Videos

China’s political system is complicated, and there’s a lot of contradictory information out there. Is China a communist country? Is it democratic, as its own government insists? And what does “freedom” mean to Chinese citizens? Ian Johnson, CFR’s senior fellow for China studies, answers these questions and more.

Since the creation of Bitcoin in 2009, cryptocurrencies have exploded in popularity and accrued over $1 trillion in collective value. But market volatility in 2022 threatened the crypto ecosystem—after peaking at over $68,000 in November 2021, the price of Bitcoin fell to under $17,000 twelve months later. This instability has brought new scrutiny to the industry and the countries that have embraced Bitcoin as currency: El Salvador and the Central African Republic. Financial regulators are now calling for more crypto oversight, but global efforts to regulate the industry have stalled. Given this simultaneous rise in global popularity and concern, what lies ahead for digital currency and the future of finance?

The world is running out of time to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. With the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries set a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) compared to 150 years ago. However, the planet is on track to pass 1.5°C by the end of this decade, which would lead to higher sea levels, hotter heat waves, and deadlier natural disasters. But countries can work to prevent those and even worse dangers by sticking to their climate pledges and limiting just how much the world overshoots its Paris Agreement goal.

After years of tension, relations between the United States and Venezuela appear to be headed in a new direction. The Joe Biden administration has temporarily rolled back some U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry in an effort to curb energy prices as well as help the Venezuelan people. But the extent of this détente hinges on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. What’s in store for bilateral relations?

It was a year marked by political tumult, spiking major-power tensions, economic challenges, a waning pandemic, and a war that echoed worldwide.

With the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, it’s up to states to decide their own abortion laws. Watch to see what has changed so far in the United States and how it compares with other countries on abortion access.  

As King Charles III ascends to the British throne after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Commonwealth countries are debating whether to follow Barbados, which broke ties with the Crown in 2021. Why are countries choosing to leave the monarchy, and what could that mean for its future?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led European governments to propose bans on Russian oil and gas, but rising energy costs and a lack of alternatives are undermining the effort. Here’s how Europe has been challenged by Russia’s leverage in the energy market.

The debate over gun laws has raged in Washington for decades, often reigniting after high-profile mass shootings. In mid-2022, Congress passed a rare, compromise gun control bill, but critics say it still leaves the United States with some of the loosest gun laws in the world. Here’s how the United States and some other advanced democracies have responded to gun violence.

After the British government handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997, Beijing promised to let the city keep its capitalist economy and some of its democratic freedoms under the “one country, two systems” approach. However, Hong Kong’s future looks grim as Beijing increasingly cracks down on protests, free press, and dissent.

Before her passing in 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated seventy years on the throne. As Charles III takes the crown, Caribbean countries are debating whether to stay in the Commonwealth or follow Barbados, which broke ties with the Crown in 2021. Why are countries choosing to leave, and what could that mean for the future of the monarchy?

As part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion, CFR celebrates a decade of hosting the annual Conference on Diversity in International Affairs (CDIA) in collaboration with the Global Access Pipeline and the International Career Advancement Program.

Since the creation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in 1980, more than three million refugees have been accepted into the country. Until recently, the United States was the world’s top country for taking in refugees. However, bans on refugees from certain countries significantly curtailed admissions during the Donald Trump administration and reignited a debate over the program’s national security implications. Now, President Joe Biden has pledged to restore the program as crises worsen in places such as Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Since it went into effect seventy-five years ago, Japan’s constitution has prevented the country from engaging in combat. But China’s growing military power and North Korea’s increasing threats raised concerns about the strength of Japan’s defenses. Some Japanese politicians have called for a revised constitution so the country can effectively confront twenty-first century challenges. Already, Japan’s defense spending is steadily rising, and the Japanese military is now allowed to work with other militaries, including the United States’. Still, some Japanese people are wary of constitutional change, which has protected them from conflict. Can Japan maintain its pacifist constitution?