On October 15, 1962, senior U.S. officials learned that their fears had come true—the Soviet Union was installing nuclear-armed ballistic missiles in Cuba.
Europe · South & Central America · North America · Defense · Global politics
North America · Global politics
The debate over autonomous weapons and the debate over frontier AI safety are about different problems. To regulate autonomous weapons effectively and move forward after a decade of discussion, lawmakers and the public need to understand not whether a weapon is autonomous but how autonomous it is, and policymakers need a framework to address it.
Defense
The International Criminal Court was created to bring justice to the world’s worst war criminals, but debate over the court still rages.
Global politics
A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance flight photographed evidence that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear-armed ballistic missiles in Cuba, touching off the Cuban Missile Crisis.
South & Central America · North America · Defense · Global politics
A few observations explain what is likely to happen on Election Day 2026 and why it matters.
North America · Global politics
Four CFR experts explain why Treasury’s market interventions haven’t lowered bond yields, how the sell-off is spreading abroad, and how AI spending and higher oil prices are affecting the bond market.
Asia · North America · Oil & energy
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is pleased to announce a transformative $15 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation to strengthen and expand the Blavatnik Internship Program. Including both endowment and current-use support, this generous commitment more than doubles the foundation’s original investment in the program and builds on its remarkable success. “We hope […]
North America · Global politics
NBC President of Editorial Rebecca Blumenstein spoke to CFR about the experiences, risks, and mentors that have shaped her career, from small-town newsrooms to some of the country’s most influential news organizations.
North America
A closer look at the impact of China’s currency on China’s export growth.
East Asia · Global politics
European countries have been too slow and too reactive in response to escalating Russian attacks. They need a coordinated playbook.
Europe · Defense · Cybersecurity
CFR President Michael Froman analyzes Europe’s changing posture toward China and Russia, and how that mirrors what the U.S. approach used to be.
Europe · East Asia · North America · Defense · Global politics
The career and political thought of Peter Thiel undermine Francis Fukuyama’s famed but fragile “End of History” thesis—which the author sought to shore up in his new memoir. Originally published at Project Syndicate
North America · Global politics
Washington’s sudden decision to open talks with Myanmar’s government grants further legitimacy to an authoritarian regime and is unlikely to deliver access to rare earths.
East Asia · North America · Defense · Global politics
The Yemen-based Houthis’ naval blockade against Saudi shipping and their battle with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces for control of the Red Sea’s critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait add a new dimension to the Iran war, with potentially major consequences for the region and the global economy.
West & Central Asia · Defense · Oil & energy
