Council of Councils
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Introduction
Over the last several decades, governments have collectively pledged to slow global warming. But despite intensified diplomacy, the world is already facing the consequences of climate…
CFR Academic
Teaching Notes
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Against the backdrop of China’s mounting influence and North Korea’s growing nuclear capability and expanding missile arsenal, South Korea faces a set of strategic choices that will shape its economic prospects and national security. In South Korea at the Crossroads, Scott A. Snyder examines the trajectory of fifty years of South Korean foreign policy and offers predictions―and a prescription―for the future. Pairing a historical perspective with a shrewd understanding of today’s political landscape, Snyder contends that South Korea’s best strategy remains investing in a robust alliance with the United States.
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In the wake of World War II, with Britain’s empire collapsing and Stalin’s on the rise, U.S. officials under new secretary of state George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly, and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union, and a Western identity that continues to shape world events.
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How a fiercely independent India takes its place as a leading power needs to be on the shortlist of questions that will shape this century. With its huge military and growing economy, India is ready to set its own terms, from defense to climate to trade as a “leading power,” in the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Slavery, long banned and universally condemned, persists in many corners of the world, victimizing tens of millions of people.
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While the United States has been the world’s greatest champion of international cooperation, it has often resisted rules it wishes to see binding for other countries. In The Sovereignty Wars, Stewart M. Patrick defines what is at stake in the U.S. sovereignty debate. To protect U.S. sovereignty while advancing American interests, he asserts that the nation must occasionally make “sovereignty bargains” by trading its freedom of independent action in exchange for greater influence through expanded international cooperation.
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A World in Disarray, a VICE special report, draws on Richard Haass's eponymous book and explores the disorder in today’s international landscape using four regional case studies: Syria, Ukraine, the South China Sea, and North Korea.
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A World in Disarray traces the origins of contemporary "order," including the state of the world following the Cold War when, for the first time in the modern era, major power rivalry was not the principal cause of disorder.
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In this book, CFR Fellow Jeffrey Mankoff analyzes Russia’s interactions with major global actors and concludes that today’s Russia is more interested in restoring what its leaders consider to be its rightful place among the world’s major powers than in directly challenging the West. Teaching notes by the author.
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Upheaval in the Middle East presents both challenges and opportunities for the 30 million Kurds living in the region. The newest InfoGuide outlines these dynamics, their historical underpinnings, and how they could reshape the Middle East.
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The Taliban has outlasted the world’s most potent military forces, and its two main factions now challenge the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan. As U.S. troops draw down, the next phase of conflict has consequences that extend far beyond the region.
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The Amazon rainforest absorbs more greenhouse gases than any other tropical forest. But in Brazil, deforestation has claimed nearly a fifth of its tree cover, which threatens biodiversity and contributes to climate change.
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In his new book, State Capitalism: How the Return of Statism is Transforming the World, Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia Joshua Kurlantzick analyzes the rise in state capitalism in developing nations, including China, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, and South Africa, among other states. He defines state capitalism as situations in which governments control or exert significant influence over at least one-third of the largest corporations in a country.
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Today, nations increasingly carry out geopolitical combat through economic means. Policies governing everything from trade and investment to energy and exchange rates are wielded as tools to win diplomatic allies, punish adversaries, and coerce those in between. Not so in the United States, however. America still too often reaches for the gun over the purse to advance its interests abroad. The result is a playing field sharply tilting against the United States.
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In The Hacked World Order, Adam Segal shows how governments use the web to wage war, spy on, coerce, and damage each other. While scholars, activists, and technologists initially heralded the Internet as a space outside of state control, governments have been quick to step into this new domain—both to control activity that happens within it and to adopt it as a new tool of state power.
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The eastern Congo has been ravaged by foreign invasions and homegrown rebellions that have killed and displaced millions. A fragile peace process seeks to bring stability to central Africa, but its hard-won gains remain at risk.
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In Red Team, CFR Senior Fellow Micah Zenko provides an in-depth investigation into the work of red teams, revealing the best practices, most common pitfalls, and most effective applications of these modern-day devil’s advocates.
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In this book, CFR Senior Fellow Scott A. Snyder and coauthor Brad Glosserman investigate the roots of fractured relations between Japan and South Korea and their ongoing threat to the region and the world. Teaching notes by the author.
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Sectarian conflict is becoming entrenched in some Muslim countries and is threatening to fracture Iraq and Syria. This interactive InfoGuide—which includes videos, infographics, maps, and timelines—explains how tensions between Sunnis and Shias could reshape the future Middle East.
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Three experts join CFR President Richard N. Haass to discuss the crisis in Ukraine and its implications for U.S. foreign policy in this video of a mock high-level U.S. government meeting.
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Three experts join CFR President Richard N. Haass to outline the courses of action available to the United States and debate whether U.S. intervention in Syria would be desirable or effective in this video of a mock high-level U.S. government meeting.
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In this book, CFR President Richard N. Haass puts forward a new foreign policy doctrine of Restoration, in which the United States limits its engagement in wars of choice and humanitarian interventions abroad and focuses on restoring the foundations of its power at home. Teaching notes by the author.
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In this book, CFR Senior Fellow Jagdish N. Bhagwati and coauthor Arvind Panagriya argue that despite myriad development strategies, only one can succeed in alleviating poverty in India: the overall growth of the country’s economy. Teaching notes by Professor Bhagwati.
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This interactive InfoGuide—which includes videos, infographics, maps, and timelines—explores whether the Arctic can be developed sustainably and peaceably. Teaching notes by Lawson Brigham, Distinguished Professor of Geography and Arctic Policy, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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Three experts join CFR President Richard N. Haass to discuss what actions the United States can take to ensure stability between China and its neighbors in this video of a mock high-level U.S. government meeting.