On the Record

Episódios

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  On France’s UN Security Council Presidency Priorities 18.09.2026 1h 4min

  In this episode, Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont discusses France’s priorities as it assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council.   Host: Jane Hartley, Chair, Board of Directors, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2022–25) and to France and Monaco (2014–17); CFR Member   Guest: Jérôme Bonnafont, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit the CFR YouTube channel: France’s UN Security Council Presidency Priorities: A Conversation With Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont
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  Eyewitness to History: Reflections on September 11 11.09.2026 58min

  Title: Eyewitness to History: Reflections on September 11   In this episode, senior leaders across various sectors reflect on their firsthand experiences of the September 11 attacks and the global war on terrorism that followed. Host: Juju Chang, Coanchor, Nightline, ABC News; CFR Member   Guests: Jane Harman, Former U.S. Representative (D-CA), Former Ranking Member, House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security (1993–2011); Chair, 2024 Commission on the National Defense Strategy; CFR Member   Paul D. Wolfowitz, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution; Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense (2001–05); CFR Member   John E. McLaughlin, Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Former Deputy Director and Acting Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2000–04); CFR Member   John B. Bellinger III, Adjunct Senior Fellow for International and National Security Law, Council on Foreign Relations; Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP; Former Senior Associate Counsel to the President and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council (2001–05); CFR Member   Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter for comprehensive analysis of global news and events.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, visit the CFR YouTube channel: Eyewitnesses to History—The View From Washington  
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  On Financing the “Missing Middle” to Scale Energy Breakthroughs 04.09.2026 1h

  In this episode, panelists from CFR’s Climate Realism Initiative discuss Financing the Missing Middle, a collection of policies and strategies to help bridge the gap in private funding that inhibits energy innovation in the United States. This “missing middle” slows or blocks technologies that could help the energy system become more secure, affordable, and sustainable, and weakens U.S. firms relative to Chinese and other international competitors.   Host: Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Incoming Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: David M. Hart, Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy, Council on Foreign Relations   Vanessa Z. Chan, Jonathan and Linda Brassington Practice Professor, Materials Science and Engineering and Inaugural Vice-Dean of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Pennsylvania   Josh Prueher, Chief Executive Officer, XGS Energy   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Filling the "Missing Middle" to Scale Energy Breakthroughs
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  On the Lessons of the 1929 Wall Street Crash 28.08.2026 58min

  In this episode, Andrew Ross Sorkin discusses lessons from the 1929 Wall Street crash, followed by a panel discussion on the present-day risk of a bubble, and how policymakers should respond.   Host: Gillian Tett, Columnist and Member of the Editorial Board, Financial Times; Head, King’s College, University of Cambridge; CFR Member   Introductory Remarks:  Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Founder, DealBook, and Columnist and Editor at Large, New York Times; Coanchor, Squawk Box, CNBC; Author, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation; CFR Member   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   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 Andrew Ross Sorkin
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  On AI Policy: Global Stakes, Local Governance 21.08.2026 59min

  In this episode, Margaret Woolley Busse discusses the regulatory environment for artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States, with particular focus on its implications at the state and local level. She is joined by Adam Segal, who assesses the global AI race and why these dynamics matter for U.S. national security and strategic competition with China.   Host: Irina A. Faskianos, vice president for the National Program and Outreach, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: Margaret Woolley Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce and cofounder of the Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy Adam Segal, Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security and director of the Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: State and Local Officials Webinar: AI Policy: Global Stakes, Local Governance
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  On Pope Leo XIV and Human Dignity in the Age of AI 14.08.2026 57min

  In this episode, Kim Daniels, Michael Baggot, Erin D. Dumbacher, and Brian Green discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence and human dignity.   Host: Kim Daniels, Director, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University   Guests: Michael Baggot, Associate Professor of Bioethics, Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum; Adjunct Professor of Theology, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas-Angelicum   Erin D. Dumbacher, Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations   Brian Green, Director of Technology Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s The World This Week newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: CFR 7/30 Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar: Pope Leo XIV and Human Dignity in the Age of AI
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  Yechiel Leiter on the U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon Agreement 07.08.2026 1h 3min

  In this episode, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter discusses the recent trilateral framework agreement among the United States, Israel, and Lebanon, as well as the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship amid the Iran war.   Host: Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies   Guests: Yechiel Leiter, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Israel, Washington, DC   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s The World This Week newsletter.   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 Ambassador Yechiel Leiter of Israel
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  On the State of U.S.-Cuba Relations 31.07.2026 1h

  In this episode, panelists discuss the impact of U.S. sanctions, the potential for U.S. military action, and the ongoing energy crisis in Cuba.   Host: Kezia McKeague, Managing Director, McLarty Associates; CFR Member   Guests: Ricardo Herrero, Executive Director, Cuba Study Group; CFR Member   Maria Werlau, Cofounder and Executive Director, Free Society Project/Cuba Archive   Jorge R. Piñón, Energy Institute Senior Research Collaborator, University of Texas at Austin Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s The World This Week newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Cuba on the Brink—The State of U.S.-Cuba Relations  
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  On the Hormuz Crisis and the Global Energy Landscape 24.07.2026 59min

  In this episode, Fatih Birol examines how the Hormuz crisis is reshaping the global energy landscape and explores how countries may increasingly favor domestic energy sources that reduce reliance on fuel imports.    Host: Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program   Guests: Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s The World This Week newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: DC In-Person: A Conversation With International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol
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  From the Archives: A Conversation With Lindsey Graham 17.07.2026 58min

  This episode revisits a 2011 CFR event featuring U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away at age 71.   Host: Jonathan Karl, Chief Washington Correspondent, ABC News   Guests: Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator, South Carolina   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event.
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  On the Best and Worst Decisions in U.S. Foreign Policy 10.07.2026 52min

  In this episode, panelists discuss the best and worst decisions in U.S. foreign policy as a part of the CFR Young Professionals Briefing Series.   Host: Kelebogile Zvobgo, Mansfield Associate Professor of Government and Director, International Justice Lab, College of William and Mary; CFR Term Member   Guests: Kathryn E. David, Historian, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State; CFR Term Member   James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Young Professionals Briefing: The Best and Worst Decisions in U.S. Foreign Policy
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  On the Gulf After the Iran War 03.07.2026 1h

  In this episode, panelists discuss the growing economic and security threats facing Persian Gulf countries and the future of U.S. engagement in the region.   Host: Karen E. Young, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; CFR Member   Guests: Joseph L. Votel, Distinguished Chair, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point; Former Commander, U.S. Central Command (2016–2019); CFR Member   Robert Mogielnicki, Nonresident Fellow, Arab Gulf States Institute; Middle East Advisor, Teneo; CFR Term Member   Elisa Catalano Ewers, Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies, Council on Foreign Relations   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: The Gulf After the Iran War
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  From the Archives: Alan Greenspan on the U.S. Economy in 2015 26.06.2026 58min

  This episode revisits a 2015 CFR event featuring former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, who passed away at age 100. Host: Steve Liesman, Senior Economics Reporter, CNBC    Guests: Alan Greenspan, Former Chairman, Federal Reserve Board   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.   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 Alan Greenspan
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  On AI, Quantum, and the Future of American Science 19.06.2026 1h 1min

  In this episode, Under Secretary Gil discusses the Genesis Mission, and what the federal government’s bet on AI and quantum computing for scientific discovery means for American competitiveness and global collaboration.   Host: Nicholas F. Beim, Partner, Venrock; Member, Board of Directors, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: Darío Gil, Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter. To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: AI, Quantum, and the Future of American Science: A Conversation With Darío Gil
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  On U.S. Democracy, Belonging, and Power 12.06.2026 56min

  In this episode, panelists discuss what American democracy has and hasn't delivered on equality, access, and opportunity, and whether that internal reckoning is now inseparable from the country's standing and credibility as a world leader.   Host: 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    Guests: Jamelle Bouie, Opinion Columnist, New York Times    Jane Kamensky, President and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello; Jonathan Trumbull Professor of American History Emerita, Harvard University    Elizabeth Rule, Assistant Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies, American University; Author, Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation's Capital   Introductory Remarks: Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations; CFR Member    Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter. 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: Democracy, Belonging, and Power
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  On the Iran War’s Global Economic Effects 05.06.2026 58min

  On this episode, panelists provide an update on the geoeconomic consequences of the Iran war and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, including disruptions to oil, gas, and other commodity markets, and the longer-term implications for the petrodollar system and the energy transition.   Host: Edward Fishman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics, Council on Foreign Relations   Speakers: Daniel H. Yergin, Vice Chairman, S&P Global; CFR Member   Helima Croft, Managing Director and Global Head of Commodity Strategy, RBC Capital Markets; CFR Member   Mallika Sachdeva, Managing Director, Head of FX Thematics, Deutsche Bank Research   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter. To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: How the Iran War is Remaking the Global Economy
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  On U.S. Trade Policy with Jamieson Greer 29.05.2026 1h 16min

  In this episode, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer discusses recent developments in the administration’s global economic trade strategy.   Host: Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations, Former U.S. Trade Representative (2013-17)   Guest: Jamieson Greer, Ambassador, U.S. Trade Representative    Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter. 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 Jamieson Greer
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  On the Future of American Power 22.05.2026 1h 14min

  In this moment of renewed debate over the United States’ role in the world, CFR launches the Future of American Strategy Initiative, a multiyear effort to develop a strategic vision for U.S. foreign policy and answer a defining question: Where does America go from here?   Led by Senior Fellow Rebecca Lissner, a leading U.S. foreign policy practitioner and scholar, the Future of American Strategy Initiative will bring together perspectives across ideological lines to develop new thinking on U.S. foreign policy.   In this episode, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee discuss the defense priorities, investments, and strategic choices that will define American power in the decade ahead.   Host: Dasha Burns, White House Bureau Chief and Host, The Conversation, Politico; Host, Ceasefire, C-SPAN   Guests: Elissa Slotkin, U.S. Senator from Michigan (D); Member, Senate Armed Services Committee; Member, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee   Tim Sheehy, U.S. Senator from Montana (R), Member, Senate Armed Services Committee   Introductory Remarks: Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations; CFR Member   Rebecca Lissner, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and Director of the Future of American Strategy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter. To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Europe’s Response to the Iran War
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  On the Iran War’s Economic Impact in Asia 15.05.2026 44min

  In this episode, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda discusses the economic impact of the Middle East conflict on Asia and the Pacific, ADB’s response, and the need for countries to strengthen resilience against future shocks.   Host: Brad W. Setser, Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations   Guests: Masato Kanda, President, Asian Development Bank   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter. 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 Masato Kanda of the Asian Development Bank
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  On Europe’s Response to the Iran War 08.05.2026 1h

  In this episode, panelists discuss European responses to the war in Iran, efforts in conflict resolution, and the implications for the transatlantic relationship, EU cohesion, and Europe’s long-term strategic direction.   Host: Serge Schmemann, Editorial Writer, New York Times; CFR Member   Guests: Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, Chief Executive Officer and President, German Marshall Fund of the United States   Douglas E. Lute, Chair, International and Defense Practices, BGR Group; Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO (2013-17); CFR Member   Ellie Geranmayeh, Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Programme and Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations   Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter. To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Europe’s Response to the Iran War