President Trump was elected on a pledge to fix an American immigration system that many perceive to be broken. Already, through a series of executive orders, the new administration has begun to forge a radical shift in immigration policy based on stricter border controls and enforcement actions, and plans to construct a wall along the Mexican border. While constitutional disputes loom, millions of legal and unauthorized migrants, and refugees, face a less certain future in the United States. What might be the implications of these moves for the US economy and society? As federal policy becomes more restrictive how are states, cities, and local communities responding?

What should our food system look like? According to the USDA, American consumption of local foods has tripled in the past two decades and demand is predicted to be worth over $20 billion by 2019. And yet, markets continue to expand globally, connecting rural producers with urban consumers, and offering new opportunities for small scale farmers. What are the environmental repercussions of a food movement that demands diversity, sustainability, and local production? And how will this trend impact already vulnerable farming populations?

The Black Sea region serves as an important nexus between Europe and Central Asia. Yet myriad threats to stability in this region could have a significant impact on transatlantic security. In recent years, countries bordering the Black Sea have experienced incursions on their territorial integrity, significant inflows of migrants and refugees, and threats from terrorist groups and organized crime. What role can Romania, NATO, and the European Union be expected to play in ensuring security in this region in the coming years? How may potential flashpoints in this region have broader consequences for transatlantic security? What impact will domestic politics and protests in several countries in the area have on regional stability?

The historic 2015 US Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage put the US on par with over 20 other nations in advancing the LGBTQ movement. However, countries like Uganda have done the opposite, passing laws that criminalize homosexuality. Despite an overall increase of enactments protecting LGBTQ rights, global prejudice continues to deter the movement. Currently homosexuality is punishable in 10 countries across Africa and the Middle East, and events like Uganda’s Pride festival—where activists were imprisoned, and the Orlando gay nightclub shooting, a response to the rise in hate crimes across the US—highlight the level of backlash against sexual minorities. Join the Council on Global Affairs, Frank Mugisha, one of Uganda's most prominent LGBTQ campaigners, and Chicago based activist Jane Saks, for a discussion on how we can overcome discrimination and injustices towards sexual minorities in Uganda and globally.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation host a special briefing with two of the researchers behind the National Academy of Sciences' report, The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration.

The number of American passport holders has doubled in the last decade as globalization has impacted our businesses, homes, and increasingly – our classrooms. Students today are exposed to more global ideas than any of the proceeding generations, be it through social media, art, or their classmates. How do we provide the next generation with the understanding of interconnectedness to thrive in an economically and digitally linked world? The inaugural class of Koldyke Global Teachers traveled to Thailand, Australia, and throughout Europe to deepen their knowledge of global education models and bring cross-cultural experiences back to their classrooms. The Koldyke Global Teachers Program was generously established by Patricia Blunt and Martin J. Koldyke in 2016 and invests in the professional development of Chicago-area high school teachers. Join the teachers as they share stories and best practices for guiding future global citizens here in Chicago.

Days after the inauguration, the Trump administration announced that American aid money would stop flowing to foreign nonprofits working on abortion. This action illustrates America's long-standing moral and legal tensions related to sex. Throughout American history, conflicts over such issues as the legal regulation of contraception, abortion, homosexuality, and pornography have divided our nation and led to fundamental debates about the meaning of our Constitution. How did sex become so intertwined with religion and law when the Founding Fathers embraced Enlightenment attitudes grounded in reason, individual freedom, the pursuit of happiness, and the separation of church and state? What can the epic story of sex and the Constitution teach us about how to navigate these controversial issues both in our own nation and in our approach to such questions globally?

With more than half of the world’s populations now living in cities, and urbanization occurring at unprecedented rates, there is opportunity to rethink how cities are designed. For government leaders and urban practitioners, the United Nations’ New Urban Agenda offers a compelling vision for the future of cities as resilient, sustainable, equitable, and inclusive. The agenda argues cities should be people-centered and provide access to critical amenities that enable residents to live fulfilling, self-determined lives. Join us for a discussion on the implementation of this agenda as well as a special viewing of the short documentary, “The Moment to Get Cities Right: Inside Habitat lll, The Urbanization Summit of a Generation."

Geopolitics has long been portrayed as a chessboard of competing nations. The metaphor still holds true for high-level statecraft but does not capture the full complexity of the modern world, argues Anne-Marie Slaughter. Today a vast web of global connections, including trade and finance flows, terrorist networks, and social media, overlay the chessboard, exerting their own powerful influence over events. But while the moves on a chessboard are well understood, no strategies exist to guide policymakers in a world of fluid networks and connections. How should governments navigate the world of the web? Can citizens, NGOs, and cities design and customize networks to find solutions to global challenges?

Influencing the marketplace of ideas used to be reserved for an elite class of public intellectuals with broad expertise and academic cache. Today’s thought leaders don't need doctorates or fellowships to reach large audiences of people hungry for new thinking. Rather, TED talks, social media, and online mediums can be used to create positions of expertise. Drezner argues that political polarization, heightened inequality, and eroding trust in authority have converged to create a new intellectual class. Join the Council and Drezner as he explains how the marketplace of ideas has changed in the 21st century.