On the Record

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
 
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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 

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)
 
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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?

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
 
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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

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
 
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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

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
 
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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

On Iran's Protests

In this episode, panelists discuss the latest unrest in Iran, the economic pressures that have sparked nationwide protests, and the implications for U.S. policy amid ongoing regional tensions.
 
Background Reading:
This article discusses how the Iranian regime is facing one of its largest protest movements in years, leading Tehran to shut down internet and telephone communications.
 
Host: Missy Ryan, Staff Writer, The Atlantic
 
Guests: Vali R. Nasr, Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
 
Ray Takeyh, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies, CFR
 
Sanam Vakil, Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
 
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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: The Protests in Iran

On Immigration Policy and the U.S. Economy

Immigrants significantly benefit the U.S. economy by growing the labor force, filling essential jobs in sectors like services, construction, and tech. In this episode, panelists discuss the effects of recent refugee and immigration policy developments on the U.S. economy.
 
Background Reading:
This article outlines the critical role immigrants have long played in boosting the U.S. economy and GDP.
This article highlights how the second Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement, putting pressure on federal, state, and local agencies to meet the president’s deportation goals.
 
Host: Nelson W. Cunningham, Former President, McLarty Associates; Former Senior Advisor for Economic Affairs, U.S. Department of State; Former Special Advisor on Western Hemisphere Affairs; CFR Member
 
Guests: Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research, Center for Immigration Studies
 
Andrea R. Flores, Founder, America’s Promise
 
Pia Orrenius, Vice President and Senior Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
 
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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Immigration Policy and the U.S. Economy

On Forecasting Humanitarian Risk for 2026

In this episode, David Miliband, president and chief executive officer of the International Rescue Committee, discusses the new IRC Emergency Watchlist report. The report highlights the countries at highest risk of humanitarian crisis in 2026, and evaluates the international community’s progress and shortcomings.
 
Background Reading:
This article discusses Venezuela’s dire humanitarian landscape, as the White House reviews potential military operations in the region.
This article examines Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, and a stubborn lack of international attention to its plight.
Host: Andrea Mitchell, Chief Washington Correspondent and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News
 
Guest: David Miliband, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Rescue Committee; Former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom
 
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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Forecasting Humanitarian Risk in 2026: A Conversation with David Miliband. 
 

On Presidential Leadership and Moral Responsibility

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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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Reckoning with History: Presidential Leadership and Moral Responsibility.

President Bill Clinton on U.S. Foreign Policy

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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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 President Bill Clinton.