Today, U.S. economic leadership is at a crossroads. An overconcentration of critical supply chains in China, underinvestment in important sectors at home, and strategic competition over the next generation of foundational technologies has exposed vulnerabilities in U.S. economic security.

In its new report, U.S. Economic Security: Winning the Race for Tomorrow’s Technologies, the CFR Task Force on Economic Security addresses U.S. economic security risks and offers practical recommendations for mobilizing the resources needed to prevail.

This Task Force is part of RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership, a CFR initiative of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

Background Reading:

• This CFR Task Force Report finds that strategic competition over the world’s next generation of foundational technologies is underway, and U.S. advantages in artificial intelligence, quantum, and biotechnology are increasingly contested.

Host: Greg Ip, Chief Economics Commentator and Deputy Economics Editor, Wall Street Journal

Guests: Jonathan E. Hillman, Project Director, Economic Security Task Force; Senior Fellow for Geoeconomics, CFR

Justin G. Muzinich, Cochair, Economic Security Task Force, CFR; Chief Executive Officer, Muzinich & Co., Inc.; Former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (2018–21); Board of Directors, CFR

Gina M. Raimondo, Cochair, Economic Security Task Force, CFR; Former Secretary of Commerce (2021–25)

James D. Taiclet, Cochair, Economic Security Task Force, CFR; Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin Corporation

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As leaders gather in Brazil to discuss international climate policy at this year’s COP30 summit, major questions remain regarding a warming climate and investments in renewable energy. In this conversation, experts discuss the future of global climate negotiations and reflect on lessons learned from past climate diplomacy, including the legacy of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol adopted at COP3.

Background Reading:

• This article unpacks the lack of cooperation among COP30 members to strengthen climate initiatives and the recent withdrawal of the United States from global climate commitments.

Host: Alice C. Hill, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University; Former Senior Director, National Security Council (1997–1999)

David G. Victor, Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Public Policy and Director of the Deep Decarbonization Initiative, University of California, San Diego

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Measles, whooping cough, and other vaccine-preventable diseases are on the rise around the world. Cuts to foreign aid, coupled with growing vaccine hesitancy, and persistent gaps in vaccine access are fueling outbreaks in poor and wealthy nations alike. In this conversation, global health experts discuss the drivers of these outbreaks and the solutions that can advance vaccine equity and better public health worldwide.

Background Reading:

• This tracker from CFR’s Think Global Health initiative maps weekly updates of disease outbreaks around the globe.
• This article unpacks the global decline in immunization coverage.
• This backgrounder unpacks the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing disease, and the global rise in vaccine hesitancy.

Host: Thomas J. Bollyky, Bloomberg Chair in Global Health and Director of the Global Health Program, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: Heidi Larson, Founder and Director, The Vaccine Confidence Project

Seth Berkley, Senior Advisor, Pandemic Center; Adjunct Professor of the Practice in the Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health

William John Moss, Executive Director, International Vaccine Access Center; Professor of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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Qatar is home to the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and maintains deep economic ties with Washington, cementing its status as a critical on-NATO ally. But this September, that partnership was put to the test when Israel, largely funded and supported by the United States, launched an attack on Qatar’s capital, Doha. In this conversation, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani discusses Qatar’s regional role, including its mediation efforts in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and its response following the Israeli attack in Doha.

Background Reading:

• This article discusses how the strikes on Doha could jeopardize future ceasefires in Gaza.

Host: Ayman Mohyeldin, Co-Host, The Weekend: Primetime, MSNBC

Guests: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qatar

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As great-power competition intensifies and the prospect of conflict with China looms, military strength, technological innovation, and cooperation with allies are essential to ensuring U.S. national security. General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., 21st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discusses the most pressing geopolitical challenges facing the United States and the world today.

Background Reading:

• This article outlines the risks of the United States’ dependence on China for critical minerals, and makes suggestions for how the United States can begin to compete in the space.

Host: Michael Froman, President, Council on Foreign Relations

Guests: Charles Q. Brown, Jr., 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General, U.S. Air Force (Retired)

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As the war in Ukraine nears its fourth year, uncertainty is growing over the future of international support. Meanwhile, mounting pressure on Russia’s economy and an increase in high-tech, drone-centric warfare continue to bolster Ukraine’s defense. Experts from Ukraine and Europe discuss international financial initiatives to support Ukraine’s reconstruction and revitalize its infrastructure and economy in the aftermath of Russia’s military aggression.

Background Reading:

• This report lays out strategies for rebuilding Ukraine, reintegrating workers, and growing the country’s economy post-war.

Host: Heidi Crebo-Rediker, Senior Fellow, Center for Geoeconomic Studies at CFR

Guests: Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank

Sergii Marchenko, Minister of Finance, Ukraine

Odile Renaud-Basso, President, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

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U.S. Department of State officials are the foremost representatives of U.S. interests around the world, helping to manage relationships with foreign governments, international organizations, and the people of other countries. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs Keren Yarhi-Milo discuss their new book, Inside the Situation Room, and lessons for future leaders navigating national security crises.

Background Reading:

• This post unpacks leaked reform plans that the Donald Trump administration seeks to make to the State Department.

Host: David Westin, Anchor, Bloomberg

Guests: Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th U.S. Secretary of State

Keren Yarhi-Milo, Dean and Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Relations, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)

John J. Sullivan, Partner, Mayer Brown; Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

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In September 2025, the U.S. Federal Reserve approved a quarter-point interest rate cut. The move came amid a softening labor market, above-target inflation, heightened uncertainty about Trump’s trade and tariff policy, and other conditions that present significant challenges to monetary policymakers. Against this backdrop, Susan M. Collins, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, discusses the United States’ current economic outlook.

Background Reading:

• This backgrounder unpacks the role of the U.S. Federal Reserve, and its ongoing struggles with inflation and political scrutiny.

Host: Seema Mody, Technology and Global Markets Correspondent, CNBC

Guest: Susan M. Collins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

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