On the Record

More than four months after the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement to start a peace process, meaningful steps toward an intra-Afghan peace deal have yet to take place. With multiple hurdles to successful talks, including questions about the Taliban’s interest in a deal and about the future makeup of the Afghan state, there remains a real risk of the peace process stalling or collapsing entirely. Our speakers, Seth G. Jones, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Laurel Miller, International Crisis Group, discuss a recent Contingency Planning Memorandum on the possibility of a failed Afghan peace deal and what U.S. policymakers can do to prevent it.

Speakers discuss the Insurrection Act of 1807, the legalities surrounding use of the Act, the history of civil-military relations in the United States, and the role of the military in defending or suppressing civil unrest in U.S. democracy.

Amy Jaffe discusses energy innovation and U.S.-China relations, including an assessment of the energy strategies of the two countries, how these strategies influence the bilateral relationship, and their impact on foreign policy, climate change, and economic rivalry.

Stephen Sestanovich discusses retrenchment in U.S. foreign policy, including a look at past periods of retrenchment and the implications they have for today's foreign policy debate. 

The CFR Master Class Series is a weekly 45-minute session hosted by Vice President and Deputy Director for Studies Shannon O’Neil in which a CFR fellow will take a step back from the news and discuss the fundamentals essential to understanding a given country, region of the world, or issue pertaining to U.S. foreign policy or international relations.

International Criminal Court (ICC) President Chile Eboe-Osuji discusses the purpose and value of the ICC’s work and the ICC’s relationship with the United States.

As research definitively establishes a link between gender equality and global prosperity, more countries have sought to remove the economic barriers women face and foster their participation. In the United States, Congress is taking steps to ensure that U.S. trade policies enable opportunities for and do not discriminate against women: Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) recently introduced legislation to strengthen standards for women’s and workers’ rights for countries receiving U.S. trade preferences. Senator Bob Casey, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, and Heather Hurlburt discuss why and how U.S. trade policy should protect and promote women’s rights and opportunities.

The Trump administration has expanded immigration restrictions to suspend until the end of 2020 the issuance of most visas for foreign workers, including those for high-skilled employees and for intra-company transfers. Our panelists discuss the ramifications for business and U.S. competitiveness.

David Cote discusses the lessons he has learned during his career in business and leadership along with his new book on how companies can perform better in the short term while still planning for long term growth.