On the Record

In this episode, panelists discuss examples of U.S. presidents leveraging executive power to confront political violence, human rights abuses, and other global challenges, highlighting the ways in which presidential leadership has shaped the United States’ legacy of responsibility.

Host: Jacob M. Weisberg, Executive Chair, Pushkin Industries; Chair, Committee to Protect Journalists

Guests: Meena Bose, Executive Dean, Public Policy and Public Service Programs and Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, Hofstra University; CFR Member

David J. Scheffer, Senior Fellow, CFR

Ruti G. Teitel, Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law and Codirector, Center for International Law, New York Law School

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In this episode, former U.S. President Bill Clinton looks back on critical issues in U.S. foreign policy during his presidency, and shares lessons for sustaining American diplomatic engagement abroad.

His remarks were delivered as part of the inaugural Martin S. Indyk Memorial Lecture, held in collaboration with the Clinton Global Initiative.

Host: Richard Haass, President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations; Senior Counselor, Centerview Partners

Guest: Bill Clinton, Founder and Board Chair, Clinton Foundation; 42nd President of the United States

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In this episode, Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya discusses the latest developments in biomedical innovation and how they will shape the future of public health research.

Background Reading:

Host: Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Senior Professorial Lecturer and President Emerita, American University; Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

Guests: Jay Bhattacharya, Director, National Institutes of Health

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In this episode, experts discuss the geopolitical implications of transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), including how decision-makers are navigating governance, balancing innovation with risk, and addressing questions of equity and accountability.

Background Reading:

Host: Maryam Mujica, Chief Public Policy Officer, General Catalyst

Guests: Laura DeNardis, Professor and Endowed Chair in Technology, Ethics, and Society; Director, Center for Digital Ethics, Georgetown University

Vinh Nguyen, Senior Fellow for AI, Council on Foreign Relations

Miriam Vogel, Author, Governing the Machine: How to Navigate the Risks of AI and Unlock Its True Potential; President and Chief Executive Officer, EqualAI

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: The Rules of AI: Governing Technology in a Geopolitical Age.

Since President Trump first introduced a proposal to end the war in Ukraine, revisions from both sides have led to disagreement, diminishing hopes for a lasting peace. Experts are now examining the recent meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Miami, where efforts were made to finalize a peace plan for presentation to Moscow, as well as the types of security guarantees Ukraine may seek going forward. 

Background Reading:

Host: Paul B. Stares, General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action, CFR

Guests: Liana Fix, Senior Fellow for Europe, CFR

Thomas Graham, Distinguished Fellow, CFR

Steven Sestanovich, George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies, CFR

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: The State of Play in Ukraine.

Intelligence experts discuss the new frontiers of intelligence gathering, examining how emerging technologies are transforming espionage and reshaping the future of U.S. national security.

Background Reading:

Host: Barton Gellman, Senior Advisor to the President, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law School

Guests: Robert Cardillo, Former Director, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Anthony Vinci, Author, The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America; Former Chief Technology Officer, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Rebecca U. Weiner, Deputy Commissioner, Intelligence and Counterterrorism, New York City Police Department; CFR Member

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu62quTXCF0 

Today, U.S. economic leadership is at a crossroads. An overconcentration of critical supply chains in China, underinvestment in important sectors at home, and strategic competition over the next generation of foundational technologies has exposed vulnerabilities in U.S. economic security. 

In its new report, U.S. Economic Security: Winning the Race for Tomorrow’s Technologies, the CFR Task Force on Economic Security addresses U.S. economic security risks and offers practical recommendations for mobilizing the resources needed to prevail.

This Task Force is part of RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership, a CFR initiative of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

Background Reading:

Host: Greg Ip, Chief Economics Commentator and Deputy Economics Editor, Wall Street Journal

Guests: Jonathan E. Hillman, Project Director, Economic Security Task Force; Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics, CFR

Justin G. Muzinich, Cochair, Economic Security Task Force, CFR; Chief Executive Officer, Muzinich & Co., Inc.; Former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (2018–21); Board of Directors, CFR

Gina M. Raimondo, Cochair, Economic Security Task Force, CFR; Former Secretary of Commerce (2021–25)

James D. Taiclet, Cochair, Economic Security Task Force, CFR; Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin Corporation

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLs6B7KF4p0 

As leaders gather in Brazil to discuss international climate policy at this year’s COP30 summit, major questions remain regarding a warming climate and investments in renewable energy. In this conversation, experts discuss the future of global climate negotiations and reflect on lessons learned from past climate diplomacy, including the legacy of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol adopted at COP3.

Background Reading:

Host: Alice C. Hill, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; Former Senior Director, National Security Council (1997–1999)

David G. Victor, Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Public Policy and Director of the Deep Decarbonization Initiative, University of California, San Diego

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcIsuBLObcY 

Measles, whooping cough, and other vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise around the world. Cuts to foreign aid, coupled with growing vaccine hesitancy, and persistent gaps in vaccine access are fueling outbreaks in poor and wealthy nations alike. In this conversation, global health experts discuss the drivers of these outbreaks and the solutions that can advance vaccine equity and better public health worldwide.

Background Reading:

Host: Thomas J. Bollyky, Bloomberg Chair in Global Health and Director of the Global Health Program, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: Heidi Larson, Founder and Director, The Vaccine Confidence Project

Seth Berkley, Senior Advisor, Pandemic Center; Adjunct Professor of the Practice in the Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health

William John Moss, Executive Director, International Vaccine Access Center; Professor of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilif8cCwErE 

Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and maintains deep economic ties with Washington, cementing its status as a critical on-NATO ally. But this September, that partnership was put to the test when Israel, largely funded and supported by the United States, launched an attack on Qatar’s capital, Doha. In this conversation, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discusses Qatar’s regional role, including its mediation efforts in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and its response following the Israeli attack in Doha.

Background Reading:

Host: Ayman Mohyeldin, Co-Host, The Weekend: Primetime, MSNBC

Guests: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qatar

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