An Inside Look into the Chinese System

with Martin Chorzempa, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics

Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club

With President Xi Jinping having secured his unprecedented third term at the helm of “China, Inc.” in October 2022, state control over the economy has intensified, including in the regulation of the tech sector. This is part of an evolution of China’s development model. How is President Xi’s current management of the economy tied to China's domestic political climate and what are the implications for strategic competition with the United States?

Empires and International Conflict

with Lauren Benton, Barton M. Biggs Professor of History and Professor of Law, Yale University

Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club

Can the imperial past shed light on international conflicts? For over five centuries, empires composed and dominated a first global order. Empires claimed a right to intervene unilaterally to protect their own subjects and interests. Small wars opened pathways to extreme violence and sometimes enveloped whole regions. Now former empires, including Russia and China, continue to draw from imperial repertoires to justify aggression. And some former colonies reflexively chafe at bilateral security arrangements. How important are these and other legacies of empires in the current global order?

Trade or Aid? Is There a Future for the International Development System?

With Danica R. Starks, Adjunct Professor of International Affairs and Public Administration, Syracuse University

Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club

The Annual Meeting of the World Bank Group will be held October 9-15 in Morocco. On the agenda will be the “Evolution Roadmap” proposed by the Bank’s Boards of Executive Directors earlier this year to start rethinking how it addresses current development challenges, including accounting for climate change. Danica Starks, who also serves as Senior U.S. Commercial Liaison and Advisor to the U.S. Executive Director at the World Bank, will share her views on the outcomes of this meeting, and discuss the future of development assistance.

Türkiye: Power Broker at Last?

With Ambassador David M. Satterfield, Director, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club

Ambassador Satterfield served as our ambassador to Türkiye from June 2019 to January 2022, at a time when President Erdogan launched an increasingly assertive foreign policy.  As a critical NATO ally and strategically located country, Türkiye: 's stances have long impacted the region; they now even reverberate globally. What set of geopolitical options does Türkiye currently face? How might Erdogan seize these? And how do these options dovetail – or not – with U.S. interests in the region and more broadly?

The remaining four CCFR programs will be announced soon. 

CCFR COVID-19 Guidelines

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2021-2022 SEASON

• Ilan Goldenberg: The U.S.-Israel Relationship After Netanyahu
• Gregory Shaffer: Emerging Powers and the World Trading System
• Kaitlyn Johnson: Space Security - Threats and Foreign Policy Implications
• Terry Roberts: Implementing Cyber Risk Management Frameworks
• Andrew Yeo: Adapting the U.S.-South Korea Alliance to the Indo-Pacific Era
• Paul Angelo: Getting U.S. Security Assistance Right: Lessons from Mexico, Central America, and Colombia
• Cameron Hudson: The Horn of Africa and Its Strategic Implications
• Pierre Morcos: The Future of Europe: A French Perspective

2020-2021 SEASON

• Randolph Bell and Anders Åslund: The Geopolitics of Energy: A Look at Russia and Saudi Arabia’s Role
• Karen Donfried: Germany and America’s Changing Relationship
• Cynthia Arnson: Security Challenges and Prospects for Peace in Colombia
• Ambassador Reuben Brigety: Emerging Powers in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Celina Realuyo: Countering Global Terrorist Funding and Illicit Networks
• Thomas Countryman: Nuclear Proliferation Risks and Concerns
• Randa Slim: Lebanon in Crisis
• Rear Admiral Paul Becker: Grand Strategy in the Asia-Pacific

2019-2020 SEASON

• Kemal Kirisci: Turkey, a U.S. Ally Adrift: Is a Reversal Possible?
• Dany Bahar: Venezuela: How We Got Here, and What’s Next?
• Richard Hoagland: The New Silk Road: U.S. Strategic Interests in the Caspian Sea Region
• Ambassador Stephen Young: Taiwan and the U.S.: What Does the Future Hold?
• Richard Rossow: India’s Rise as an Economic and Military Power
• Farah Pandith: How We Win: Defeating the Extremist Threat
• Chris Demchak: Cyber Conflict and New Global Reality: Threats and Possibilities for Democratic Survival
• Frances Burwell: The Post-Covid19 Transatlantic Relationship

2018-2019 SEASON

• Jarrett Blanc: Where Do We Go From Here: The Future of U.S.-Iran Relations
• Richard Miles: At a Crossroads- Insight Into the U.S.-Mexico Relationship
• Roy Kamphausen: U.S.-China Relations, A Look at Military
• Anna Borshchevskaya: Exploring Russia’s Role in the Middle East
• Mathew Burrows: Alternative Futures for the World: Examining Global Order
• Geoffrey Gertz: NAFTA 2.0 and the Future of American Trade Policy
• Ambassador Bruce Wharton: U.S. Interests and Policy in Africa
• Walter Berbrick: Challenges and Trials in the Arctic

2017-2018 SEASON

• Abigail Esman: Beyond Terrorism: Addressing Terrorism at Home and Abroad
• Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger: The Merkel Regime- Germany after the Election
• Scott Stewart: Understanding Cybersecurity: Understanding Cybersecurity and Physical Security
• Andrea Murta: Anatomy of Corruption: The Case of Brazil
• Naoyuki Agawa: Japan’s Security Policy in East Asia and Beyond: North Korea, China and the Alliance
• David Dollar: China’s Growing Role in the World Economy
• Sarah Feuer: Religion and Politics in North Africa: Emerging Trends and Implications for U.S. Policy
• Michael Peterson: A New ‘Type’ of War: Russian Warfare in the 21st Century