A quarter of a century after the Cold War formally ended, Ukraine is at the heart of a new frozen conflict between Russia and the West. With its annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in the eastern Donbas region, Russia has challenged Ukraine’s independence and tested the strength of its ties to Europe and America. These actions, Anne Applebaum contends, have disquieting echoes throughout Ukraine’s twentieth century history. How has this past, particularly the catastrophic Soviet famine of 1921-34, shaped the present day fight for Ukraine’s destiny? Can the West preserve the independence of Ukraine, as well as the other nations of Europe’s borderlands, and avoid war with Russia?

Join the Council on Global Affairs and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for a program on the state of cooperation between Greece and United States on economic and security issues in Southeast Europe.

Sparta and Athens grew toward a conflict that neither wanted – what Graham Allison calls Thucydides’s Trap. Named for the classical Greek historian, Thucydides’s Trap describes the structural stresses that result when a rising power threatens to displace a ruling one. The looming question is whether China’s rise and the fear it instills in America will result in war between the great powers. With tensions rising on nearly all of China’s borders, new leadership priorities in Washington, and historic government transition set to happen after Beijing’s 19th National Congress, the foundation for conflict or coordination is in many ways being set right now. Will the intertwined economies of the China and the US stave off Thucydides’s Trap, or is this all just a little bit of history repeating? Allison’s new book Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? will be available for purchase and signing via the Book Cellar following the program.

The United States and European Union face many of the same challenges today: they must maintain economic growth in the face of global competition, harness and manage rapid technological change, and respond to diverse security threats. Yet a transatlantic partnership that has endured since the end of World War II now appears increasingly divided over how to respond. The 2016 Brexit referendum and the US presidential election resulted in victories for populist campaigns that questioned the core values and institutions created by the transatlantic powers. More recent elections in Europe have bolstered centrist candidates and helped to rejuvenate the European Union. But on questions of trade, security, climate change, and relations with Russia, Europe’s leaders have frequently been at odds with the Trump administration. On these and other critical issues, an opportunity and impetus has arisen for the European Union to assume a global leadership role that many feel the US is abandoning. Are the European Union and United States on divergent paths? How are changing geopolitical and economic realities transforming the transatlantic partnership? And how committed are Europe and America to defending the global institutions and rules they created? The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Chatham House will convene policy experts, journalists, and practitioners for a half-day symposium to chart these trends and consider their implications.

The United States and European Union face many of the same challenges today: they must maintain economic growth in the face of global competition, harness and manage rapid technological change, and respond to diverse security threats. Yet a transatlantic partnership that has endured since the end of World War II now appears increasingly divided over how to respond. The 2016 Brexit referendum and the US presidential election resulted in victories for populist campaigns that questioned the core values and institutions created by the transatlantic powers. More recent elections in Europe have bolstered centrist candidates and helped to rejuvenate the European Union. But on questions of trade, security, climate change, and relations with Russia, Europe’s leaders have frequently been at odds with the Trump administration. On these and other critical issues, an opportunity and impetus has arisen for the European Union to assume a global leadership role that many feel the US is abandoning. Are the European Union and United States on divergent paths? How are changing geopolitical and economic realities transforming the transatlantic partnership? And how committed are Europe and America to defending the global institutions and rules they created? The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Chatham House will convene policy experts, journalists, and practitioners for a half-day symposium to chart these trends and consider their implications.

The United States and European Union face many of the same challenges today: they must maintain economic growth in the face of global competition, harness and manage rapid technological change, and respond to diverse security threats. Yet a transatlantic partnership that has endured since the end of World War II now appears increasingly divided over how to respond. The 2016 Brexit referendum and the US presidential election resulted in victories for populist campaigns that questioned the core values and institutions created by the transatlantic powers. More recent elections in Europe have bolstered centrist candidates and helped to rejuvenate the European Union. But on questions of trade, security, climate change, and relations with Russia, Europe’s leaders have frequently been at odds with the Trump administration. On these and other critical issues, an opportunity and impetus has arisen for the European Union to assume a global leadership role that many feel the US is abandoning. Are the European Union and United States on divergent paths? How are changing geopolitical and economic realities transforming the transatlantic partnership? And how committed are Europe and America to defending the global institutions and rules they created? The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Chatham House will convene policy experts, journalists, and practitioners for a half-day symposium to chart these trends and consider their implications.

Join the Council on Global Affairs and Ambassador Husam Zomlot for a conversation on politics in Palestine and Israel and the prospects for a lasting peace in the region.

It is estimated that eight of the world’s richest men control as much wealth as the poorest half of the population, according to a recent Oxfam report. This concentration of wealth has widened the gap between rich and poor, and women often suffer the most acute effects of poverty. Tackling this inequality requires a new economic vision, according to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Yunus’ microfinance model has empowered over 150 million people worldwide, reducing poverty, unemployment, and incentivizing entrepreneurship among low-income individuals in Bangladesh--with 97% of loans offered to women. Join the Council on Global Affairs, Muhammad Yunus, and Susan Davis for a discussion on how we can tackle worldwide poverty in a way that creates jobs, empowers youth, utilizes technology and is sustainable for our planet. Muhammad Yunus’ latest book is A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment and Zero Carbon Emissions will be available for sale and signing from The Book Cellar.

The private sector has steadily increased investment in global agriculture, but the global south will continue to face an investment gap that amounts to billions of dollars. This gap, along with increased food production demands due to rising populations and rapid urbanization, means the market for ideas and capital is at an all-time high. With Africa’s agriculture and food sector alone expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, the opportunity for engagement is well beyond corporate social responsibility. What is the business case for deeper private sector investment, and what can the private sector do to transform the global food supply chain? How must individual countries act to strengthen the environment for investment and spur inclusive and sustainable growth?

Cities are increasingly driving the global economy. Yet there are numerous disruptive forces that threaten to deepen inequality and economic exclusion unless cities adapt and evolve. The choices that municipal leaders make today to give the workforce access to skills, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and deepen regional connections will have long-term implications for their cities’ economic development. How can cities achieve broader, more inclusive economic development in the face of large scale changes in urbanization, globalization, technology, and demographics? What local solutions can be found to address these global forces of disruption?