Defense and Security | Council on Foreign Relations

Military Operations

Sea Power: The U.S. Navy and Foreign Policy

The U.S. Navy’s dominance of the world’s oceans has made it an indispensable foreign policy tool and a guarantor of global trade, but a mix of challenges is raising difficult questions about its future.

Backgrounder by Jonathan Masters June 12, 2024
Taiwan

Why China Would Struggle to Invade Taiwan

Although China’s ambition to gain control of Taiwan is clear, doing so through force would prove enormously difficult and costly.

Interactive by David Sacks June 12, 2024
RealEcon

Supporting American Small Businesses Against Foreign Threats

Small businesses are critical to U.S. national security. They’re also increasingly targeted by foreign cyberattacks. The federal government can do more to protect them.

Article by Tara Donohue Bartels and Tarah Wheeler June 11, 2024 RealEcon

Experts in this Topic

Richard K. Betts

Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies

Stephen Biddle

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy

Max Boot

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies

Thomas E. Donilon

Distinguished Fellow

Rush Doshi

Senior Fellow for China and Indo-Pacific Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative

Raymond W. Kelly

Distinguished Visiting Fellow

Manjari Chatterjee Miller

Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

Carla Anne Robbins

Senior Fellow

David Sacks

Fellow for Asia Studies

Sheila A. Smith

John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies

Paul B. Stares

General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action

Jacob Ware

Research Fellow

Digital Policy

Cyber Week in Review: June 7, 2024

DOJ and FTC reach deal on AI investigation; Hackers send zero-click through TikTok; Study on 2020 election misinformation released; Microsoft says Russia targeting Paris Olympics; YouTube tightens controls on gun videos.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf June 7, 2024 Net Politics
Russia

Leslie H. Gelb Memorial Event: Common Sense and Strategy in Foreign Policy

David E. Sanger discusses U.S. rivalry with the other two great nuclear powers—Xi Jinping’s China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia—the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world. This special event is being held to honor the memory of Leslie H. Gelb, CFR’s president from 1993 to 2003 and a dedicated member for forty-six years. Gelb modernized the institution to reflect the changing realities of the post-Cold War era, and was a passionate advocate of common sense and strategy in U.S. foreign policy. For those attending virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.

Virtual Event by David E. Sanger and Michael Froman June 5, 2024
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Cyber Week in Review: May 31, 2024

"Eyes on Rafah" circulates on social media; China announces $47.5 billion semiconductor fund; Leaked documents detail Google Search algorithms; France lifts TikTok ban in New Caledonia; TikTok releases influence operation report.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf May 31, 2024 Net Politics

Myanmar

How Myanmar Became a Global Center for Cyber Scams

Organized crime groups in Southeast Asia have seized on Myanmar’s instability amid civil war to establish a string of scam centers engaged in global online fraud operations.

In Brief by Clara Fong and Abigail McGowan May 31, 2024
Sudan

The World’s Shameful Neglect of Sudan

The disregard paid to Sudan’s brutal conflict is an indictment on the international community.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin May 31, 2024 Africa in Transition
Israel

U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts

Israel has long been the leading recipient of U.S. foreign aid, including military support. That aid has come under heightened scrutiny amid Israel’s monthslong war to eliminate Hamas.

Article by Jonathan Masters and Will Merrow May 31, 2024
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Does NATO Have a Role in Asia?

The transatlantic alliance has begun to connect its traditional security interests in Europe with the geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region, including tensions between China and Taiwan.

Expert Brief by David Sacks May 30, 2024 Asia Program
Palestinian Territories

Who Governs the Palestinians?

Power in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the so-called Palestinian territories, has been divided among three entities: a governing body called the Palestinian Authority, the militant group Hamas, and the state of Israel. But as Israel now seeks to destroy Hamas, it is unclear who would administer Gaza instead.

Backgrounder by Kali Robinson May 28, 2024
Ukraine

Ukraine’s Economic Recovery: Remarks and a Conversation with Penny Pritzker

U.S. Special Representative Penny Pritzker discusses ongoing Ukraine recovery and reconstruction efforts, having just returned from three trips to Ukraine in six weeks, including joining the Secretary of State in mid-May. She outlines U.S. priorities for supporting Ukraine in advance of the Ukraine Recovery Conference on June 11-12 in Berlin.

Event with Penny Pritzker and Michael Froman May 28, 2024
North Korea

The North Korean and Chinese Threats Are Growing. But so Is the Trilateral Response.

With renewed support from Russia and China, there are fears that a North Korean crisis is coming. In light of this, the trilateral security relationship among the United States, Japan, and South Korea has reached a new level of cooperation.

Blog Post by Sue Mi Terry May 28, 2024 Asia Unbound
Mexico

Mexico’s 2024 Elections: What to Know

Against a backdrop of widespread violence, a record number of voters will look to elect Mexico’s first woman president in a June election that polls predict will go to Claudia Sheinbaum.

Expert Brief by Shannon K. O'Neil May 24, 2024 Diamonstein-Spielvogel Project on the Future of Democracy
Cybersecurity

Cyber Week in Review: May 24, 2024

UK and South Korea host AI Safety Summit; China rolls out Xi Jinping Thought chatbot; House committee passes bill restricting export of AI systems; Biden meets with Kenyan President; TikTok to limit state-backed media.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf May 24, 2024 Net Politics