Historian-in-Residence Fellowship

The Program

The Historian-in-Residence Fellowship offers distinguished historians the opportunity to spend time at CFR writing a book about a significant historical event that offers lessons that can be applied to contemporary foreign policy challenges. The fellowship, made possible by a generous grant from David M. Rubenstein, is open to university or college professors as well as to historians unaffiliated with an institution who have an outstanding record of historical writing and research. The fellow has the choice to work at CFR’s office in New York or Washington, DC.

The fellowship looks to enrich current foreign policy debates by helping foreign policy practitioners and the broader public better understand both what is familiar and what is novel in the challenges the United States and others face in the world today. The fellow is expected to analyze a past foreign policy challenge during the fellowship year and deduce policy-relevant lessons, parallels, and implications for today’s foreign policy–makers. Besides working on a book, the fellow is expected to write articles and op-eds, lead a meeting series that analyzes foreign policy from a historical vantage point, and participate actively in CFR’s meetings and intellectual life.