October 17, 2008
Audio
Listen to experts discuss the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine with regard to the United States' and other governments' response to genocide and mass suffering.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on International Law and Justice, which was made possible through the generous support of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.
See more in Democracy and Human Rights
October 17, 2008
Video
Watch experts discuss the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine with regard to the United States' and other governments' response to genocide and mass suffering.
This session was part of the CFR Symposium on International Law and Justice, which was made possible through the generous support of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.
See more in Democracy and Human Rights
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Nuclear Energy (1/6): Charles Ferguson and Michelle Smith argue that nuclear energy “will not be the miracle cure for energy dependence or global warming that boosters promise,” in Foreign Policy.
Gaza Violence (1/5): Steven Cook writes in U.S. News & World Report that Israel's exercise of military power in the Gaza Strip, employed legitimately or not, is unlikely to achieve its desired goals.
The Obama Administration (1/5): Michael Gerson writes that Obama “will require sober supporters--and loyal critics--to get through challenges” in 2009, in the Washington Post.
Border Security (1/3): Edward Alden urges President-elect Obama to begin rebuilding trust with Canada as a partner in trade and counterterrorism when he takes office, in the Ottawa Citizen.
Energy and Environment (1/3): David Victor and Arun Rai warn that “the global environment may be one of the biggest losers in the current financial crisis” as clean coal projects are abandoned around the world, in Newsweek.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (1/2): Michael Gerson writes that the removal of the threat Hamas poses to the Israeli people is “the prerequisite for the resumption of the peace process,” in the Washington Post.
The Obama Administration (12/31): Amity Shlaes argues that “a new hundred days spent making good laws will bring sturdy recovery,” in the Washington Post.
This report lays out a thoughtful agenda for U.S. policy toward the Democratic Republic of Congo, arguing that what happens there should matter to the United States--for humanitarian reasons as well as economic and strategic ones.
In this report, CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi analyzes the potential use of deterrence in preventing terrorist groups from acquiring nuclear weapons and recommends a new approach to U.S. declaratory policy, as well as ways to improve U.S. capabilities to determine the sources of terrorist attacks.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration’s struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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.
Complete list of CFR Books.
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