Mapping the Global Future
Mapping the Global Future brings together leading scholars and thought leaders to identify the trends shaping international order and to examine how domestic politics shapes US foreign policy.
Mapping the Global Future is a joint initiative of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Princeton University’s Reimagining World Order Initiative, and Georgetown University’s Lloyd George Project on World Order.
The initiative brings together leading scholars and experts to examine the evolving domestic and international landscape at a time of profound political and geopolitical transition. Building on an earlier initiative led by the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) and chaired by Professor John Ikenberry, this group will identify global trends and assess their impact on international order and stability. We will examine the strategic trends previously considered by the NIC, but also discuss developments in domestic politics and their impact on foreign policy, especially in the United States. Indeed, we see examination of the domestic sources of statecraft as a central plank of the group’s agenda.
Topics considered by this group include the changing polarity of the international system, the impact of political polarization on US statecraft, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the strategic landscape.
In addition to its substantive contributions, this initiative is designed to help foster synergies and cross-fertilization among four key institutions. CFR, Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, and the Council were all founded after World War I ended. In that post-war era, Americans again debated competing conceptions of the US role in the world. The Council brings Midwestern views to bear, an important dimension given the regional complexities now shaping US internationalism. Princeton’s Reimagining World Order Initiative has been doing important work on the future of the international system. We aim to deepen the intellectual bonds among these four institutions and build community among a diverse group of experts.
Leadership
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs, National Security Council
Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. From 2014 to 2017, Kupchan served as special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs on the staff of the National Security Council.
Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University
G. John Ikenberry is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and co-director of Princeton's Center for International Security Studies. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has been ranked among the top international relations scholars of the past two decades.
Working Group Members
Salman Ahmad
Distinguished Chair, Strategy and Diplomacy, RAND; Former Director of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, US State Department
Salman Ahmad is the distinguished chair of strategy and diplomacy at RAND. Formerly, he served as director of the Secretary of State’s policy planning staff at the US State Department.
Ben Buchanan
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; Former White House Special Advisor on AI
Ben Buchanan is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He previously served as the White House Special Advisor on AI.
President, Council on Foreign Relations
Michael Froman is president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He previously served as US Trade Representative; vice chairman and president of strategic growth at Mastercard; chairman of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth; and a distinguished fellow at CFR.
Stacie Goddard
Arnold A. Saltzman Professor of War and Peace Studies, Columbia SIPA
Stacie Goaddard is the Arnold A. Saltzman Professor of War and Peace Studies at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. She also serves as director of the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies.
Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University
G. John Ikenberry is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University and co-director of Princeton's Center for International Security Studies. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has been ranked among the top international relations scholars of the past two decades.
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs, National Security Council
Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. From 2014 to 2017, Kupchan served as special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs on the staff of the National Security Council.
Maria Langan-Riekhof
Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Former Vice Chair, National Intelligence Council
Maria Langan-Riekhof is a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. She previously served as vice chair of the National Intelligence Council.
Jennifer Lind
Associate Professor of Government, Dartmouth College
Jennifer Lind is an associate professor of government at Dartmouth College.
Rebecca Lissner
Assistant Professor, US Naval War College
Rebecca Lissner is an assistant professor in the strategic and operational research department at the US Naval War College.
ST Lee Professor of US-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School
Rana Mitter is ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at Harvard Kennedy School. He is the author of "China's Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism" and "Forgotten Ally: China's World War II," and he regularly comments on China in the media and at international forums.
Vice President, Deputy Director of Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Shannon K. O'Neil is senior vice president of studies and Maurice R. Greenberg chair as well as the Nelson and David Rockefeller senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is an expert on Latin America, global trade, US-Mexico relations, corruption, democracy, and immigration, and is the author of "The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter."
President, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Former External Member, Monetary Policy Committee, Bank of England
Adam S. Posen is president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a leading macroeconomist whose research focuses on globalization, international economic policy, and China–US economic relations. He previously served on the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and has written extensively on monetary policy and the global economy.
Jake Sullivan
Former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Jake Sullivan served as national security advisor during the Biden administration from January 2021 to January 2025. Previously, he was a senior policy advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and served as her deputy chief of staff when she was secretary of state.
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.
Stephen M. Walt
Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University
Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Amy Zegart is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford University. She specializes in US intelligence, emerging technologies & national security, grand strategy, and global political risk management. She is the author of 5 books, including her most recent, "Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence".
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