Centennial Speaker Series

Nine Questions for the World

This series, which commemorates CFR's centennial, will feature some of today's biggest thinkers including Margaret MacMillan, Anne Applebaum, Nicholas Stern, Minouche Shafik, Nicholas Eberstadt, Michelle McMurry-Heath, Elizabeth Perry, and Fei-Fei Li.

CFR President Richard Haass will lead conversations on the future of democracy, globalization, climate change, and other issues that will define the century.The series also aired as a podcast called Nine Questions for the World.

Past Events

Centennial Speaker Series Session 1: What Are the Lessons of History for Our Era?

Speaker Margaret MacMillan

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 2: Can Democracy Survive?

Speaker Anne E. Applebaum

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 3: Will Climate Change Us Before We Change It?

Speaker Nicholas Stern

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 4: Balancing the Role of Government and Markets

Speaker Minouche Shafik

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 5: Comparative Demographic Trends & Their Implications

Speaker Nicholas Eberstadt

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 6: What Are the Potential Benefits and Risks of Biotechnology?

Speaker Michelle T. McMurry-Heath

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 7: Will the 21st Century be China's?

Speaker Elizabeth J. Perry

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 8: Will Technology Save Us or Threaten Us?

Speaker Fei-Fei Li

Presider Richard Haass

Centennial Speaker Series Session 9: The Future of World Order

Speaker Richard Haass

Presider Fareed Zakaria

Olympics

The Economics of Hosting the Olympic Games

The costs of hosting the Olympics have skyrocketed, while the economic benefits are far from clear. The 2024 Paris Olympics could be a test of whether reforms to the process have made hosting a better deal.

Backgrounder by James McBride, Noah Berman and Melissa Manno July 8, 2024

Lebanon

What Is Hezbollah?

Military experience gained from fighting in Syria’s civil war and decades of clashes with Israel have strengthened the Iran-backed group, but politically, its clout among Lebanon’s populace may be waning.

Backgrounder by Kali Robinson July 2, 2024

Energy and Environment

Global Energy Tracker

As the effects of climate change mount, high-carbon energy sources continue to provide most of the world’s power. On average, 84 percent of tracker countries’ energy comes from high-carbon sources such as oil, whereas 16 percent comes from solar and other renewables. Low-carbon sources, however, are on the rise, particularly in developed countries.

Tracker by Benn Steil July 1, 2024 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

Past Events

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