CFR.org - Society and Culture

West Must Not Intervene Militarily in Syria

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:15:54 -0500

Ed Husain says military options in Syria would do much more harm than good.

Life After Assad Could Be Worse

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:10:23 -0500

Ed Husain argues that it is impossible to tell whether Bashar al-Assad's time is running out, but containing--not fanning--the current conflict in Syria is in everybody's interests.

Obama's Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, February 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:28:34 -0500

President Obama gave these remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 2, 2012.

National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, January 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:17:06 -0500

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy released the National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy in January 2012. The press release states,

"The Strategy outlines new actions that seek to reduce the two-way flow of illicit drugs between the United States and Canada by increasing coordination among Federal, state, local, and tribal enforcement authorities, enhancing intelligence-sharing among counterdrug agencies, and strengthening our Nation's ongoing counterdrug partnerships and initiatives with the Government of Canada and Canadian law enforcement agencies."

Women's Voices on the Arab Spring: Isobel Coleman

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:59:05 -0500

Isobel Coleman discusses the role of women in the Arab Spring.

How My Mother Beat the Public School System

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:50:31 -0500

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon discusses her personal experience with school choice.

Egypt's Revolt and the American Model

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:11:19 -0500

Ed Husain argues that the current trajectory of the United States in the Middle East—of dancing around developments, leading from behind and expressing defeatist thinking—needs to stop.

Egypt and Its Demons

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:42:46 -0500

Steven A. Cook says another year of struggle is to be expected in Egypt, as Egypt's future rests with two familiar powers playing very unfamiliar roles: the military and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Nigeria’s Insistent Insurrection

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:32:33 -0500

John Campbell argues, "Only genuine reform of Nigeria's political economy can pull it back from the brink."

Qarantina: Film Screening and Discussion

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:27:26 -0500

Iraqi filmmaker Oday Rasheed discusses his second film, Qarantina, which follows the story of a broken family in Baghdad who takes in a mysterious boarder. Qarantina is part of the Global Lens 2012 film series and was co-presented with the Global Film Initiative.

U.S. State Department Discussion on the Role of Religion in US Foreign Policy, January 2012

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:47:38 -0500

Suzan Johnson Cook, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, presided in this interview on the role of religion in foreign policy, with interviewees Cheryl Benton (Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs) and Dr. Chris Seiple (President of the Institute for Global Engagement), in Washington, DC on January 23, 2012.

A Forward Strategy of Freedom

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:45:45 -0500

Elliott Abrams strikes back at critics who condemn both the Arab Spring and its supporters.

Look at Jobs Before Leaping on Older Retirement

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:25:27 -0500

Peter Orszag examines recent U.S. trends in retirement to better understand how the weak economy is affecting older workers.

Faster, Safer, and Smarter: A Modern Visa System for the United States

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:00:56 -0500

Edward Alden and Liam Schwartz recommend a visa screening system that will benefit U.S. security and the economy by focusing scrutiny on high-risk travelers and speeding approval for low-risk ones.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Foreign Policy and Extremism (Audio) - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Foreign Policy and Extremism (Audio)

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:14:14 -0500

This session was a meeting of the Civil Society, Democracy, and Countering Radicalism Roundtable series.

In the Arab Spring's Aftermath, Democracy Retreats

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:19:12 -0500

Joshua Kurlantzick says that despite the hopes raised by the Arab Spring, democracy is actually in retreat around the world, but there is a way to revive it.

Harness the Economic Power of an Aging Population

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:08:45 -0500

Michael Hodin urges U.S. presidential candidates to consider how women can be economically empowered in their senior years.

Interfaith Just Peacemaking: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives on the New Paradigm of Peace and War (Audio) - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Foreign Policy and Extremism (Audio)

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:20:16 -0500

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, professor of theology at Chicago Theological Seminary and editor of Interfaith Just Peacemaking: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives on the New Paradigm of Peace and War, leads a discussion on Just Peace theory, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative.

Pakistan: A Personal History

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:03:58 -0500

Ed Husain reviews Imran Khan's Pakistan.

Immigration and Border Control

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:23:48 -0500

Edward Alden says that as the United States has for the past two decades pursued securing the nation's borders against illegal immigration, the more serious threat to U.S. national security is that ill-conceived or poorly implemented border controls will do lasting damage to the U.S. economy.

Campaign 2012: The Candidates on Immigration

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:21:07 -0500

The economic climate and border security concerns have thrust the question of immigration reform into the spotlight in the 2012 presidential campaign.

Politic365: Don’t Democrats Have the Latino Vote on Lock?

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:50:30 -0500

Justin Velez-Hagan of Politic365 points out potential contradictions in Latino support for Obama in the 2012 presidential race.

Bracing for Instability in Syria

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:36:16 -0500

Syria's regime appears increasingly isolated and erratic in response to civil unrest, posing a challenge to the Arab League to prevent a spread of conflict, says CFR's Robert M. Danin.

The Nation: For Latinos in 2012, It's Not Just About Immigration

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:40:05 -0500

Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto of The Nation discusses important issues for Latinos in the 2012 presidential race.

Egypt's Revolution a Year Later

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:13:21 -0500

With Islamists apparently gaining the most seats in Egypt's parliament, CFR's Steven Cook spells out challenges in the transition process, including the writing of a new constitution.

Sahar Gul Torture Case Shows Limited Rights, Perilous Lives of Afghan Women

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:50:56 -0500

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says the the shocking torture of Sahar Gul is just one example of widespread violence against women in Afghanistan, which mostly goes unreported and unpunished.

US-VISIT Advances in Biometrics Tighten Border Security

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:55:47 -0500

Edward Alden says recent progress in the use of biometrics in border control is impressive, but the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department need to tell travelers what is in store.

Campaign 2012: Immigration - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Foreign Policy and Extremism (Audio)

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:11:59 -0500

Immigration reform remains a hot topic in the 2012 presidential race, but the winner will have to move beyond an enforcement-only approach in dealing with illegal immigrants, says CFR's Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow Edward Alden, in a video issue brief.

Angelina Jolie's Film Bears Witness to Rape in War

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:40:22 -0500

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon states, "Now that attention is turning to what women endure during war, it is time to ensure they get a say in the peace."

Issue Guide: The World in 2011

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:26:46 -0500

The year 2011 was packed with unforeseen challenges for U.S. foreign policy. This guide lists a range of CFR materials on the year's most consequential developments and their implications, and expert forecasts on political and economic trends in 2012.