War in Ukraine
Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters

Foreign Policy

Who Holds the Trump Cards in Ukraine?
Ukraine faces a tough hand at the negotiation table, struggling to secure military and economic support as the United States, Russia, and Europe pursue their own strategic interests.

Article by Michael Froman March 7, 2025

Ukraine

Securing Ukraine’s Future
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.

Virtual Event with Philip M. Breedlove, Fiona Hill, Natalie A. Jaresko, Keith Kellogg, Pavlo Klimkin, Alina Polyakova, Vladyslav Rashkovan, Margaret Brennan, Heidi Crebo-Rediker and Liana Fix March 6, 2025

Ukraine

Here’s How Much Aid the United States Has Sent Ukraine
Ten charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

Article by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow March 6, 2025

Russia

United States

Russia’s Peace Demands on Ukraine Haven’t Budged

Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Some recent favorable U.S. moves toward Russia appear to signal a belief that Moscow is ready for constructive peace talks. But there’s slim chance of Russian concessions.

Expert Brief by Thomas Graham March 7, 2025

United States

The Future of U.S.-Russia Relations

Play
Panelists discuss how U.S. policy toward Russia may shift under a second Trump administration, including the use of sanctions, the continued war in Ukraine, Russia’s military capabilities, the political dynamics inside the Kremlin, and broader U.S. engagement with Moscow. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. 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.

Virtual Event with Emma M. Ashford, Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Stephen Sestanovich, Celeste A. Wallander and Ian Bremmer February 26, 2025 Transition 2025 Series

Ukraine

Toward a Settlement of the Russia-Ukraine War
To bring Russia to the negotiating table and end the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin needs to believe time is no longer on his side. Here's what the Trump administration needs to do to make that happen.

Article by Thomas Graham January 22, 2025 Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security

Mideast

Palestinian Territories

The United Nations’ Palestinian Aid Controversy
The leading UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees faces severe funding cuts and suspended services, with huge consequences for millions of Palestinians. It remains enmeshed in controversy over accusations that some of its employees were involved in Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel.

In Brief by Christina Bouri March 6, 2025

 

Global Conflict Tracker: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Link

via Center for Preventive Action January 22, 2025

United Nations

How Much Does the United States Pay to UN Agencies?
Many UN agencies, programs, and missions receive crucial funding from the United States. In his second administration, President Trump is again calling for greater scrutiny of U.S. funding and involvement in the global body, and he has signaled sharp cutbacks in some payments.

Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors February 28, 2025

Taiwan

Taiwan

Unpacking TSMC’s Promise to U.S. Semiconductors
TSMC’s $100 billion will significantly boost America’s semiconductor manufacturing industry but how it will shape US-Taiwan relations is an open question.

Post by David Sacks and Adam Segal March 4, 2025 Asia Unbound

RealEcon

Trump’s Investment Policy: Clarifying and Confounding
The Trump administration’s America First Investment Policy has the virtue of conceptual clarity but provides little hope of effective implementation.

Article by Stephen Heifetz March 5, 2025 RealEcon

Technology and Innovation

A New Golden Age of American Innovation
Advancing the United States’ technological supremacy and preserving an edge in AI, biotechnology, and space requires government-funded research, especially as private sector innovation and competition from China increases.

Article by Michael Froman February 28, 2025

Tariffs

Drug Policy

The Fentanyl Crisis and the Tariff Response
President Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico in the name of curbing fentanyl flows into the United States. In reality, supplies of the drug—and related deaths—have sharply declined in the past year, though they are still at worrying levels.

Article by Mariel Ferragamo March 4, 2025

Drug Policy

America’s Fentanyl Epidemic: The China Connection

Podcast
Over the past few years, a new threat has emerged as a leading cause of death in the United States: fentanyl. Yet even as the drug wreaks havoc on Americans lives, preventing its flow into the United States is complicated, partially because of the supply’s overseas origins, which is often China. What is China’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis?

Podcast with Gabrielle Sierra, Thomas J. Bollyky, Zongyuan Zoe Liu and Shannon K. O'Neil October 25, 2023 Why It Matters

RealEcon

Trump’s National Security Tariffs

Section 232 tariffs can backfire without exemptions, harming rather than helping national security.

Article by Jonathan E. Hillman February 12, 2025 RealEcon

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CFR experts provide timely analysis on the trade-offs and costs associated with U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies.
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Events
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United States

CEO Speaker Series With Dario Amodei of Anthropic
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.

Virtual Event with Dario Amodei and Michael Froman March 10, 2025

Ukraine

Securing Ukraine’s Future
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.

Virtual Event with Philip M. Breedlove, Fiona Hill, Natalie A. Jaresko, Keith Kellogg, Pavlo Klimkin, Alina Polyakova, Vladyslav Rashkovan, Margaret Brennan, Heidi Crebo-Rediker and Liana Fix March 6, 2025

United States

Transition 2025 Series: The Future of U.S. Climate and Energy Policy

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Panelists discuss the future of climate and energy policy under the new Trump administration, examining lessons from President Trump’s previous term, anticipated shifts from the policies of the Biden administration, and the trajectory of U.S. energy industries, including oil, solar, and wind, and natural gas. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. 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.

Virtual Event with Drew Bond, Michael Catanzaro, David Hayes, Alice C. Hill and Justin Worland March 5, 2025 Transition 2025 Series

Women and Foreign Policy Program

Roundtable: Status of Women Thirty Years After the Beijing Declaration

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In 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women issued the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which established a global agenda to advance gender equality. For its thirtieth anniversary, the sixty-ninth session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women is conducting a review and appraisal of its implementation and assessing what barriers are impeding progress. Ambassador Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, who previously served as the first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, and Ambassador Rao Gupta, the most recent U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, reflect on gains for gender equality since the Beijing Declaration and discuss what steps are currently most needed to protect and advance the status of women. 

Event with Geeta Rao Gupta, Melanne Verveer and Linda Robinson March 5, 2025 Women and Foreign Policy Program

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Experts in the News

Michael B.G. Froman
Link

Froman: Canadian Tariffs Lack the Leverage Trump Wants

Via CNN March 5, 2025

Yanzhong Huang
Link

Huang: America Is Dangerously Ignorant of What’s Going On in China

Via New York Times March 2, 2025

Steven Levitsky
Link

Levitsky: The U.S. Shift Toward Authoritarianism Can Be Reversed

Via MSNBC March 4, 2025

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Explainers

Women and Women's Rights
Where Are Women Wielding Power?
Women and Women's Rights
Where Are Women Wielding Power?
Interactive by Linda Robinson and Noël James
CFR’s Women’s Power Index ranks 193 UN member states on their progress toward gender parity in political participation. Find out where women around the world wield political power—and why it matters.
The World Faces a Sharp Rise in Extreme Weather. Can AI Help?
Climate Change The World Faces a Sharp Rise in Extreme Weather. Can AI Help?
Article by Alice C. Hill and Colin McCormick
Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Immigration and Migration Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border
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How Geography, Race, and Income Shape U.S. Life Expectancy
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Article by Thomas J. Bollyky, Laura Dwyer-Lindgren, Ali H. Mokdad and Chloe Searchinger
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Expert Spotlight

Benn Steil
Benn Steil

Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics

International Finance Financial Markets Economics

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Featured Publications

International Law

Eastward, Westward
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.

Book by Jerome A. Cohen March 4, 2025

Public Health Threats and Pandemics

When the World Closed Its Doors
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.

Book by Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman January 7, 2025

United States

Reagan
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.

Book by Max Boot September 10, 2024

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