On the Record

On the Record

A curated selection of thought-provoking events from the Council on Foreign Relations, featuring expert panels, keynote conversations, and global policy discussions.

Episodes

August 14, 2026 57 mins

In this episode, Kim Daniels, Michael Baggot, Erin D. Dumbacher, and Brian Green discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence and human dignity.

Host: Kim Daniels, Director, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University

Guests: Michael Baggot, Associate Professor of Bioethics, Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum; Adjunct Professor of Theology, Pontifical University of St. T...

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In this episode, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter discusses the recent trilateral framework agreement among the United States, Israel, and Lebanon, as well as the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship amid the Iran war.

Host: Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies

Guests: Yechiel Leiter, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Israel, Washington, ...

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July 31, 2026 60 mins

In this episode, panelists discuss the impact of U.S. sanctions, the potential for U.S. military action, and the ongoing energy crisis in Cuba.

Host: Kezia McKeague, Managing Director, McLarty Associates; CFR Member

Guests: Ricardo Herrero, Executive Director, Cuba Study Group; CFR Member

Maria Werlau, Cofounder and Executive Director, Free Society Project/Cuba Archive

Jorge R. Piñón, Energy Institute Senior Research Collaborat...

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In this episode, Fatih Birol examines how the Hormuz crisis is reshaping the global energy landscape and explores how countries may increasingly favor domestic energy sources that reduce reliance on fuel imports. 

Host: Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program

Guests: Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)

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This episode revisits a 2011 CFR event featuring U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away at age 71.

Host: Jonathan Karl, Chief Washington Correspondent, ABC News

Guests: Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator, South Carolina

Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.

To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event.

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In this episode, panelists discuss the best and worst decisions in U.S. foreign policy as a part of the CFR Young Professionals Briefing Series.

Host: Kelebogile Zvobgo, Mansfield Associate Professor of Government and Director, International Justice Lab, College of William and Mary; CFR Term Member

Guests: Kathryn E. David, Historian, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State; CFR Term Member

James M. Lindsay, Mary and D...

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July 3, 2026 60 mins

In this episode, panelists discuss the growing economic and security threats facing Persian Gulf countries and the future of U.S. engagement in the region.

Host: Karen E. Young, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; CFR Member

Guests: Joseph L. Votel, Distinguished Chair, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point; Former Commander, U.S. Central Command (2016–2019); CFR Member

Robert M...

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This episode revisits a 2015 CFR event featuring former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan, who passed away at age 100.

Host: Steve Liesman, Senior Economics Reporter, CNBC 

Guests: Alan Greenspan, Former Chairman, Federal Reserve Board

Want more comprehensive analysis of global news and events sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to CFR’s Daily News Brief newsletter.

To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.o...

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In this episode, Under Secretary Gil discusses the Genesis Mission, and what the federal government’s bet on AI and quantum computing for scientific discovery means for American competitiveness and global collaboration.

Host: Nicholas F. Beim, Partner, Venrock; Member, Board of Directors, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: Darío Gil, Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy

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In this episode, panelists discuss what American democracy has and hasn't delivered on equality, access, and opportunity, and whether that internal reckoning is now inseparable from the country's standing and credibility as a world leader.

Host: Meena Bose, Executive Dean, Public Policy and Public Service Programs and Director, Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, Kalikow School of Government, Public P...

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On this episode, panelists provide an update on the geoeconomic consequences of the Iran war and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, including disruptions to oil, gas, and other commodity markets, and the longer-term implications for the petrodollar system and the energy transition.

Host: Edward Fishman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics, Council on Foreign Relations

Speakers: Daniel H...

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In this episode, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer discusses recent developments in the administration’s global economic trade strategy.

Host: Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations, Former U.S. Trade Representative (2013-17)

Guest: Jamieson Greer, Ambassador, U.S. Trade Representative 

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May 22, 2026 74 mins

In this moment of renewed debate over the United States’ role in the world, CFR launches the Future of American Strategy Initiative, a multiyear effort to develop a strategic vision for U.S. foreign policy and answer a defining question: Where does America go from here?

Led by Senior Fellow Rebecca Lissner, a leading U.S. foreign policy practitioner and scholar, the Future of American Strategy Initiative will bring together ...

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In this episode, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda discusses the economic impact of the Middle East conflict on Asia and the Pacific, ADB’s response, and the need for countries to strengthen resilience against future shocks.

Host: Brad W. Setser, Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: Masato Kanda, President, Asian Development Bank

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In this episode, panelists discuss European responses to the war in Iran, efforts in conflict resolution, and the implications for the transatlantic relationship, EU cohesion, and Europe’s long-term strategic direction.

Host: Serge Schmemann, Editorial Writer, New York Times; CFR Member

Guests: Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, Chief Executive Officer and President, German Marshall Fund of the United States

Douglas E. Lute, Chai...

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In this episode, panelists assess the evolving situation in Iran, identify U.S. policy options for ending the conflict, and examine the implications of each potential next step.

Host: Janine Zacharia, Carlos Kelly McClatchy Lecturer, Stanford University; CFR Member

Guests: Brian H. Hook, Vice Chairman, Cerberus Global Investments, LP; Former U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary of State Mike...

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In this episode, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael M. Grossi discusses his candidacy for UN secretary-general, his plans and priorities for the future of the United Nations, and the challenges facing nuclear security, nuclear energy, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime.

Host: Esther Brimmer, James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: Rafael M. Gros...

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In this episode, panelists examine how multilateral partnerships, innovative approaches, and strengthened financing can scale recovery and humanitarian efforts, enhance inclusion, and deliver durable outcomes for crisis-affected communities.

Host: Shannon K. O'Neil, Senior Vice President of Studies and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, CFR

Guests: Reem Alabali Radovan, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

...

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In this episode, former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discusses her view that European industry is being hollowed out by China and that the only path forward is a unified global trading bloc excluding China—an idea she said is being thwarted by the Trump administration. The episode also covers the legacy of the CHIPS Act and Raimondo’s fears that artificial intelligence could create mass unemployment and destabilize ...

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In this episode, panelists discuss the implications of U.S.-China relations on the international economy, including how tariff negotiations, supply chain restructuring, and technological competition effect global business. 

Host: Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Office, Pfizer, Inc; CFR Member 

Gina M. Raimondo, Distinguished Fellow, Council on ...

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