Our panelists discussed the U.S. approach to energy, from foreign oil dependence to the transition to and consideration of other energy sources, and climate concerns.

With its Renewing America initiative, CFR is evaluating nine critical domestic issues that shape the ability of the United States to navigate a demanding, competitive, and dangerous world.

Richard Haass, Sergio M. Alcocer, and Yul Sohn assess the degree of deglobalization and the dynamics behind any trend, whether the COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated developments, and the implications for international cooperation moving forward.

The Council of Councils (CoC) is an international initiative created by the Council on Foreign Relations to connect leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a dialogue on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation. The CoC is composed of twenty-eight major policy institutes from some of the world’s most influential countries. It is designed to facilitate candid, not-for-attribution dialogue and consensus-building among influential opinion leaders from both established and emerging nations, with the ultimate purpose of injecting the conclusions of its deliberations into high-level foreign policy circles within members' countries.

Ray Takeyh, Hasib J. Sabbagh senior fellow for Middle East Studies, and Craig McNamara, founder of Sierra Orchards and son of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, discuss the legacy of Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War.

With the planet warming at an alarming pace, there are currently three main approaches to managing risks from the changing climate: reducing emissions, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and adapting to build resilience and minimize the effects of the increase in temperature. CFR senior fellow Stewart Patrick discusses on a potential fourth approach, known as solar geoengineering, that reflects sunlight back into space to reduce rising temperatures on Earth. Drawing on findings and recommendations from a recent Council Special Report Reflecting Sunlight to Reduce Climate Risk: Priorities for Research and International Cooperation, Patrick also discusses the need for strong international cooperation to determine the feasibility and potential consequences of sunlight reflection, to ensure collective decision making regarding any deployment of such techniques, and to manage the geopolitical risks of this untested enterprise.

A panel of journalists who have recently spent time covering the war in Ukraine discusses the situation on the ground there and in the surrounding region, and policy considerations for the United States and NATO allies.

Our panelists discussed the Biden administration’s ongoing negotiations to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following the Trump administration’s 2018 withdrawal, and the role of other actors in the negotiation process, including Russia and Israel.

Our panelists discussed the current situation in and regarding Ukraine, the goals of NATO, Russia, and Ukraine, and alternative futures.