CFR On the Record

CFR On the Record

By Council on Foreign RelationsNon-Profit
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CFR On the Record episodes

  • On the U.S.-Israeli War in Iran

    In this episode, panelists discuss Iran’s current political climate, concerns for civilians on the ground, and how the country’s rapidly evolving internal dynamics are shaping U.S. objectives as well as broader regional and international considerations.

     

    Background Reading:

    • In this article, International Affairs Fellow Sam Vigersky discusses the global economic disruption caused by the Iran war and its effects on existing humanitarian crises. 

      •  

      Host: Deborah Amos, Ferris Professor of Journalism in Residence, Princeton University; CFR Member

       

      Guests: Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

       

      Mahmood Reza Amiry-Moghaddam, Professor, University of Oslo; Founder and Director, Iran Human Rights NGO

       

      Mara Karlin, Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution; CFR Member

       

      Ray Takeyh, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

       

      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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Iran’s Internal Dynamics and U.S. Objectives

      1 hr 14 min
    • On U.S. National Defense Strategy

      In this episode, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby discusses the U.S. National Defense Strategy under the Donald Trump administration.

       

      Background Reading:

      • In this article, seven CFR experts consider the implications of the National Security Strategy document released on December 5, 2025, by the Trump administration. 



        • Host: Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations

         

        Guests: Elbridge A. Colby, Under Secretary of War for Policy, U.S. Department of War; CFR Member

         

        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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: A Conversation with Elbridge Colby

        1 hr 1 min
      • On the U.S. Vision for Ukraine

        In this episode, panelists explore three critical issues for securing Ukraine’s future: achieving a just and durable peace, ensuring long-term security, and helping the country rebuild and recover from the ravages of war.

         

        Background Reading:

        • This article offers concrete recommendations by five CFR experts for securing the future of Ukraine and Europe.

          •  

          Host: Jonathan Karl, ABC News chief Washington correspondent and co-anchor of This Week with George Stephanopoulos

           

          Guests: Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Senator from New Hampshire (D); Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Member, Senate Armed Services Committee

           

          Thom Tillis, U.S. Senator from North Carolina (R); Chair, Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property; Member, Senate Finance Committee

           

          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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: The U.S. Vision for Ukraine

          33 min
        • On International Economics

          In this episode, John C. Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, discusses monetary policy and the economic outlook for the year ahead.

           

          Background Reading:

          • This article highlights the trade policies four CFR experts will be monitoring this year.

            •  

            Host: Abby Joseph Cohen, Professor of Business, Columbia Business School 

             

            Guests: John C. Williams, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

             

            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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: International Economics With John C. Williams

            1 hr 1 min
          • On America’s Grand Strategy for the Future of Global Leadership

            In this episode, experts discuss the new Council Special Report, America Revived: A Grand Strategy of Resolute Global Leadership, which defines U.S. vital national interests, summarizes the history of U.S. grand strategy, and proposes an alternative that combines military strength with international legitimacy.

             

            Background Reading:

            • This report outlines the conceptual pillars of five grand strategy schools and proposes a sixth based around resolute global leadership. 

              •  

              Host: Suzanne Nossel, Lester Crown Senior Fellow on U.S. Foreign Policy and International Order, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

               

              Guests: Robert D. Blackwill, Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, Council Special Report, America Revived: A Grand Strategy of Resolute Global Leadership

               

              Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., Senior International Policy Advisor, Arnold & Porter; Former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2016–18)

               

              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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: A Grand Strategy of Resolute Global Leadership

              1 hr
            • On Sudan’s Humanitarian Emergency

              Since civil war erupted on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Sudan has become the site of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. More than ten million people have been displaced, over half of the population needs humanitarian assistance, and over 750,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. In this episode, experts discuss ongoing humanitarian efforts, the challenges faced by aid workers, and potential solutions to mitigate the worsening crisis in Sudan.

               

              Background Reading:

              • This article discusses Sudan’s devastating humanitarian crisis and how it’s not getting the international attention it deserves.

                •  

                Host: Michelle Gavin, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

                 

                Guests: Kholood Khair, Political Analyst; Researcher; Founding Director, Confluence Advisory

                 

                Kate Almquist Knopf, Senior Advisor, WestExec Advisors; former Assistant Administrator for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development

                 

                Susan Stigant, Director of Africa Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace

                 

                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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: The Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan 

                1 hr 2 min
              • On Congress’s Approach to China

                In this episode, Senators Christopher Coons and Pete Ricketts—members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations—discuss the role of Congress in formulating, resourcing, and creating the institutional basis for China policy.

                 

                Background Reading:

                • This article outlines CFR President Michael Froman’s take on artificial intelligence competition between the United States and China

                  •  

                  Host: Rush Doshi, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative, CFR; Cochair, Washington China Forum

                   

                  Guests: Christopher A. Coons, U.S. Senator from Delaware (D)

                   

                  Pete Ricketts, U.S. Senator from Nebraska (R)

                   

                  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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: China and Congress: Is There Still a Bipartisan Consensus?

                  45 min
                • On the 2026 Q1 World Economic Update

                  CFR’s World Economic Update highlights the quarter’s most important and emerging trends. This episode covers changes in the global marketplace, with a special emphasis on current economic events and their implications for U.S. policy.


                  Host: Sebastian Mallaby, Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, CFR

                   

                  Guests: Jan Hatzius, Chief Economist and Head of Global Investment Research, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

                   

                  Karen Karniol-Tambour, Co-Chief Investment Officer, Bridgewater Associates, LP

                   

                  Natasha Sarin, Professor of Law, Yale Law School

                   

                  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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: 2026 World Economic Update

                  58 min
                • On Greenland and U.S. Strategic Interests in the Arctic

                  In this episode, experts discuss the United States’ renewed interest in Greenland—which the Trump administration argues is vital to U.S. national security—and what it means for Arctic security, the NATO alliance, and great power competition.

                   

                  Background Reading:

                  • This article unpacks Trump’s increasingly assertive push to bring Greenland under U.S. control and what that means for the NATO alliance and the Arctic. 

                    •  

                    Host: David E. Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent, New York Times; CFR Member

                     

                    Guests: Heather A. Conley, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Foreign and Defense Policy; Former President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States; CFR Member

                     

                    Rebecca Pincus, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute; Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security, German Marshall Fund of the United States; Former Director, Polar Institute, Wilson Center

                     

                    Geoffrey Pyatt, Senior Managing Director, McLarty Associates; Former Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources and U.S. Ambassador to Greece and Ukraine

                     

                    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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Greenland in the Geopolitical Spotlig

                    59 min
                  • On the Best and Worst U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions

                    For two-and-a-half centuries, the United States has faced a challenging world. Some of its responses have made Americans proud. Others have not. CFR asked members of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations what they considered the best and worst U.S. foreign policy decisions. In this episode, panelists discuss the results of the project and the evolution of America’s role in the world.

                     

                    Host: David M. Rubenstein, Cofounder and Cochairman, The Carlyle Group; Chairman, Board of Directors, CFR

                     

                    Guests: Mary L. Dudziak, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law; CFR Member

                     

                    James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR

                     

                    Christopher M. Nichols, Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies and Professor of History, The Ohio State University

                     

                    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, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: America at 250 Series: The Best and Worst Decisions in U.S. Foreign Policy

                    1 hr 2 min

                  About CFR On the Record

                  From the publisher's feed

                  A chance to go inside Council on Foreign Relations events. Listen to world leaders and foreign policy experts discuss and debate the most pressing issues in international affairs.