Experts in this Topic

Alyssa Ayres
Alyssa Ayres

Adjunct Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    On "Outside Agitators" and Gaza Protests
    Half of those arrested during disruptive Gaza protests on U.S. campuses were not students or faculty members. 
  • Immigration and Migration
    The Strategic Impact of the Global Movement of People: A Conversation With the Council of Councils
    Play
    Foreign policy institute leaders from around the world discuss the dynamics of global migration, including the importance of international cooperation in managing both the documented and undocumented movement of people. The Council of Councils (CoC) is an international initiative created by the Council on Foreign Relations to connect leading foreign policy institutes from around the world in a dialogue on issues of global governance and multilateral cooperation. The CoC is composed of twenty-eight major policy institutes from some of the world’s most influential countries. It is designed to facilitate candid, not-for-attribution dialogue and consensus-building among influential opinion leaders from both established and emerging nations, with the ultimate purpose of injecting the conclusions of its deliberations into high-level foreign policy circles within members’ countries.
  • India
    Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar: India's 2024 General Elections
    Play
    Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at Center for a New American Security, and Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discuss the geopolitical implications of India’s general elections and the influence of religion on politics in India. Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and adjunct senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, moderates the discussion.
  • China
    Religion in China
    A significant proportion of China’s population claims to follow a religion. However, the government continues to toughen oversight, increase persecution of some religions, and attempt to co-opt state-sanctioned religious organizations.
  • China
    China Is Reversing Its Crackdown on Some Religions, but Not All
    Well-documented crackdowns on religious freedom in China, especially against Muslims and Christians, only show part of Beijing’s religious policy. Another side involves state support for “indigenous religions” in an attempt to promote traditional social values amid declining belief in the communist ideology.
  • Global Health Program
    In-Person DC Roundtable: Falling Global Fertility and Its Implications for Climate Change, Political Stability, and Economies
    Play
    New fertility forecasts from the Global Burden of Disease Study stress our world's trajectory towards a low-fertility future. By 2050, fertility rates in three-quarters of countries will not sustain their populations, increasing to ninety-seven percent of countries by 2100. At the same time, relatively high fertility rates in low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to drive population growth, leading to a ‘demographically divided world.’ Please join our speakers, Ann Norris, senior fellow for women and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and Christopher J. Murray, director of the institute that oversees the Global Burden of Disease Study, for a discussion about the latest regional fertility data and how national governments can prepare for projected threats to health, economies, food security, the environment, and geopolitical stability brought on by these demographic changes. 
  • Nigeria
    Ethnonationalist Rumblings
    Why seeming democratic progress has failed to staunch agitation for self-determination in Nigeria.
  • Politics and Government
    2024 Conference on Diversity in International Affairs
    The 2024 Conference on Diversity in International Affairs was a collaborative effort by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Global Access Pipeline, and the International Career Advancement Program. For information about the conference in previous years, please click here. 
  • Aging, Youth Bulges, and Population
    The Foreign Policy Challenges of an Aging Society
    Play
    Panelists discuss the longevity challenges facing countries around the world, the foreign policy implications of dealing with aging societies, and the comparative advantage opportunities for countries successfully managing older populations. Please note there is no virtual component to this meeting. The audio, video, and transcript of this meeting will be posted on the CFR website.