CFR.org - Global Governance

President Obama's Speech at the Brandenburg Gate, June 2013

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:30:16 -0400

President Barack Obama gave these remarks in Berlin on June 19, 2013. He discussed a wide-range of foreign policy topics in relation to "peace with justice," including reduction in nuclear weapons, cooperation on climate change, and strategies to combat security threats.

G8 Leaders' Lough Erne Communique, 2013

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:39:34 -0400

The G8 leaders met in the U.K. during June 17–18, 2013, for their thirty-nineth summit. They released a joint communique, which focuses on foreign policy challenges, particularly in Syria. They also produced an Open Data Charter and the Lough Erne Declaration on private enterprise responsibilities.

Holding Sway

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:13:50 -0400

Jerome A. Cohen says the Communist Party's sustained efforts since June 4 to influence China's courts for its own ends may be easing, but judicial independence is still a long way off.

As G8 Meets, Free Trade Is in Retreat

Council on Foreign Relations — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:06:36 -0400

Joshua Kulantzick surveys the state of global trade in the midst of this week's G8 talks.

Issue Guide: G8 Summit 2013

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:15:45 -0400

Trade liberalization, tax reform, and transparency in corporate ownership and international development are at the top of the G8 agenda, but they may be overshadowed by the civil war in Syria. This issue guide compiles news and analysis on policies on the table and member state's compliance with past years' commitments.

An Asian Power Web Emerges

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:29:04 -0400

To capitalize on the twin desires of Asian countries for closer ties with each other and for greater American presence, the United States must double down on its commitment to rebalance attention and resources to Asia

Missing Mahmoud

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:35:24 -0400

With Ayatollah Khamenei set to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a "fawning admirer" of his choosing, Ahmadinejad may be missed for his ability to challenge the Islamic Republic's ruling religious hierarchy.

The Group of Eight (G8) Industrialized Nations

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0400

After over three decades of existence, the Group of Eight (G8) is struggling to defend its relevance amid criticism of its limited membership and lack of a compliance mechanism.

The Dilemma of Humanitarian Intervention

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:22:08 -0400

Global support for the "responsibility to protect" doctrine weakened after the UN-endorsed no-fly zone that helped topple Libya's regime, and debate continues over the threshold for mounting armed humanitarian interventions, explains this Backgrounder.

How Europe Can Save Turkey

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:24:59 -0400

With widespread protests in Istanbul and a dozen other cities throughout Turkey, Steven A. Cook argues on the Washington Post that the European Union should reengage Turkey's stalled membership bid as a way to encourage Prime Minister Erdogan to implement democratic reforms at home.

What is the worst-case scenario outcome in Syria, and how will it affect the rest of the Middle East?

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:03:46 -0400

Syria has been mired in deadly strife since March 2011 and the outlook for resolving what is now a full blown civil war looks increasingly dire. The worst case outcome for Syria is one whereby the country fragments and becomes a failed state in which the Damascus government no longer controls its own territory. Under such a scenario, the glue holding the country together comes unstuck.

Assessing International Religious Freedom

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:00:07 -0400

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's (USCIRF) Katrina Lantos Swett and Elizabeth K. Cassidy discuss USCIRF's 2013 Annual Report, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

Will the United States set up a NATO-like Pacific Treaty Organization in Asia? If so, how?

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:37:42 -0400

Despite its strategic "rebalancing" toward Asia, the United States is unlikely to sponsor a collective defense organization for the Asia-Pacific, for at least three reasons: insufficient solidarity among diverse regional partners, fear of alienating China, and the perceived advantages of bilateral and ad-hoc security arrangements.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Remarks at the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue), June 2013

Council on Foreign Relations — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 00:00:14 -0400

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel delivered these remarks at the First Plenary Session (Saturday, June 1, 2013) of the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Asia Security Summit (Shangri-la Dialogue) in Singapore.

Why MERS Virus is So Scary

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 31 May 2013 10:02:25 -0400

Laurie Garrett warns that the MERS virus outbreak must be taken seriously.

Adapting to Austerity: WHO Remodels for 2014

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:40:33 -0400

Laurie Garrett and Maxine Builder offer three recommendations for how the World Health Organization can adapt to an uncertain economic and political environment, without putting the world at risk of a disease outbreak.

Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution: An Assessmen of Anti-Trafficking Efforts

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:47:40 -0400

Holly J. Burkhalter and E. Benjamin Skinner speak about the challenge of documenting modern slavery, designing effective interventions, and bringing those interventions to scale.

Why did the United States fail to join the League of Nations?

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:52:09 -0400

The League of Nations was championed by President Woodrow Wilson in a fourteen-point speech to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918, and formally began its operations in January 1920. However, the League failed to win Senate approval and is forever remembered as a major example of a communications breakdown between the president and the Senate.

A Conversation with Sikyong Lobsang Sangay

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:45:06 -0400

The political successor to the Dalai Lama discusses Tibet.

A Conversation with Sikyong Lobsang Sangay

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:30:59 -0400

The political successor to the Dalai Lama discusses Tibet.

Joint Declaration in Commemoration of the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:26:58 -0400

President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye issued this joint declaration on May 7, 2013. The statement confirms both nations' commitment to the U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) Mutual Defense Treaty, U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, Joint Vision for the U.S.-ROK Alliance, and Six Party Talks with North Korea.

Why America Gets a B+ in Counterterrorism

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:46:03 -0400

Stewart Patrick and Alexandra Kerr make recommendations to improve the counterterrorism efforts of the United States and its allies, in conjunction with CFR's Global Governance Report Card, published by the International Institutions and Global Governance program.

What will be the effect of the UN Arms Trade Treaty on the Syrian conflict?

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:07:58 -0400

The UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was passed on March 28, 2013, and seeks to regulate and limit trade in arms in circumstances of human rights violations. Unfortunately, it will have minimal effect on the Syrian conflict. Syria's own vote against the treaty, along with Iran's and North Korea's, sounded the death knell for a universally applicable treaty to limit small arms, ammunition, and conventional weapons technology.

China’s Model of Development and the “Beijing Consensus”

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:21:35 -0400

Joshua Kurlantzick discusses the China model of economic development, which he describes as, "economic liberalization without political liberalization."

ASEAN Chairman's Statement on the Twenty-Second Summit, April 2013

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:50:55 -0400

Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah gave this statement at the end of the twenty-second Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, on April 24 to 25, 2013. The theme of the conference was "Our People, Our Future Together."

Should the United States push Israel to join the Non Proliferation Treaty?

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:50:34 -0400

The United States tried to convince Israel to join the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when the treaty was first introduced and before it was widely believed that Israel had nuclear weapons. The NPT's objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology and further the goal of universal disarmament.

The Polish Model

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:44:14 -0400

Poland's minister of foreign affairs speaks with Foreign Affairs about his country's history, its future, and its place in Europe.

NYT: Shrinking Europe Military Spending Stirs Concern

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:16:36 -0400

Increasingly, without United States assistance, military experts said, Europe's armed forces have trouble carrying out basic operations as its dwindling financial and political commitment has derailed multiple initiatives intended to make the continent more self-reliant.

Grading the World On Our Biggest Problems

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:48:24 -0400

In conjunction with the release of CFR's first Global Governance Report Card and Earth Day, Stewart Patrick asks, "When it comes to addressing the world's gravest ills, how are we doing?"

What should Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s policy priorities be?

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:49:43 -0400

Yingluck Shinawatra was elected prime minister of Thailand in July 2011. She has so far achieved the most important thing in Thailand today, which is preserving a fragile peace between different interest groups and political sides.