CFR Receives Major Grant to Launch Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is proud to announce a generous donation from the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim Foundation to expand CFR’s work to identify pathways to prevent, mitigate, and end conflict, and to promote the conditions that enable a just and secure peace.

The United States will continue to contend with persistent conflicts around the world and new challenges to global security emerging from climate change, technological advances, and increased competition in outer space. In response to these historic challenges, CFR has launched the Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security—the Council’s first whole-of-organization effort dedicated to the prevention and resolution of conflict.

“In today’s world, addressing the surge in armed conflicts and unconventional security threats has never been more urgent,” said CFR President Michael Froman. “We are grateful to Sue and Ed for their generous support, which will enable CFR to explore crucial prevention and mitigation methods through the Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security. This ambitious, multi-year effort will advance CFR’s nonpartisan mission to inform U.S. engagement with the world.”

The program will produce innovative content, reach new audiences, and engage leading policymakers in the United States and around the world. It will do so by leveraging new digital tools, including CFR’s redesigned and enhanced Global Conflict Tracker, and by harnessing CFR’s convening power, distinguished membership, in-house expertise, and proven public outreach capacities. 

“Sue and I are proud to support the Council’s important work to generate policy-relevant recommendations and analysis that support peace,” said Ed Wachenheim III, founder, CEO, and chairman of Greenhaven Associates. “This new program will develop creative strategies to address global challenges and foster a more peaceful, secure world.” 

At its outset, the program will expand CFR’s work in four areas:  

• It will assist in securing Ukraine’s future through analysis and policy recommendations on peace negotiations, economic recovery, and European security. 
• It will address the axis of autocracies by identifying strategies to manage cooperation among China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, and their impact on global peace and security. 
• It will bolster nuclear security by reviewing U.S. nuclear strategy, threat environment, and arms control policies, including the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. 
• It will respond to nonstate threats by examining the rise of militias and organized crime, assessing policy approaches, and recommending measures to restore security. 

For more about the program, please visit https://www.cfr.org/programs/wachenheim-program-peace-and-security.   

For more information, please contact [email protected].