Moawia Atrash/Getty Images

Syria

A spate of attacks involving loyalists to former ruler President Bashar al-Assad has spurred concerns of a return to sectarian warfare in Syria, but there is still a path for the country’s new rulers to find stability.

Syria

The United States appears intent on keeping its counterterrorism alliance with the Kurds in post-Assad Syria despite the strains it is causing with ally Turkey.

 

Ukraine

Ukraine

President Donald Trump lifted his aid freeze following cease-fire talks in Saudi Arabia. These ten charts show the scope of U.S. and other country support to Ukraine.

 

Foreign Policy

With strained relations between the United States and Ukraine, Kyiv faces a tough hand at the negotiation table, struggling to secure military and economic support as Washington, Brussels, and Moscow pursue their own strategic interests.
Iran

Iran

A strategically weakened Iran has sent signals it would be willing to discuss the militarization of its nuclear program with the United States, but any diplomatic breakthroughs are highly unlikely.

Iran

Iran’s nuclear program and missile arsenal have garnered increased international scrutiny amid its flaring conflict with Israel.

Iran

Trade

RealEcon

Studies have shown that tariffs depress productivity in protected industries. U.S. steel is a case in point.

RealEcon

The Trump administration has lauded tariffs as policy panacea, but rising uncertainty around global trade will make it all the more difficult to bring inflation under control.

RealEcon

President Trump, his advisors, and Congress have different ideas of what products and markets are strategic.
Global Health

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

For more than a century, countries have wrestled with how to improve international cooperation in the face of major outbreaks of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the world to a near halt in 2020 and killed nearly seven million people, underscored the urgency.
Allison Krugman

 

United States

Following recent U.S. policies to refocus development spending and engagement, including the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, panelists discuss how the global health community can adapt its policies, programs, and financing. Please note there is no virtual component to the meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
CFR experts provide timely analysis on the trade-offs and costs associated with U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies.

Events

United States

Panelists discuss the history of U.S. foreign aid and examine its effectiveness in promoting global stability, fostering economic development, and projecting U.S. soft power worldwide, as well as potential approaches for restructuring the system moving forward.**This is a virtual meeting through Zoom. Log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this virtual meeting will be posted on the CFR website.This meeting is presented by RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership, a CFR initiative of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

United States

Anthropic Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder Dario Amodei discusses the future of U.S. AI leadership, the role of innovation in an era of strategic competition, and the outlook for frontier model development. The CEO Speaker series is a unique forum for leading global CEOs to share their insights on issues at the center of commerce and foreign policy, and to discuss the changing role of business globally. If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid event will be posted on the CFR website.

United States

Panelists discuss the rising threat of hybrid warfare, exploring the tactics used by hostile states, and effective strategies to counter these covert attacks. **This is a virtual meeting through Zoom. Log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this virtual meeting will be posted on the CFR website.

Ukraine

As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the international context is changing rapidly, including the prospects for a negotiated settlement. Much is at stake, and it is essential that the challenges ahead be fully appreciated. Panelists will explore three critical issues for securing Ukraine's future: achieving a just and durable peace, ensuring its long-term security, and helping it rebuild and recover from the ravages of war. This event is part of the Council’s Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future which provides timely, informed analysis and practical policy recommendations for U.S. policymakers and the American public. Click here to download the full agenda. This event is part of the Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security which is made possible by the generous support of the Ed and Sue Wachenheim Foundation.

Explainers

Expert Spotlight

Alice C. Hill
Alice C. Hill

David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment

Climate Change Infrastructure Food and Water Security

David Sacks
David Sacks

Fellow for Asia Studies

Asia China Taiwan

Joshua Kurlantzick
Joshua Kurlantzick

Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia

Southeast Asia China Asia

Duterte’s ICC Arrest Is Also Tied to Philippine Politics

Featured Publications

International Law

Few Americans have done more than Jerome A. Cohen to advance the rule of law in East Asia. The founder of the study of Chinese law in the United States and a tireless advocate for human rights, Cohen has been a scholar, teacher, lawyer, and activist for more than sixty years. Moving among the United States, China, and Taiwan, he has encouraged legal reforms, promoted economic cooperation, mentored law students—including a future president of Taiwan—and brokered international crises. In this compelling, conversational memoir, Cohen recounts a dramatic life of striving for a better world from Washington, DC, to Beijing, offering vital first-hand insights from the study and practice of Sino-American relations. In the early 1960s, when Americans were not permitted to enter China, he met with émigrés in Hong Kong and interviewed them on Chinese criminal procedure. After economic reform under Deng Xiaoping, Cohen’s knowledge of Chinese law took on a new importance as foreign companies began to pursue business opportunities. Helping China develop and reconstruct its legal system, he made an influential case for the roles of Western law and lawyers. Cohen helped break political barriers in both China and Taiwan, and he was instrumental in securing the release of political prisoners in several countries. Sharing these experiences and many others, this book tells the full story of an unparalleled career bridging East and West.

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

A detailed exploration of the most sweeping government border closures in human history during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for the future of global mobility.

United States

Son of the Midwest, movie star, and mesmerizing politician—America’s fortieth president comes to three-dimensional life in this gripping and profoundly revisionist biography.