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Centers & Programs

Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security

The Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is dedicated to conflict prevention and resolution. The program seeks to identify pathways to prevent, mitigate, and end conflict, as well as promote the conditions that engage a just and secure peace. It aims to generate debate on these issues and why they matter to the United States.

As the number, magnitude, and complexity of armed conflicts grow around the world, the means to address them remain rooted in past practices and challenged multilateral institutions. The Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security accomplishes its mission by producing forward-looking assessments and in-depth policy analysis, and by convening regular consultations with representatives of leading international institutions, civil society groups, corporations, and other research organizations.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Sue & Edgar Wachenheim Foundation.

About the Program
Program Topics

The Wachenheim Program on Peace and Security at the Council on Foreign Relations currently focuses on four topics. Read more about each here.

Ukrainian flag
Ensuring that Ukraine resists Russian aggression and survives as a secure, sovereign, democratic state is central to the future of European peace and security.
Putin and Xi Jinping walk in front of soldiers
Recent years have seen cooperation among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea broadening and deepening, ushering in a new “Axis of Autocracies.” The group is not only cooperating to sustain support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, but also working to divide the United States from its traditional friends, partners, and allies, and to encourage resentment in the Global South toward the West.
Nuclear capable missile tests
The return of great power competition, Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling, China’s rapid build-up of its nuclear arsenal, and the collapse of the arms control architecture pose serious questions for U.S. nuclear strategy, the composition of its nuclear arsenal, and its arms control and non-proliferation policies.
Men walking with rpg and guns
In many places around the world, insecurity and violence are perpetuated not by governments and official armies but by informal militias, militants, and organized crime rings. These non-state armed actors not only terrorize local populations but also undermine government control and even presence, as well as proliferate illicit economies.
The Global Conflict Tracker

The Center for Preventive Action's (CPA) Global Conflict Tracker is an interactive guide to ongoing conflicts around the world of concern to the United States. The map displays nearly thirty conflicts with background information and resources on each conflict. Learn About the Methodology.

Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future

Photos of Ukraine in wartime

Special Initiative on Securing Ukraine’s Future

CFR’s Special Initiative provides timely, informed analysis and practical policy recommendations for U.S. policymakers and the public. Ensuring that Ukraine is able to resist and survive Russia’s full-scale invasion such that peace and security is restored to Europe will thus remain a policy priority for the United States.

Program Experts

Liana Fix

Fellow for Europe

Will Freeman

Fellow for Latin America Studies

Michelle Gavin

Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies

Thomas Graham

Distinguished Fellow

Bruce Hoffman

Shelby Cullom and Kathryn W. Davis Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Charles A. Kupchan

Senior Fellow

Joshua Kurlantzick

Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia

James M. Lindsay

Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy and Director of Fellowship Affairs

Lori Esposito Murray

Senior Fellow for National Security and Managing Director of CEO Programs

Ebenezer Obadare

Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies

Shannon K. O'Neil

Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair

Daniel B. Poneman

Senior Fellow

Stephen Sestanovich

George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies

Paul B. Stares

General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action

Jacob Ware

Research Fellow

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