CFR On the Record

In this episode, panelists discuss cross-sector efforts to combat human trafficking.   Host: Rachel B. Vogelstein , Associate Professor of Professional Practice; Director, Women’s Initiative, Institute of Global Politics, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs   Guests: Diana S. Gerson , Associate Executive Vice President, New York Board of Rabbis   Shadi Kourosh , Associat...

In this episode, President John Dramani Mahama discusses Ghana’s development priorities, the country’s role as a regional leader in West Africa, and the future of U.S.-Ghana relations.   Host: Michelle Gavin , Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies and Director of the Council of Councils, Council on Foreign Relations; Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana   Guest: John M...

In this episode, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway and President Alexander Stubb of Finland discuss the current state of the war in Ukraine, Arctic and European security, shifting geopolitics, and strategic investments in foreign aid.    Host: Fareed Zakaria , Host, Fareed Zakaria GPS, CNN; Member, Board of Directors, Council on Foreign Relations   Guest: Jonas Gahr Støre , Prime Minister,...

In this episode, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi discusses Somaliland’s bid for international recognition and the regional security landscape.   Host: Ebenezer Obadare , Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations   Guest: Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, President, Republic of Somaliland   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straig...

In this episode, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados discusses the challenges facing climate-vulnerable and developing countries, including efforts to reform the international financial architecture, expand access to development finance, and advance a more resilient and equitable global economy.   Host: Linda Thomas-Greenfield , Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2021–25); Member, Bo...

In this episode, leading African investor and philanthropist Tony Elumelu discusses the continent’s evolving role in the global economy, including entrepreneurship as a catalyst for development, private sector-led growth, energy security, and the evolving U.S.-Africa partnership.   Host: Michael Froman , President, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: Tony O. Elumelu , African Investor and Phila...

In this episode, Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont discusses France’s priorities as it assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council.   Host: Jane Hartley , Chair, Board of Directors, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2022–25) and to France and Monaco (2014–17); CFR Member   Guest: Jérôme Bonnafont , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary...

Title: Eyewitness to History: Reflections on September 11   In this episode, senior leaders across various sectors reflect on their firsthand experiences of the September 11 attacks and the global war on terrorism that followed. Host: Juju Chang , Coanchor, Nightline, ABC News; CFR Member   Guests: Jane Harman , Former U.S. Representative (D-CA), Former Ranking Member, House Intelligence Subcommit...

In this episode, panelists from CFR’s Climate Realism Initiative discuss Financing the Missing Middle , a collection of policies and strategies to help bridge the gap in private funding that inhibits energy innovation in the United States. This “missing middle” slows or blocks technologies that could help the energy system become more secure, affordable, and sustainable, and weakens U.S. firms rel...

In this episode, Andrew Ross Sorkin discusses lessons from the 1929 Wall Street crash, followed by a panel discussion on the present-day risk of a bubble, and how policymakers should respond.   Host: Gillian Tett , Columnist and Member of the Editorial Board, Financial Times; Head, King’s College, University of Cambridge; CFR Member   Introductory Remarks:  Michael Froman , President, Council on F...

In this episode, Margaret Woolley Busse discusses the regulatory environment for artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States, with particular focus on its implications at the state and local level. She is joined by Adam Segal, who assesses the global AI race and why these dynamics matter for U.S. national security and strategic competition with China.   Host: Irina A. Faskianos , vice presid...

In this episode, Kim Daniels, Michael Baggot, Erin D. Dumbacher, and Brian Green discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence and human dignity.   Host: Kim Daniels , Director, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University   Guests: Michael Baggot , Associate Professor of Bioethics, Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum; Adjunct Professor of Theolog...

In this episode, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter discusses the recent trilateral framework agreement among the United States, Israel, and Lebanon, as well as the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship amid the Iran war.   Host: Steven A. Cook , Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies   Guests: Yechiel Leiter , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipote...

In this episode, panelists discuss the impact of U.S. sanctions, the potential for U.S. military action, and the ongoing energy crisis in Cuba.   Host: Kezia McKeague , Managing Director, McLarty Associates; CFR Member   Guests: Ricardo Herrero , Executive Director, Cuba Study Group; CFR Member   Maria Werlau , Cofounder and Executive Director, Free Society Project/Cuba Archive   Jorge R. Piñón ,...

In this episode, Fatih Birol examines how the Hormuz crisis is reshaping the global energy landscape and explores how countries may increasingly favor domestic energy sources that reduce reliance on fuel imports.    Host: Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran , Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program   Guests: Fatih Birol , Executive Director, International Ene...

This episode revisits a 2011 CFR event featuring U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away at age 71.   Host: Jonathan Karl , Chief Washington Correspondent, ABC News   Guests: Lindsey Graham , U.S. Senator, South Carolina   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, vi...

In this episode, panelists discuss the best and worst decisions in U.S. foreign policy as a part of the CFR Young Professionals Briefing Series.   Host: Kelebogile Zvobgo , Mansfield Associate Professor of Government and Director, International Justice Lab, College of William and Mary; CFR Term Member   Guests: Kathryn E. David , Historian, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State; CFR Te...

In this episode, panelists discuss the growing economic and security threats facing Persian Gulf countries and the future of U.S. engagement in the region.   Host: Karen E. Young , Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; CFR Member   Guests: Joseph L. Votel , Distinguished Chair, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point; Former Commander, U.S. Central Command...

This episode revisits a 2015 CFR event featuring former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, who passed away at age 100. Host: Steve Liesman , Senior Economics Reporter, CNBC    Guests: Alan Greenspan , Former Chairman, Federal Reserve Board   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on a...

In this episode, Under Secretary Gil discusses the Genesis Mission, and what the federal government’s bet on AI and quantum computing for scientific discovery means for American competitiveness and global collaboration.   Host: Nicholas F. Beim , Partner, Venrock; Member, Board of Directors, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: Darío Gil , Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy  ...

In this episode, panelists discuss what American democracy has and hasn't delivered on equality, access, and opportunity, and whether that internal reckoning is now inseparable from the country's standing and credibility as a world leader.   Host: Meena Bose , Executive Dean, Public Policy and Public Service Programs and Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, K...

On this episode, panelists provide an update on the geoeconomic consequences of the Iran war and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, including disruptions to oil, gas, and other commodity markets, and the longer-term implications for the petrodollar system and the energy transition.   Host: Edward Fishman , Senior Fellow and Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics, Council on...

In this episode, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer discusses recent developments in the administration’s global economic trade strategy.   Host: Michael Froman , President, Council on Foreign Relations, Former U.S. Trade Representative (2013-17)   Guest: Jamieson Greer , Ambassador, U.S. Trade Representative    Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent strai...

In this moment of renewed debate over the United States’ role in the world, CFR launches the Future of American Strategy Initiative, a multiyear effort to develop a strategic vision for U.S. foreign policy and answer a defining question: Where does America go from here?   Led by Senior Fellow Rebecca Lissner, a leading U.S. foreign policy practitioner and scholar, the Future of American Strategy I...

In this episode, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda discusses the economic impact of the Middle East conflict on Asia and the Pacific, ADB’s response, and the need for countries to strengthen resilience against future shocks.   Host: Brad W. Setser , Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: Masato Kanda , President, Asian Development Bank   Want mor...