Defense and Security | Council on Foreign Relations

Cybersecurity

Cyber Week in Review: September 13, 2024

U.S. indicts white supremacists; Predator spyware reappears; EU publishes Draghi report on economic competitiveness; Australian politicians criticize Meta's data scraping; CISA says agency will reduce contact with social media platforms.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf September 13, 2024 Net Politics
China

What Is China’s Role in Combating the Illegal Fentanyl Trade?

Those seeking to profit from fentanyl and governments seeking to control its supply are locked in a never-ending competition, with each new countermeasure spurring further innovation to circumvent it.

Expert Brief by Zongyuan Zoe Liu September 12, 2024
Defense and Security

Congress’s Funding Battle, Iran Sends Missiles to Russia, Orbán Defies the EU, and More

The U.S. Congress returns from its summer recess to try to pass a budget for federal discretionary programs before the fiscal year ends and avoid a government shutdown; the United States and other Western allies accuse Iran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia, raising concerns over intensified strikes on Ukraine; Hungary faces a second deadline to pay a $221 million fine for breaking European Union asylum law, which President Viktor Orbán remains unwilling to follow; and China gifts Cambodia two newly built Type 056 corvette warships, raising questions about Beijing’s naval ambitions.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins September 12, 2024 The World Next Week

Experts in this Topic

Richard K. Betts

Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies

Stephen Biddle

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Defense Policy

Max Boot

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies

Nathan M. Colvin

Military Fellow, U.S. Army

Thomas E. Donilon

Distinguished Fellow

Rush Doshi

C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative

Shuxian Luo

Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow

Manjari Chatterjee Miller

Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia

Lori Esposito Murray

Senior Fellow for National Security and Managing Director of CEO Programs

Thomas P. O’Donnell

Military Fellow, U.S. Navy

Daniel B. Poneman

Senior Fellow

Todd E. Randolph

Military Fellow, U.S. Air Force

Wilfred Rivera

Military Fellow, U.S. Marine Corps

Carla Anne Robbins

Senior Fellow

David Sacks

Fellow for Asia Studies

Sheila A. Smith

John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies

Paul B. Stares

General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action

Jacob Ware

Research Fellow

Cybersecurity

Cyber Week in Review: September 6, 2024

Brazilian Supreme Court bans X; Judge blocks Texas social media law; Internet Archive loses copyright case; U.S. announces effort to counter Russian disinformation; Cyberattack on Iran impacted banking sector.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf September 6, 2024 Net Politics
Military Operations

"The Houthis Have Defeated the U.S. Navy," or, What is a Navy For?

The mission of the U.S. Navy has for centuries been to keep the sea lines of communication open, but the United States is abandoning that task in the Middle East today.

Blog Post by Elliott Abrams August 31, 2024 Pressure Points
Cybersecurity

Cyber Week in Review: August 30, 2024

Court rules TikTok not shielded by Section 230; Telegram founder arrested; Chinese hackers break into U.S. ISPs; Tech companies criticize Malaysian licensing plan; Misinformation surges in India.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf August 30, 2024 Net Politics

Ukraine

The Stakes in Ukraine’s Kursk Offensive, Stopping Mpox Spread, Nuclear Arms Race Returns, and More

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the incursion into Kursk is an important step towards ending the war with Russia, but Ukraine is facing a major test in its own Donbas battlefields; the intensifying mpox outbreak places additional strain on the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding African nations; heightened security tensions spur the United States, keeping nuclear defense planners busy; and the Taliban bans the voices of women and girls in public.

Podcast with Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins August 29, 2024 The World Next Week
Cybersecurity

Cyber Week in Review: August 22, 2024

Pakistan experiences internet outages; U.S. company fined over deepfakes; TSMC breaks ground on EU factory; U.S. investigates Americans working with Russia; researcher finds major vulnerability in key cards.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf August 22, 2024 Net Politics
Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel to Govern AI

U.S. government agencies are being asked to rapidly scale governance efforts focused on AI. The U.S. government should integrate governance into agencies' existing mandates, rather than trying to create a governance model from scratch.

Blog Post by Jack Corrigan and Owen J. Daniels August 20, 2024 Net Politics
Democratic Republic of Congo

DRC-Rwanda Talks Underway, But Lasting Peace Remains Elusive

The peacebuilding challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo is daunting, to be sure. But the alternative is, and has been, a catastrophe.

Blog Post by Michelle Gavin August 20, 2024 Africa in Transition
Grand Strategy

A New U.S. Grand Strategy: The Case for Multipolar Pluralism, With Stephen Heintz

Stephen Heintz, president and CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss how the United States should adapt to an era of renewed great power competition and domestic disagreement over what it should seek to achieve abroad. This episode is the fourth in a special TPI series on U.S. grand strategy.

Podcast with James M. Lindsay and Stephen Heintz August 20, 2024 The President’s Inbox
Palestinian Territories

What Is Hamas?

The Palestinian militant group struggled to govern the Gaza Strip before launching a surprise attack on Israel in 2023. Now facing Israel’s military campaign to destroy it, Hamas’s future is in doubt, as is Gaza’s.

Backgrounder by Kali Robinson August 19, 2024
Peacekeeping

Women This Week: Sudanese Women Participate on Peace Talks

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers August 10 to August 16.

Blog Post by Noël James August 15, 2024 Women Around the World
Cybersecurity

Cyber Week in Review: August 15, 2024

Trump campaign hacked; Huawei introduces new microchip; FBI takes down ransomware group; UN committee passes cybercrime treaty; Indian government withdraws broadcast bill.

Blog Post by Kat Duffy and Kyle Fendorf August 15, 2024 Net Politics
United States

A Conversation With Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Christopher G. Cavoli

General Cavoli discusses the Euro-Atlantic Partnership, security challenges in the region, Russia's war in Ukraine, and his takeaways from the NATO Summit in Washington.

Event with Christopher G. Cavoli and Ivo H. Daalder August 15, 2024