Difference between revisions of "Council on Foreign Relations"

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The '''Council on Foreign Relations''' (CFR) is an [[United States|American]] [[foreign policy]] [[think tank]] based in [[New York City]]. It describes itself as being "dedicated to increasing America's understanding of the world and contributing ideas to [[United States|U.S.]] foreign policy," and accomplishes this mainly by promoting constructive, closed debates and discussions, clarifying world issues through research and analysis, and publishing the noted journal ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'' and related content online.
  
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==History==
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The Council on Foreign Relations, as well as the [[Royal Institute of International Affairs]] in London, came about as a result of a meeting on May 30 1919, at the [[Hotel Majestic]] in Paris.  Some of the fifty participants were [[Edward M. House]], [[Harold Temperley]], [[Lionel Curtis]], [[Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle|Lord Eustace Percy]], [[Herbert Hoover]], [[Christian Herter]], [[Paul Warburg]], and American academic historians [[James T. Shotwell|James Thomson Shotwell]] of [[Columbia University]], [[Archibald Coolidge]] of [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Charles Seymour]] of [[Yale University|Yale]].
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Formally established in 1921, it is one of the most powerful private organizations with influence on [[foreign relations of the United States|U.S. foreign policy]].  It has about 4,000 members, including former national security officers, professors, former [[CIA]] members, elected politicians, and  media figures.  The CFR is not a formal institution within U.S. policy making.
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In 1944, [[Harold I. Pratt]]'s widow donated the family's four-storey mansion on the corner of 68th Street and Park Avenue and this became the CFR's new headquarters, Harold Pratt House, where it has remained to the present.
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==Board of Directors and Membership==
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{| cellpadding="1" cellspacing="4" style="margin:3px; border:3px solid #000000;" align="right"
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!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
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|-
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|align="left"|'''OFFICE'''||align="left"|'''NAME'''||
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|-
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!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
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|-
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|[[Chairman]]||'''[[Peter G. Peterson]]'''
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Vice Chairman]]||'''[[Carla A. Hills]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Vice Chairman]]||'''[[Robert E. Rubin]]'''||
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|-
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|[[President]]||'''[[Richard N. Haass]]'''||
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|-
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!bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"|
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Peter Ackerman]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Fouad Ajami]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Madeleine K. Albright]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Charlene Barshefsky]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Jeffrey Bewkes]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Henry S. Bienen]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Stephen W. Bosworth]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Tom Brokaw]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Lee Cullum]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Kenneth M. Duberstein]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Martin S. Feldstein]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Richard N. Foster]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Helene D. Gayle]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Maurice R. Greenberg]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Richard C. Holbrooke]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Karen Elliott House]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Joseph S. Nye, Jr.]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Ronald L. Olson]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Thomas R. Pickering]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[David M. Rubenstein]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Richard E. Salomon]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Anne-Marie Slaughter]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Joan E. Spero]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Laura D'Andrea Tyson ]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Vin Weber]]'''||
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|-
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|[[Board of directors|Board Member]]||'''[[Fareed Zakaria]]'''||
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|-
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|}
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The [[Board of Directors]] of the Council on Foreign Relations is composed of thirty-one members.
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There are two types of membership - term membership (which lasts for 5 years and is available to those between 30 and 36) and regular membership. Only US citizens (native born or naturalised) and permanent residents who have applied for U.S. citizenship are eligible for membership. Proposed members must be nominated by current members.
  
  
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*G. William Domhoff, (1971) ''The Higher Circles: the governing class in America'', [[Council on Foreign Relations, extract from The Higher Circles|Council on Foreign Relations]], New York: vintage, p112-23.
 
*G. William Domhoff, (1971) ''The Higher Circles: the governing class in America'', [[Council on Foreign Relations, extract from The Higher Circles|Council on Foreign Relations]], New York: vintage, p112-23.
 
*G. William Domhoff, (1979) ''The Powers That Be'', [[Council on Foreign Relations, extract from The Powers That Be|Council on Foreign Relations]], Vintage. pp. 67-9.
 
*G. William Domhoff, (1979) ''The Powers That Be'', [[Council on Foreign Relations, extract from The Powers That Be|Council on Foreign Relations]], Vintage. pp. 67-9.
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==Further reading==
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*de Villemarest, Pierre, ''Facts & Chronicles Denied to the Public, Vol. 1,'' Aquilion, 2004, ISBN 1-904997-00-7
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*Grose, Peter, ''Continuing the Inquiry: The Council on Foreign Relations from 1921 to 1996'', New York, N.Y.: Council on Foreign Relations: 1996. ISBN 0-87609-192-3
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*Perloff, James, ''The Shadows of Power: The Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline,'' Western Islands, 1988. ISBN 0-88279-134-6
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*Schulzinger, Robert D., ''The Wise Men of Foreign Affairs'', New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. ISBN 0-231-05528-5
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*Shoup, Laurence H., and William Minter, '' Imperial Brain Trust: The Council on Foreign Relations and United States Foreign Policy'', New York: Authors Choice Press, Reprint, 2004.
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*Wala, Michael, ''The Council on Foreign Relations and American Foreign Policy in the Early Cold War'', Providence, R.I.: Berghann Books: 1994. ISBN 1-57181-003-X

Revision as of 21:08, 7 November 2006

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American foreign policy think tank based in New York City. It describes itself as being "dedicated to increasing America's understanding of the world and contributing ideas to U.S. foreign policy," and accomplishes this mainly by promoting constructive, closed debates and discussions, clarifying world issues through research and analysis, and publishing the noted journal Foreign Affairs and related content online.

History

The Council on Foreign Relations, as well as the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, came about as a result of a meeting on May 30 1919, at the Hotel Majestic in Paris. Some of the fifty participants were Edward M. House, Harold Temperley, Lionel Curtis, Lord Eustace Percy, Herbert Hoover, Christian Herter, Paul Warburg, and American academic historians James Thomson Shotwell of Columbia University, Archibald Coolidge of Harvard and Charles Seymour of Yale.

Formally established in 1921, it is one of the most powerful private organizations with influence on U.S. foreign policy. It has about 4,000 members, including former national security officers, professors, former CIA members, elected politicians, and media figures. The CFR is not a formal institution within U.S. policy making.

In 1944, Harold I. Pratt's widow donated the family's four-storey mansion on the corner of 68th Street and Park Avenue and this became the CFR's new headquarters, Harold Pratt House, where it has remained to the present.

Board of Directors and Membership

OFFICE NAME
Chairman Peter G. Peterson
Vice Chairman Carla A. Hills
Vice Chairman Robert E. Rubin
President Richard N. Haass
Board Member Peter Ackerman
Board Member Fouad Ajami
Board Member Madeleine K. Albright
Board Member Charlene Barshefsky
Board Member Jeffrey Bewkes
Board Member Henry S. Bienen
Board Member Stephen W. Bosworth
Board Member Tom Brokaw
Board Member Lee Cullum
Board Member Kenneth M. Duberstein
Board Member Martin S. Feldstein
Board Member Richard N. Foster
Board Member Helene D. Gayle
Board Member Maurice R. Greenberg
Board Member Richard C. Holbrooke
Board Member Karen Elliott House
Board Member Joseph S. Nye, Jr.
Board Member Ronald L. Olson
Board Member Thomas R. Pickering
Board Member David M. Rubenstein
Board Member Richard E. Salomon
Board Member Anne-Marie Slaughter
Board Member Joan E. Spero
Board Member Laura D'Andrea Tyson
Board Member Vin Weber
Board Member Fareed Zakaria

The Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations is composed of thirty-one members.

There are two types of membership - term membership (which lasts for 5 years and is available to those between 30 and 36) and regular membership. Only US citizens (native born or naturalised) and permanent residents who have applied for U.S. citizenship are eligible for membership. Proposed members must be nominated by current members.


Resources

Further reading

  • de Villemarest, Pierre, Facts & Chronicles Denied to the Public, Vol. 1, Aquilion, 2004, ISBN 1-904997-00-7
  • Grose, Peter, Continuing the Inquiry: The Council on Foreign Relations from 1921 to 1996, New York, N.Y.: Council on Foreign Relations: 1996. ISBN 0-87609-192-3
  • Perloff, James, The Shadows of Power: The Council on Foreign Relations and the American Decline, Western Islands, 1988. ISBN 0-88279-134-6
  • Schulzinger, Robert D., The Wise Men of Foreign Affairs, New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. ISBN 0-231-05528-5
  • Shoup, Laurence H., and William Minter, Imperial Brain Trust: The Council on Foreign Relations and United States Foreign Policy, New York: Authors Choice Press, Reprint, 2004.
  • Wala, Michael, The Council on Foreign Relations and American Foreign Policy in the Early Cold War, Providence, R.I.: Berghann Books: 1994. ISBN 1-57181-003-X