CFR 2025—A Look Back
Transition, disruption, challenge, and opportunity marked the past year. The Council continued to address the range of issues facing U.S. foreign policy through its core strengths and mission—illustrated below and throughout this annual report.
By experts and staff
- Published
July 2024
CFR-Rodel Institute Foreign Policy Forum
At CFR’s New York headquarters, Outreach hosted twenty-eight state-level and municipal-level elected officials from both sides of the aisle at the inaugural CFR-Rodel Institute Foreign Policy Forum for bipartisan conversations on topics of local and international importance.
August 2024
Corporate Leadership Development Network
Created by the Corporate and CEO Programs, the network provides enhanced professional development and engagement opportunities to high performers on a senior management track at top-level corporate member companies.
Nonpartisan Education Resources
CFR Education created a new suite of nonpartisan resources to explain the major issues of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign.
September 2024
UN General Assembly
Meetings offered members nineteen events with foreign and U.S. officials at the UN General Assembly.
Climate Change Education Resources
CFR Education published an expansive library of more than thirty climate change teaching and learning resources, including animated explainer videos, charts, maps, and graphs.
CFR Education Ambassador Program
CFR Education implemented an expanded CFR Education Ambassador program for ninety higher education ambassadors and eighty high school ambassadors from across the country who teach a variety of subjects at a range of schools.
October 2024
Term Member Conference
Meetings convened the annual Term Member Conference, which four hundred term members from around the country attended.
Council of Councils Regional Conference
The Council of Councils’ fifteenth annual regional conference, cohosted by the Centre for European Policy Studies, convened twenty-four policy institutes in Brussels. The group included both Council of Councils members and guest institutes, and featured guest speakers from NATO and the European Commission.
Election 2024 Initiative
As part of the Election 2024 initiative, the National Program and Outreach convened four in-person, public forums in battleground states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and in partnership with local colleges and universities, which were attended by 845 participants. Additionally, the National Program and Outreach held three virtual public forums in collaboration with the Brookings Institution on issues relevant to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, garnering 2,827 live views.
To support the initiative, Global Communications promoted each forum, engaging local media to organize interviews with experts and encourage attendance in each city.
To provide coverage of the election, CFR Digital created explainer videos that featured CFR fellows offering clear, contextual insights on urgent election-related developments. Further, based on student engagement at ASU, Franklin & Marshall College, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Grand Valley State University, nineteen videos across platforms helped young voters understand how global issues relate to the election. The team also filmed student interviews at four universities, capturing their political priorities, academic interests, and what mattered most to them this election. Last, CFR experts responded to student questions on key global issues in short-form videos designed for platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
November 2024
CFR Member Trips
Development embarked on select member trips with CFR President Michael Froman to Brussels, Belgium; Helsinki, Finland; and Warsaw, Poland.
New Foreign Affairs Issue
Foreign Affairs had notable cover essays in the November/December 2024 issue on the future of wars.
December 2024
Charts and Maps on China-Russia Relations
CFR Digital created a set of charts and maps to explain China-Russia relations titled “Where the China-Russia Partnership Is Headed in Seven Charts and Maps.”
National Symposium
The National Program hosted the tenth annual National Symposium in the Bay Area, which drew two hundred participants and featured site visits, for the first time, to OpenAI, Anthropic, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, giving members a firsthand look at innovation in the region.
January 2025
Interactive Maps
CFR Digital created an interactive map of the top conflicts to watch in 2025 organized by priority tiers from the 2025 Preventive Priorities Survey. CFR Digital also collaborated with CFR Maurice R. Greenberg Senior Fellow for China Studies Zongyuan Zoe Liu to create an interactive map tracking China’s growing network of investments in overseas airports. The map invites visitors to plot the location of each airport, view satellite imagery, obtain detailed information on the Chinese entities involved in each project, and see the physical attributes of each runway.
New Foreign Affairs Issue
Foreign Affairs had notable cover essays in the January/February 2025 issue on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
Ukraine Policy Briefs
To support the first set of Ukraine policy briefs from the Council’s Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future, Global Communications worked with each author, issued a press release announcing the package, pitched the publications and authors, and invited media to a corresponding event. The team continued to support the initiative with its other publications during the latter half of the fiscal year.
February 2025
Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security
Development secured funding for the Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security, which seeks to identify pathways to prevent, mitigate, and end conflict, as well as promote the conditions that engage a just and secure peace.
Task Force Report on Space Policy
The Task Force Program released Task Force Report no. 82, Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action, cochaired by retired Space Force Lieutenant General Nina M. Armagno and former Congresswoman Jane Harman. The final report was presented at several conferences, including the Munich Security Conference.
To extend the impact of the report, CFR Digital created an immersive article, “What Do Satellites Do? Here’s What a Day Is Like Without Them,” illustrating how daily life could be affected by the loss of satellite coverage.
Recurring Series on Trump-Era Foreign Policy Disruptions
CFR Digital created a range of graphics in “What Is USAID and Why Is It at Risk?” that highlighted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as a core tool of U.S. soft power globally and included a map showing foreign assistance managed by USAID from fiscal years 2014 to 2023.
CFR Digital explored Greenland’s importance and how its potential independence could affect Arctic security, critical mineral access, and the U.S. regional military footprint in “What Would Greenland’s Independence Mean for U.S. Interests?”
The graphics depict the island’s strategic Arctic position.
Last, CFR Digital created a feature map in “Here’s Where Trump’s Deportations Are Sending Migrants” that shows how the Trump administration has ramped up deportations as part of its broader crackdown on unauthorized immigration, most deportees being removed to Latin American countries.
Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop
Outreach convened the 2025 Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop that brought together eighty-eight religious leaders from thirty faith traditions and sects and twenty states, as well as the UK and Sri Lanka.
March 2025
Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future
The Studies Program launched the Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future by gathering current and former White House officials, Ukrainian leaders, and other notable policymakers for a symposium on ending the war in Ukraine, the future of NATO and European security, and the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine.
New Task Force on Economic Security
The Task Force Program launched a new Task Force on Economic Security, chaired by former Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo, former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Justin G. Muzinich, and Lockheed Martin Chairman, President, and CEO James D. Taiclet.
TIME’s Leadership Brief
CFR President Michael Froman was featured in TIME’s Leadership Brief newsletter, in which he discussed the role of CFR amid a shifting world order.
April 2025
Corporate Conference
More than three hundred participants attended the 2025 Corporate Conference hosted by Corporate and CEO Programs. The conference explored pressing issues affecting the private sector, including geopolitical hotspots, the global economy, and the role of the United States in an evolving world.
Endless Frontiers Retreat
The Studies Program’s China Strategy Initiative, in partnership with Baylor University, Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas at Austin, hosted more than two hundred of the nation’s top policymakers, founders, scientists, investors, and university leaders for the inaugural Endless Frontiers retreat.
Task Force Report on Space Policy Presentation
The Task Force Program presented its Task Force Report on space policy at the Space Foundation’s fortieth annual symposium and to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Association’s Office of Space Commerce.
Trade, Tariffs, and Trumponomics Hub
CFR Digital created a one-stop shop showcasing their work across CFR on how Trump is remaking global trade.
Media Briefing on Trade
Global Communications held a media briefing at which CFR experts provided insights and context on Trump’s recent tariffs, global reactions, and the impact of his plans on the future of the global economy.
College and University Educators Workshop
Outreach convened the 2025 College and University Educators Workshop, which gathered ninety-four educators from ninety-two colleges and universities across forty-three states and Washington, DC.
Cobranded Course With Coursera
CFR Education completed a cobranded course with Coursera that offers learners inside and outside formal academic settings access to 101-level global affairs content.
CFR Member Trips
Development joined select member trips with CFR President Michael Froman to Groton, Connecticut, for the commissioning of a new submarine, and to Honolulu, for high-level military briefings.
The Foreign Affairs Interview
Foreign Affairs’ podcast, The Foreign Affairs Interview, shifted to a weekly schedule.
May 2025
Summit With Open to Debate
Meetings hosted events in collaboration with Open to Debate, including a three-part debate summit centered on Trump’s foreign policy approaches to Israel, Russia, and U.S. alliances.
Council of Councils Conference
In New York, the Council of Councils held its fourteenth annual conference, convening seventeen policy institutes to discuss pressing issues of global governance. Guest speakers included officials from the first Trump administration.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly
The National Program and Outreach cosponsored the opening night dinner of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in Dayton, Ohio, with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation on lessons learned from the Dayton Peace Accords. Nearly two hundred delegates of the NATO PA, dignitaries, community leaders, and CFR members attended.
Local Journalists Workshop
Outreach convened the 2025 Local Journalists Workshop, which brought together eighty-two journalists from forty-seven states and Washington, DC.
Cobranded Course With ASU
CFR Education completed a cobranded course with ASU that offers learners inside and outside formal academic settings access to 101-level global affairs content.
Task Force Report on Space Policy Presentation
The Task Force Report on space policy was presented at the German American Conference.
Fox News
CFR President Michael Froman joined Fox News to discuss tariff developments with anchor and State Department and foreign policy correspondent Gillian Turner.
June 2025
New Foreign Affairs Issue
The cover of the July/August 2025 issue of Foreign Affairs was revealed in Semafor’s Flagship briefing, as were the other six covers from this fiscal year.
Conference on Expanding Access to International Affairs
Meetings convened the annual Conference on Expanding Access to International Affairs, attracting more than 475 participants.
CEO Summit
Corporate and CEO Programs hosted the annual CEO Summit in Washington, DC, for the first time, convening more than thirty CEOs, CFR Board members, and other experts for dinner at the Great Hall of the Library of Congress and working sessions at CFR’s Washington, DC, office with leaders from Congress and the Council of Economic Advisers.
National Conference
The National Program convened the thirtieth annual National Conference in New York, bringing together nearly four hundred participants from thirty-six states and eight countries for conversations with leading experts, including World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, former U.S. Ambassador to China, Greece, and NATO Nick Burns, and former U.S. Ambassador to China, Russia, and Singapore Jon M. Huntsman Jr.
CFR Annual Fund and New Donors
Development achieved a record CFR Annual Fund of more than $11.1 million, an 8 percent increase over the previous year. Development also welcomed fifty-six new donors across the Century Society ($100,000), Chairman’s Circle ($50,000), Harold Pratt Associates ($25,000), and Patrons ($10,000) groups.