Symposia

Symposia are multi-session events, typically two to three sessions, that take an in-depth look at a topic, and bring leading experts together to examine causes and consequences of, and policy responses to foreign policy challenges.

  • United States

    Climate Realism Initiative Launch
    The United States' historical approach to climate change is failing. American clean technology industries lag dangerously behind their international competitors, threatening U.S. geopolitical and economic influence, and climate change is on track to exceed internationally agreed targets, endangering U.S. national security. CFR’s new Climate Realism Initiative, led by Senior Fellow Varun Sivaram, will chart a fundamentally new course for U.S. climate and energy policy—one that is both realistic in its assessment of the world's climate trajectory fueled by rising emissions outside U.S. borders and realist in its expectation that the United States and other countries will work to advance their own interests in the emerging energy transition.The launch event will bring together leading experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to examine how the United States can prepare for the geopolitical and security consequences of accelerating climate change, build globally competitive and innovative American clean technology industries, and pursue novel approaches—from coordinating strategic trade actions to exploring geoengineering—to prevent the most catastrophic potential climate impacts from endangering U.S. interests.Click here to view the full agenda.If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during question-and-answer portions will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this event will be posted on the CFR website.The Climate Realism Initiative Launch is made possible by the generous support of the ClimateWorks Foundation.Members may bring a guest to this event.

    Virtual Event with Joshua Freed, Sherri Goodman, Maureen Hinman, David Keith, David W. Livingston, Ernest J. Moniz, Julia Nesheiwat, Rachel Pritzker, David G. Victor, David Wallace-Wells, David M. Hart, Alice C. Hill, Mary Louise Kelly and Varun Sivaram April 7, 2025

  • Defense and Security

    Hauser Symposium: The Axis of Autocracies

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    In recent years, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have deepened their cooperation, raising concerns about an emerging “Axis of Autocracies” challenging U.S. global leadership. From military support and weapons transfers to economic backing, these alliances are reshaping the geopolitical landscape. This symposium will examine the extent of their collaboration, its global implications, and how the United States should respond to the threats it poses to U.S. national security. Click here to view the full agenda. This Hauser Symposium is made possible by the generous support of the Hauser Foundation. If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid event will be posted on the CFR website.

    Virtual Event with Christopher S. Chivvis, Heather Conley, Ivo H. Daalder, Jennifer E. Kavanagh, Tanvi Madan, Ebenezer Obadare, James M. Lindsay, Suzanne Nossel and Laura Trevelyan March 27, 2025

  • United States

    American Views on Economic Leadership
    In April 2024, CFR launched RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership Initiative with the goal of rebuilding a durable consensus on the U.S. role in the international economy. As a first step, the RealEcon team toured the country to ask Americans their views on trade, investment, foreign aid, China, and other economic issues. They visited nine states and spoke with over 400 people, including local elected officials, business leaders, farmers, workers, students, and journalists. This event will feature a fireside chat with former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and a panel discussion with senior experts and interlocutors of key themes and policy takeaways from the tour. The Robert B. Menschel Economics Symposium was established in 2014 and was made possible through a generous endowment gift from Robert B. Menschel while a senior director at Goldman Sachs. Since Menschel’s death in 2022, the symposium continues in his honor and memory.

    Virtual Event with Donald Evans, Karla Morales, Catherine A. Novelli, Chris Sununu, Greg Ip and Heather E. Long March 25, 2025

  • Ukraine

    Securing Ukraine's Future

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    As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the international context is changing rapidly, including the prospects for a negotiated settlement. Much is at stake, and it is essential that the challenges ahead be fully appreciated. Panelists will explore three critical issues for securing Ukraine's future: achieving a just and durable peace, ensuring its long-term security, and helping it rebuild and recover from the ravages of war. This event is part of the Council’s Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future which provides timely, informed analysis and practical policy recommendations for U.S. policymakers and the American public. Click here to download the full agenda. This event is part of the Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security which is made possible by the generous support of the Ed and Sue Wachenheim Foundation.

    Virtual Event with Philip M. Breedlove, Fiona Hill, Natalie A. Jaresko, Keith Kellogg, Pavlo Klimkin, Alina Polyakova, Vladyslav Rashkovan, Margaret Brennan, Heidi Crebo-Rediker and Liana Fix March 6, 2025

  • United States

    CFR Task Force Report: Securing Space—A Plan for U.S. Action
    In its new report, Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action, the CFR Task Force on Space Management Policy analyzes the challenges in low Earth orbit, where the acceleration in human space activity is most evident, and proposes recommendations for a U.S.-led international strategy to govern this increasingly congested and contested space. If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid event will be posted on the CFR website. Members may bring a guest to this event.  

    Virtual Event with Nina M. Armagno, Charles F. Bolden Jr., Esther Brimmer, Jane Harman, Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Stephen J. Hadley and Nick Schifrin February 11, 2025

  • United States

    The Leadership and Legacy of President Jimmy Carter
    Join us for two sessions examining President Jimmy Carter's legacy, including his contributions to peace in the Middle East, his efforts to advance global human rights, and the lasting impact of his presidency on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs.  

    Virtual Event with Michael J. Abramowitz, Jonathan H. Alter, Stuart E. Eizenstat, William B. Quandt, Daniel J. Sargent, Ray Takeyh, Mara Liasson and Judy Woodruff January 10, 2025

  • Russia

    The China-Russia Relationship and Its Global Implications

    Podcast
    The relationship between Russia and the People’s Republic of China continues to dominate headlines, news stories, and conversations in the American foreign policy community. Analysts continue to discuss the quality and depth of the relationship, how it’s perceived around the world, and what, if anything, the United States can do about it. The CFR China Strategy Initiative is pleased to invite members to the inaugural meeting of its China 360 program: a two-part event on China-Russia Relations. Robert D. Blackwill and Richard Fontaine, in a keynote session, discuss their new Council Special Report, No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy. Following their insights, CFR experts discuss the view and implications of Beijing and Moscow’s relationship for the rest of the world.

    Virtual Event with Elliott Abrams, Robert D. Blackwill, Liana Fix, Richard H. Fontaine Jr., Michelle Gavin, Shannon K. O'Neil, Rush Doshi and Bay Fang January 8, 2025

  • Israel

    Assessing a Year of War in the Middle East
    A year after Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack, Israel faces a seven-front war and deepening divisions between its military and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire. This joint symposium between CFR and the Institute for National Security Studies (Israel) will bring together a broad range of regional and military experts to reflect on a year of war in the Middle East and how the change in U.S. administrations could shape evolving regional dynamics. The sessions will cover the present state of the war in Gaza, the future of Middle East peace processes, and U.S. strategy towards Iran. Click here to download the full agenda for the symposium.  Members may bring a guest to this symposium.

    Virtual Event with Audrey Kurth Cronin, Tamir Hayman, Robert Pape, Elliott Abrams, Nazanin Boniadi, Salam Fayyad, Richard Haass, Assaf Orion, Itamar Rabinovich, Mara E. Rudman, Steven A. Cook, Elise Labott and Janine Zacharia December 3, 2024

  • United States

    2024 Stephen C. Freidheim Symposium on Global Economics
    This symposium was created to address the broad spectrum of issues affecting Wall Street and international economics. It was established through the generous support of Council board member Stephen C. Freidheim and is copresented by the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies and RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership. 

    Virtual Event with Emily J. Blanchard, Matthew P. Goodman, David R. Malpass, Elizabeth Rosenberg, Janet Yellen, Michael Froman and Rebecca Patterson October 17, 2024 Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies

  • Europe

    NATO’s Future: Enlarged and More European?
    Please join us for two panels to discuss the agenda and likely outcomes of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, taking place in Washington DC from July 9 to 11. SESSION I: A Conversation With NSC Director for Europe Michael Carpenter 12:30 p.m.—1:00 p.m. (EDT) In-Person Lunch Reception 1:00 p.m.—1:30 p.m. (EDT) Hybrid Meeting SESSION II: NATO’s Future: Enlarged and More European? 1:30 p.m.—1:45 p.m. (EDT) In-Person Coffee Break 1:45 p.m.—2:45 p.m. (EDT) Hybrid Meeting  

    Virtual Event with Emma M. Ashford, Michael R. Carpenter, Camille Grand, Thomas Wright, Liana Fix and Charles A. Kupchan June 25, 2024 Europe Program

  • China

    China Strategy Initiative Launch Event
    Led by Senior Fellow Rush Doshi, the China Strategy Initiative will study and debate the questions that go to the heart of U.S. China strategy. It will launch several new programs that undertake fresh analysis, provide granular policy recommendations, and convene experts from around the world.  

    Virtual Event with Maher Bitar, Kurt M. Campbell, Tarun Chhabra, Elbridge A. Colby, Bonny Lin, Matt Pottinger, Stephen Wertheim, Rush Doshi, Michael Froman and Ellen Nakashima June 24, 2024

  • Cybersecurity

    2024 Cybersecurity Symposium: Protecting the United States and European Union From Cyber Threats

    Virtual Event with R. David Edelman, Robert M. Lee, Anne Neuberger, Philip J. Venables, Roberto Viola, Tarah Wheeler and Kat Duffy May 15, 2024 Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program