Search The Council

This report looks at emerging cities—namely Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei—and their ability to attract, retain, and generate flows of ideas, capital, and people.

In this Chicago Council on Global Affairs blog post, Michael Tiboris explains how water insecurity has profoundly disproportionate effects on women.

Agricultural development and other food security efforts make the food supply more reliable and affordable, which hedges against civil strife.

Global Cities Officer Rachel Abrams reflects on connecting city leaders from oceans away.

Roger Thurow examines the question of how to conquer global hunger and malnutrition while also saving the planet from the strain on our environment, biodiversity, and health.

Through infrastructure investments, economic integration, and green and digital transitions, the EU's Global Gateway will shape Africa and its cities as new hubs for development.

This paper seeks to raise awareness of the growing global obesity epidemic and the need to address the economic, security, and humanitarian threats it poses.

The Port of Darwin shows the potential of China's Belt and Road Initiative as social infrastructure, but also the challenges in materializing its benefits.

India is forecast to experience the largest increase in urban population of any country in the world. India's cities could have another 404 million mouths to feed by the year 2050.

Two case studies from Bogotá and Chicago demonstrate how cities embraced participatory governance frameworks in their COVID-19 pandemic responses.

Lima 2035 shares their ambitious plan to change urban food systems to transform the world’s driest megacity.

An essay about food insecurity and child hunger by Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Roger Thurow.

Investing in regenerative agriculture opens a world of possibilities for the agricultural sector.

The success of ambitious states will be determined by their ability to shape global infrastructures and the cities they connect around the world.

Council Distinguished Fellow and Former Executive Director of the World Food Program Catherine Bertini reflects on why elevating women and girls worldwide matters.

Kyiv, a capital city under siege, falters under the dangers of urbicide. As the victor emerges, so too does a new world order.

America’s unconditional security sector assistance has helped facilitate Ethiopia’s violent responses to opposition.

This paper diagnoses the challenges faced in mitigating and reversing the decline of soil quality in Africa.

The White House Situation Room has entertained grandstanding that betrays the seriousness of the "Sit Room" and its national security function.

Chicagoans may love to compare the city to New York, but Chicago occupies a second tier of global cities that are centers of learning, culture, and business.

Despite the challenges, Rio has accomplished more in the years preparing to host the Olympics than it could have without being awarded this international honor.

This brief analyzes the the 2017 ASEAN summit where officials from the United States, Japan, India, and Australia met to discuss a free and open Indo-Pacific.

In the book The Last Hunger Season, the intimate dramas of farmers' lives unfold amidst growing awareness that to feed the world's growing population, food production must double by 2050.

Over half of Americans are in favor of permanently changing laws to allow everyone to vote by mail, but there are partisan divides between Republicans and Democrats.Over half of Americans are in favor of permanently changing laws to allow everyone

Over a million Ukrainian citizens have fled to other European countries. African, Asian, Caribbean nationals living in Ukraine may not be able to do the same.

The Biden Administration has the opportunity to build on a strong foundation of food and nutrition security programs to alleviate hunger and malnutrition.

Even as the war in Ukraine creates risks, the extensive city-based CEFT network remains resilient from its continued expansion, improved infrastructure, and operational adaptability.

In order for global cities to be able to grow—despite their home countries' economic challenges—they must focus on developing and attracting global talent.

African cities have emerged as proxy arenas where different modes of international relations are given effect through the development of infrastructure.

Distinguished Fellow Richard Longworth examines two books that highlight the role of cities in global affairs, and how Midwest cities may leverage global partnerships.

The Ethiopian government is using starvation as a weapon of war against Tigray, inducing a massive famine that requires immediate action from the international community.

Mass arrests have reduced crime in the short-term—but at a significant cost to human rights.

From Medellín to Chicago, digital nomads are on the rise, contributing significantly to the global economy. But locals worry these visitors are pricing them out.

This book provides the non-specialist reader with the background to understand the debates about trade.

In this Chicago Council on Global Affairs blog post, Alesha Black explores the complexities of water governance in cities and in agriculture.

This paper provides guidance for new leaders through various stages of the early days of UN leadership.

Safeguarding methods of democratic influence is a core strategic mandate for city governments to legitimize technology.

Xuefei Ren argues that cities in China and India are more aptly compared in territorial vs. associational governance than by regime type.

The United States should increase support for agricultural R&D in the next Farm Bill to ensure farmers can keep feeding the world in spite of challenges from climate change and other shocks. In collaboration with the Farm Journal Foundation, the

After nearly four years at the Council, Alesha Black, the Center on Global Food and Agriculture managing director, steps down.

Any city aspiring to play on the global league needs to focus on infrastructure to court the people and the businesses who can afford to live anywhere.

Local strategies can revive economies, nurture hope, and diminish the appeal of antidemocratic populism in struggling industrial regions.

Scott MacMillan recalls 2015 World Food Prize winner Fazle Hasan Abed's legacy and its impact on food security.

Local leadership plays a critical role in responding to climate threats and addressing the challenges associated with migration, the report's authors find.

Millions of Americans live in urban food deserts without access to fresh food. A Council Emerging Leaders report details how some cities are beginning to find a way forward.

A military strengthened by American training, weapons, and intelligence helped create the very problem US assistance was meant to prevent.

The energy transition in African cities marks a key site of geopolitical competition, as China's control of the solar market reshapes urban service delivery.

The world needs a healthier food environment that is easier for everyday people to navigate in order to achieve nutrition security.

This Chicago Council on Global Affairs report recommends Chicago’s leaders focus on priorities of infrastructure, human capital, and global engagement.

The Chicago City Council has tripled its legislation on foreign policy in the last four years.