Council of Councils
Think Global Health
The president’s economic policies have caused a major shift in global trade. But the April 2 “Liberation Day” jolt to trade rules was bigger than the shock to overall trade flows.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
President Trump has declared trade deficits to be an economic “emergency.” But if they are one, his trade deals can only worsen it.
Tariffs
Four CFR fellows examine the knock-on effects of Trump’s tariff moves on five of the United States’ closest allies—Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Canada’s fallout with the United States over the Trump administration’s tariff policy has forced it to forge a new path that will swap its deep economic and security ties with Washington for internal development and other relationships abroad.
Critics say Europe gave up too much in its trade deal with the Trump administration, but the agreement could prove to be the beginning of Europe’s strategic shift. Leaders are now looking to diversify trade, increase defense spending, and reevaluate their energy policies.
Global
The post-World War II rules-based international order is increasingly being tested as nations like Russia, Israel, and even the United States take unilateral military actions that sidestep global norms.
The Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuela through an unprecedented military deployment and use of force in international waters off its coast. Concerns of further escalation have mounted as U.S. officials signal more strikes are likely to come.
Israel’s strike on Doha demonstrates its willingness to go anywhere to eliminate Hamas, but it could also threaten its relationship with the Arab world as well as the efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court should preserve the separation of powers by affirming that President Trump cannot usurp Congress’ constitutional authority to set tariff levels.
President Trump’s tariff pressure on Japan and other U.S. relationships in Asia has made alliance management as well as domestic politics difficult for many leaders. Without a clearly defined path forward, it could have implications for U.S. national security and economic cooperation.
The Trump administration’s trade policy toward Australia and New Zealand has threatened its ties with two normally stalwart allies, as both countries openly consider foreign policy shifts away from dependence on the United States.
NATO
Russia’s drone incursion into Poland marks a potential dangerous escalation in the Ukraine war that could challenge NATO’s unity and defenses.
Panelists discuss developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine following the recent Trump-Putin summit in Alaska and the subsequent meeting with President Zelenskyy and European leaders in Washington.
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
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.
While hopes for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war remain slim, U.S. and European leaders need to lay the groundwork for lasting peace. Designing provisions that impose high costs on Russia for any future aggression is essential to ensure an agreement holds.
Terrorism
The United States responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks with military-focused campaigns that ended regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it failed to pursue long-term policies to counter radicalization.
The events of September 11, 2001, set in motion sweeping changes to U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism practices, launched two major wars, and altered Americans’ daily routines. This timeline traces three pivotal years whose reverberations continue today.
Strategic Initiatives
Securing Ukraine’s Future
Timely, informed analysis and practical policy recommendations for both the public and policymakers.
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action
Events
Former national security advisors discuss the recent changes to the National Security Council and the foreign policy challenges facing the United States.
For those attending 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. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
Former national security advisors discuss the recent changes to the National Security Council and the foreign policy challenges facing the United States.
For those attending 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. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
Panelists discuss the role of industrial policy and how the U.S. government shapes markets to encourage innovation, protect economic security, and maintain a strategic edge as global competition intensifies.Copies of Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy and Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare will be available for purchase.For those attending 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 meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
Representative Ro Khanna discusses whether the United States should recognize Palestine as a sovereign state and the future of the region.
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 meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
In The Age of Change: How Urban Youth are Transforming African Politics, Michelle Gavin explains how demographic trends and unsatisfying political narratives are converging to trigger new volatility in African politics, and how that volatility informs African countries’ engagement with the rest of the world. It is written for a reader interested in the geopolitical shifts driving global events, not just experts in African affairs. Tapping into the irreverent humor and insight of African political discourse on social media, the book helps readers jettison anachronistic ideas about African societies, understand how specific histories inform individual countries’ trajectories, and recognize that a regional search for new political models is underway.
The CFR Fellows’ Book Launch series highlights new books by CFR fellows.
Please note that members will receive an offer to claim a complimentary copy of this book, and copies will be available for purchase at the event.
For those attending 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 meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
Explainers
What Is the BRICS Group?
As BRICS grows in both membership and global sway, it is creating a counterweight to Western influence in global institutions.
Expert Spotlight
Thomas J. Bollyky
Bloomberg Chair in Global Health; Senior Fellow for International Economics, Law, and Development; and Director of the Global Health Program
Varun Sivaram
Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate and Director, Climate Realism Initiative
Energy and Environment Climate Change Energy and Climate Policy
Featured Publications
An approachable guide to the political, social, and demographic changes happening in Africa and why they matter for the rest of the world.
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.