On the Record

In this episode, experts discuss the new Council Special Report, America Revived: A Grand Strategy of Resolute Global Leadership, which defines U.S. vital national interests, summarizes the history of U.S. grand strategy, and proposes an alternative that combines military strength with international legitimacy.

Background Reading:

• This report outlines the conceptual pillars of five grand strategy...

Since civil war erupted on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Sudan has become the site of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. More than ten million people have been displaced, over half of the population needs humanitarian assistance, and over 750,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. In this episode, experts discuss ongoing humanitarian efforts, the chall...

In this episode, Senators Christopher Coons and Pete Ricketts—members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations—discuss the role of Congress in formulating, resourcing, and creating the institutional basis for China policy.

Background Reading:

• This article outlines CFR President Michael Froman’s take on artificial intelligence competition between the United States and China

Host: Rush ...

CFR’s World Economic Update highlights the quarter’s most important and emerging trends. This episode covers changes in the global marketplace, with a special emphasis on current economic events and their implications for U.S. policy.

Host: Sebastian Mallaby, Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, CFR

Guests: Jan Hatzius, Chief Economist and Head of Global Investment Research, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

In this episode, experts discuss the United States’ renewed interest in Greenland—which the Trump administration argues is vital to U.S. national security—and what it means for Arctic security, the NATO alliance, and great power competition.

Background Reading:

• This article unpacks Trump’s increasingly assertive push to bring Greenland under U.S. control and what that means for the NATO alliance ...

For two-and-a-half centuries, the United States has faced a challenging world. Some of its responses have made Americans proud. Others have not. CFR asked members of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations what they considered the best and worst U.S. foreign policy decisions. In this episode, panelists discuss the results of the project and the evolution of America’s role in the world.

Host: David M. Rubenstein, ...

In this episode, panelists discuss the latest unrest in Iran, the economic pressures that have sparked nationwide protests, and the implications for U.S. policy amid ongoing regional tensions.

Background Reading:

• This article discusses how the Iranian regime is facing one of its largest protest movements in years, leading Tehran to shut down internet and telephone communications.

Host: Mi...

Immigrants significantly benefit the U.S. economy by growing the labor force, filling essential jobs in sectors like services, construction, and tech. In this episode, panelists discuss the effects of recent refugee and immigration policy developments on the U.S. economy.

Background Reading:

• This article outlines the critical role immigrants have long played in boosting the U.S. economy and GDP.
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In this episode, David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, discusses the new IRC Emergency Watchlist report. The report highlights the countries at highest risk of humanitarian crisis in 2026, and evaluates the international community’s progress and shortcomings.

Background Reading:

• This article discusses Venezuela’s dire humanitarian landscape, ...

In this episode, panelists discuss examples of U.S. presidents leveraging executive power to confront political violence, human rights abuses, and other global challenges, highlighting the ways in which presidential leadership has shaped the United States’ legacy of responsibility.

Host: Jacob M. Weisberg, Executive Chair, Pushkin Industries; Chair, Committee to Protect Journalists

Guests: Meena Bose, Executive Dean, Public Pol...

In this episode, former U.S. President Bill Clinton looks back on critical issues in U.S. foreign policy during his presidency, and shares lessons for sustaining American diplomatic engagement abroad.

His remarks were delivered as part of the inaugural Martin S. Indyk Memorial Lecture, held in collaboration with the Clinton Global Initiative.

Host: Richard Haass, President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations; Senior Counselo...

In this episode, Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya discusses the latest developments in biomedical innovation and how they will shape the future of public health research.

Background Reading:

• This CFR event discusses emerging threats to public health and how journalists are covering new outbreaks across the United States.

Host: Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Senior P...

In this episode, experts discuss the geopolitical implications of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), including how decision-makers are navigating governance, balancing innovation with risk, and addressing questions of equity and accountability.

Background Reading:

• This article assesses whether AI investments have contributed meaningfully to U.S. economic growth.

Since President Trump first introduced a proposal to end the war in Ukraine, revisions from both sides have led to disagreement, diminishing hopes for a lasting peace. Experts are now examining the recent meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Miami, where efforts were made to finalize a peace plan for presentation to Moscow, as well as the types of security guarantees Ukraine may seek going forward. 

Background Reading:

Intelligence experts discuss the new frontiers of intelligence gathering, examining how emerging technologies are transforming espionage and reshaping the future of U.S. national security.

Background Reading:

• This article outlines how growing politicization within the intelligence community threatens the integrity of intelligence assessments and endangers U.S. national security.

Host: Bar...

Today, U.S. economic leadership is at a crossroads. An overconcentration of critical supply chains in China, underinvestment in important sectors at home, and strategic competition over the next generation of foundational technologies has exposed vulnerabilities in U.S. economic security. 

In its new report, U.S. Economic Security: Winning the Race for Tomorrow’s Technologies, the CFR Task Force on Economic Security addresses U.S...

As leaders gather in Brazil to discuss international climate policy at this year’s COP30 summit, major questions remain regarding a warming climate and investments in renewable energy. In this conversation, experts discuss the future of global climate negotiations and reflect on lessons learned from past climate diplomacy, including the legacy of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol adopted at COP3.

Background Reading:

Measles, whooping cough, and other vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise around the world. Cuts to foreign aid, coupled with growing vaccine hesitancy, and persistent gaps in vaccine access are fueling outbreaks in poor and wealthy nations alike. In this conversation, global health experts discuss the drivers of these outbreaks and the solutions that can advance vaccine equity and better public health worldwide.

Background...

Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and maintains deep economic ties with Washington, cementing its status as a critical on-NATO ally. But this September, that partnership was put to the test when Israel, largely funded and supported by the United States, launched an attack on Qatar’s capital, Doha. In this conversation, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discusses Qatar’s ...